The first #Druze emirate of Mt. Lebanon came to being in the 12th century and lost power by the 16th. The Tanukhi emirate preceded the Ma'nis. Unlike its successor, which lasted merely 5 generations, 14 generations of Buhturid emirs ruled the Tanukhi emirate before its demise.

The Ma'nis resembled a powerful flame in Mt. Lebanon's history that shined most brightly under Fakhereddine II's reign, and yet suddenly vanished. The Tanukhis, on the other hand, resembled a small but steady flame that withstood the test of time.

Small note: #Hamra street in Beirut is named after the Banu Hamra clan mentioned above. This clan, to the best of my knowledge, was brought to Beirut to assist the Tanukhis manage and protect their holdings there. Why they turned against them is beyond me.

Another note: #Kisrawan at the time was primarily a mixed region that included Twelver Shi'as, Ismailis, Alawis and Druze. The Mamluks justified their campaigns by claiming their aim was to eradicate heretics. Pretty ironic given that their allies the Tanukhis were Druze.

There are two primary sources available for anyone interested in researching the Buhturid emirs: Salih Ibn Yehia, who wrote /Tarikh Bayrut wa akhbar al-umara' al-Buhturiyyin min bani al-Gharb/ and Hasan Ibn Ahmad Ibn Sibat who wrote /Sidq al-Akhbar/

The latter was translated to English by Dr. Nayla Takieddine Kaedbey of the American University of Beirut with commentary. It was her PhD thesis under the supervision of the late Prof. Kamal Salibi.

What do these sources say about the Buhturids? Well... unlike the Ma'nis and Shehabis, they were based in the #Gharb not Lebanon's Chuf mountains. The villages they resided in included #Abey, #Aramoun and #Aynab. #Baysour, #Ramtoun and #Tardala also hosted a few emirs.

As already mentioned, their reign was long: approx. 4 centuries. 14 generations. They successfully survived during very turbulent times that saw the comings and goings of Mongols, Ayyubids, Mamluks and Crusaders.

During the Battle of Ayn Jalut, e.g., the Buhturids split into two armies led by two brothers. Each fought for the opposing side. The deal was that each would fight hardest for their side and leave a positive impression. Whoever won would put in a word for their brother.

In addition to politics and warfare, it was apparently expected of emirs to master certain crafts such as carpentry, goldsmithery, calligraphy and medicine. Some emirs were said to have even mastered subjects such as geometry, music, composition and poetry.

The 16th century Ottoman invasion correlated with their demise and the rise of the Ma'nis. The Buhturids by then were running on reserve. By the time the Ottomans arrived, there were almost no emirs left.

The 6th 7th and 8th generations of Buhturids, for example, included 21 emirs each. By comparison, the 12th, 13th and 14th generations could only muster 6, 5 and 3 emirs respectively.

The Ma'nis were in fact, subjects/lieutenants of the Buhturids. It was only towards the end of the Tanukhi era that the former were allowed to marry Buhturid daughters. In that sense Fakhereddine II was a descendent of the Buhturids from a paternal grandmother. قرابة نسب.

Today, there a few families that claim descent from that line: The two that I know of are the Qadis of Baysour, the Naaseredines from Kfarmatta.