FAIROUZEH

 

Fairouzeh is one of the most beautiful villages near the city of Homs-Syria. It is located 3 miles (5 كم ( Southeast of Homs.  Due to the huge expansion of buildings around the original village, Fairouzeh is now considered one of Homs’ suburbs.  One of the beauties of Fairouzeh is, although it is considered a suburb, it never lost its small town identity.

 

The origin of the name “Fairouzeh” is still debatable. Many believe the name “Fairouzeh” (Fairouz means turquoise in Arabic) came from the green color of it landscape.  However, historians believe the name “Fairouzeh” was mentioned in the Old Testament as “Bairouthy” (Samuel II, 8:8).

 

Old Fairouzeh

 

The majority of the villages’ inhabitants were farmers. The majority of people owned enough land to grow wheat, barley, lentil, olive trees and grape wine. Almost every family raised sheep, goats and chickens. The original farmers also owned horses, donkeys and cows. They were self sufficient of basic food supply throughout the whole year.

 

The water source was acquired from deep wells about (18 to 20 meters). The two most famous wells (Jub) were Jub Hamza and Jub Jaaber. Without the existence of these two wells, the continuous life in Fairouzeh as we know it would have not existed. The structure of Jub Hamza in the middle of the village was preserved as a “monument” for current and future generations. The village now uses city running water and electricity.

 

The elders in the village were known for their colorful and unique clothes. Most men, women and kids wore similar traditional outfits. The homes were built similar in shape and architectural design. Traditional home walls were built from hardened mud pieces and the roofs from wood and topped with mixed hay and mud. Some of the early big homes had several families living together side by side.

 

The most known family names in early Fairouzeh are: Abdel Nour, Abdel Hai, Abdel Aziz, Askar, Assaf, Assfour, Attia, Ballat, Dabbous, Danial, Deeb, Diab, Dorghalli, Fdayl, Fleyeh, Ghanem, Grair, Habahab, Habroun, Hannoun , Hamad, Helow, Hourany, Howarah, Hushaan, Hussary, Jubi, Judi, Kassas, Khalil, Maida, Mbarkeh, Maleh, Makhool, Mashour, Muhow, Mushamel, Nader, Nahim, Nakkoud, Noufal, Nussais, Rahal, Ruboz, Sayegh, Seder, Shahadeh, Shahla, Taweel, Toma, Tissan, Trad, Watfa, Wanis  & Younan.  In the last 50 years, many more families have moved to Fairouzeh from neighboring towns and villages and made it their home.

 

Present-Day Fairouzeh

 

Fairouzehe’s population is now about 7,000 people. Based on a current and future civil plan, it will occupy about 425 acres of land when it is completed. The village is estimated to be about 400 years old. The original inhabitants were mostly Eastern Orthodox Christian who came from the town of Saddad in the sixteenth century. They migrated to Fairouzeh to be close to the city of Homs for better living conditions. They were deeply religious, and spent most of their lives between church and farming.

 

In the early twentieth century all kids attended elementary school. They were taught religious and general education. The first middle school was built in Fairouzeh in 1949 as one of very few middle schools in the Homs area. Many students from Fairouzeh and neighboring villages graduated from this school and continued their higher education in Homs and Damascus. Currently, the village is proud to have many doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and professionals who have graduated from universities in Syria and abroad.

 

The Fairouzehian people are a very close-knit community and share a unique cultural relationship. They are very committed to the well being of each other and especially the poor citizens. They consider themselves one large extended family. They share all major village celebrations together and help each other in good and bad times. 

 

After the First World War there was a big wave of immigrants to South America and to the United States of America to seek a better life. The wave of immigrants to the United States continued after the 1960s. Currently there exists a large community of Fairouzehian people in the Los Angeles area and a small community in the Detroit and Miami areas. Fortunately, a lot of these immigrants went back to Fairouzeh and built very nice and modern homes and villas. They now spend summer vacations in their new homes among their friends and relatives.

                                                                                  By George N. Deeb