The Khoreich Family
was one of the founding families of Ain Ebel, a village
in Lebanon. There are several theories regarding the
origin of the Khoreich family. Some historians believe
that the family originated in the Arabian Peninsula at
the early period of Islam. Due to persecution because
of their Christian belief, they left the
peninsula. Some took refuge in Iraq and Iran while
others continued their emigration to the Levant, in
particular Antioch where they were integrated into the
Maronite church guided by the monks of Saint Maron.
During the reign of the Umayyads (680-700 AD), the
family, accompanying the community of Saint John Maron
of Cyr, north of Aleppo in Syria, came to Lebanon.
Later, when the Crusaders arrived in Lebanon, the
Maronites fortified their relations with the Catholic
Church.
In the first decades
of the 17th century, the Khoreich family left the region
of Hadath Jebbe, Becharre, and Hasroun near the holy
valley of Qadicha. They arrived in Ain Ebel in south of
Lebanon with other families from the north like, the
Diabs, Chehades, Hasrounies, Saders, Matars Saqrs,
Ishacs, Atmes, Farahs, Khalifes, and Alams etc... After
1750, other families arrived from the Bekaa Valley, like
the Haddads, and also from Syria, like the Ammars and
Ghannams.
In 1584, Pope Gregory
XIII had created a Maronite school at the Vatican in
Rome. From that school, Ain Ebel had his first priest,
Abdel Massih Tawil, graduated, and he was a member of
the Khoreich family. In 1630, Patriarch Youssef Al
Akoury sent Father Abdel Massih Tawil to Rome for a
special mission. There, he wrote his autobiography in
the introduction of the Maronite Missal (book of
prayers), edited in 1647 and known under "Al-Youssfiyye".
The relatives of Abdel
Massih (sacerdotal surname Youssef) were disseminated
all over the world under many names: Khoreich, Tawil ,
El-Khoury, Bou Sleiman.etc..
The Khoreich family
has contributed to the advancement of Ain Ebel and
Lebanon in all fields, including the arts, education,
medicine, commerce, diplomacy, military and
ecclesiastic.
We hope that the new
technology of communication will help the Khoreich
family all over the world reunite.
