Freemasonry in Lebanon

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Freemasonry in Lebanon started with the charter of a Lodge by the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1861, and has expanded to include Lodges working in multiple languages (including Arabic, English and French) and chartered under multiple jurisdictions and streams.

History

The first Masonic Lodge to be erected in Lebanon was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1861 and was given the name Palestine Lodge No. 415. This lodge was operating in Beirut but then it became dormant in 1895. Four other Scottish lodges were chartered in Lebanon prior to the First World War. The Grand Orient of France chartered a lodge in 1869, working in Arabic. Two further lodges followed, but none survived the First World War.

Other new lodges formed prior to World War I were a lodge at Beirut under the Ottoman Grand Lodge (later the Grand Lodge of Turkey), and a lodge under the National Grand Lodge of Egypt, erected about 1914. A number of other Egyptian-warranted lodges were chartered thereafter, and after the First World War these were formed into a District Grand Lodge. By the end of World War Two, these lodges were extinct, merged, or had changed jurisdictional authority.

One lodge was chartered in Lebanon under the Grand Orient of Italy called Fraternità Italo-Libanse, erected at Jounieh in 1989, but this lodge lost its charter in the 1990s.

In the early 1970s, The Cedars Grand Lodge (GLDC) was erected, and started the reform of the Lebanese Freemasonry in 1979.

GLDC members were the pioneers in the social help in Lebanon since the civil war, and continue in contributing in the education and health services of multiple families in Lebanon.

The first lodge chartered by the Grand Lodge of New York was the Syrio-American Lodge #1, formed in 1924 by returning American-Lebanese immigrants, Several further lodges were erected prior to World War II, and subsequently. After the war, Turbol Lodge No.9 was erected in 1949, Lebanon Lodge No.10 in 1955, and Ani Lodge No.11 in 1960. A research lodge, Veritas, was chartered in 1993. With the exception of one lodge originally erected in Syria, all New York chartered lodges in its Syria-Lebanon District (eleven in total) have operated in recent times.^[1]

During the Lebanese Civil War, most lodges became dormant, although at least Syrio-American Lodge No. 1 continued to meet intermittently and still exists today. Since the cessation of the civil war, all five Scottish lodges had re-commenced work, as did the New York lodges.

In October 2010, the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia chartered Phoenix Lodge 1001 in Al Fanar, Beirut, in June 2013 the Grand Lodge of Scotland established its District Grand Lodge of Lebanon with 6 Lodges operating under it; Lodge Peace 908 in Beirut(operates in Arabic), Lodge Kadisha 1002 in Beirut( operates in Arabic and English), Lodge Zahle 1047 in Zahle( operates in Arabic), Lodge El-Mizab 1130 in Tripoli(operates in Arabic), Lodge Mount Lebanon 1312 in Koura(operates in Arabic), Lodge Harmony 1830 in Zahle( operates in English). On June 2014, Lodge Pythagoras 1841(operates in English) was Chartered in Beirut, in July 17th 2016 Lodge King Hiram 1351 was reponed in Fanar, and the newest Lodge was Chartered in October called Lodge Trinity 1846 which will be consecrated end of 2016, raising the number of Recognized Masonic Lodges in Lebanon to 21 Lodges divided among three Jurisdictions: the Grand Lodge of NY (11) Grand Lodge of Scotland (9) and Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia(Washington DC) (1). All other so called bodies, Lodges or Grand Lodges that exist in Lebanon are considered Unrecognized and mostly Irregular There are many Lodges and so called Grand Lodges that operate in Lebanon, some for men, others for women, and yet others that are mixed. most of these bodies are somewhat created by certain individuals, and do not portray the institutional system of continuity that Freemasonry ought to be, and as such many good men have left the Craft thinking that it is all corrupt. It is crucial to research where you might be joining since there are many institutions that claim to be Regular and Recognized Masonic bodies. visit www.GrandlodgeScotland.com and you will find the Scottish Lodges that operate in Lebanon. Visit www.NYMasons.org to find the Lodges of the Grand Lodge of NY operating in Lebanon. visit www.DCGrandLodge.org to find which Lodge operates in Lebanon.

References