On November 8, 1943, the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies amended the Constitution, abolishing the articles that referred to the French Mandate and curtailing the powers of the French. This unilaterally ended the French Mandate. The French authorities responded by suspending the Constitution and arresting a number of prominent Lebanese politicians, including the president, Bechara El Khoury, the prime minister, Riad as-Solh, and other cabinet members. They were imprisoned in the ancient castle/fortress, an 18th century citadel, in the village of Rachaya. The citadel had been the scene of heavy fighting between the French and the Druze in 1925.



France finally yielded to mounting internal pressures from Muslims and Christians and to the external pressure from Britain, the United States, and other Arab countries. It released the political prisoners on November 22, 1943. In remembrance of the occasion, this day has been celebrated as Lebanese Independence Day.



This event is also commemorated by the extremely rare Medal of National Jihad or as it is also known, the Rachaya Medal. Only 150 of these medals were ever minted by Maison Bichay in Cairo.



The obverse of the 28 gram, round, dull-silver colored, 35mm medal reflects the Lebanese traditionally symbolic cedar tree encircled to the lower left with the Rachaya citadel in the background. The obverse is signed, BICHAY on the lower right. The central reverse depicts the encircled village of Rachaya. At the top, the Arabic inscription reads, LEBANESE REPUBLIC. The balance of the Arabic inscription reads, MEDAL OF NATIONAL JIHAD IN MEMORY OF 11 – 22 NOVEMBER 1943.



The medal is suspended from a 34mm horizontally divided white (on top) and red (on bottom) ribbon. [i]The red and white colors are those associated, respectively, with the Kayssites and Yemenites, opposing clans that divided Lebanese society between 634 and 1711. An alternative interpretation is that [/i]the white represents snow, where cedars are, on snowy mountains and symbolizes purity and the red represents the blood of the victims of the battles for independence against the Ottomans, the French and the rest of colonizers.

Hello Dragonmaster

It is nice of you to have reported this seldom mentioned medal, which in a way is connected with French history.

I personnally had never heard of it, and I am sure many other members on this forum will be interested.

(Incidentally, if you don't mind me saying so, the custom on this forum is to say hello and good bye). I am sure you will want to join us doing so. We rather feel it makes messages pleasanter to receive.
Very best regards
Vétéran