Christian Lebanese Descendants Of Ancient Arameans

"The chief port is Beyrout, and to it must be added Acre, Caiffa (Haifa), Tyre, and Tripoli. Railways, to connect Damascus with Acre and with Beyrout, and Tripoli with the interior, are projected. The population is estimated at 2,677,000 and at 1.450,000, and again at about 2,000,000. The bulk of the inhabitants are Mohammedans, but do not all profess the orthodox Sunnite creed: for instance, there are the Druses (q.v.), certain sects of Shiites, and others. The Christians make up about one-fifth of the total (see below). The principal ethnic elements in the population are descendants of the ancient Syriacs (Aramaeans) and Arabs, these last both settled and nomad; besides there are Jews, Turks, and Europeans."