The Unknown Greek Landing in Beirut (1826)

While in 1826 the events in Greece had taken a turn for the worse, with Missolonghi in its final throes and the revolution in danger of being extinguished under the pressure of Ibrahim, a group of daring chieftains decided to do the unthinkable. To bring the war miles away, to the shores of Lebanon.

This is the story of the expedition to Beirut, an operation attempted to combine the relief of the insurgents in Greece with the vision of a common destiny for all the Romioi of the East.

The situation in the Peloponnese and Central Greece was dramatic. Resources had been exhausted and the need for a diversion was more than urgent. The chieftains who organized the plan were no ordinary men. Vasos Mavrovouniotis (a Serb who became a hero of the Greek revolution), Nikolaos Kriezotis, and Hatzimichalis Dalianis (the future hero of Frangokastello).

Their goals were ambitious. They wanted to force the Sublime Porte to detach troops from Greece to protect its provinces in the East, while simultaneously acquiring loot and food to continue the struggle.

There was hope that the Christians of Lebanon (Maronites and Orthodox) and the Druze would see the Greeks as a spark of freedom.

This campaign, which began in March 1826, was not a simple raid but an organized military movement. A considerable force of about 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers was gathered, transported by a fleet numbering from 10 to 15 ships, under the naval command of the experienced Sachtouris.

The scene of action was set in Beirut, in the region then called Coele-Syria by Europeans. At the helm of the land force were the three aforementioned chieftains, who despite their differences, united under this risky plan.

On March 19, 1826, the Greek fleet suddenly appeared off the coast of Beirut. The sight of the Greek banners caused panic among the Ottoman authorities, as no one expected such a move so far from the Aegean. The Greek soldiers landed with momentum and managed to occupy a part of the city near the coast, mainly in the area where the local Romioi resided.

"Rise up and unite with us!"

This was the call of the Heptanesians and Roumeliotes to the locals. The revolutionaries sent letters to the Emir of the Druze, Bashir Shihab, asking him to participate. However, reality proved harsh. Despite the sympathy of certain groups, the locals were hesitant. They had already suffered from Ottoman arbitrary rule and feared that a failed uprising would mean their total extermination.

The city's defense was quickly organized by the local Mufti and a group of armed citizens and soldiers. The Greeks, though experienced in mountain and guerrilla warfare, found themselves in an unknown and hostile urban environment.

When it became known that large Ottoman reinforcements were arriving from Damascus and Acre, the Greek leaders realized that their time had run out. Without the internal uprising they hoped for, staying would be suicide. After a few days of fighting, they re-embarked on their ships and departed, having nonetheless managed to stir the waters of the Ottoman administration.

Although the expedition to Beirut is often described as a romantic failure, it teaches us two very important things about that era:

The Greek fighters did not see their struggle as a local dispute, but as part of a broader conflict with Ottoman despotism.

Romeosyne united the Orthodox of Greece with those of Antioch, Jerusalem, and Beirut.

The attempt by Vasos Mavrovouniotis and his comrades shows that there was a belief in a common world of the East that could be born from the ashes of the Empire. They may not have won Beirut, but they proved that the Greek flag could reach the edges of the desert.

Christodoulos Molyvas