Lebanon’s political families: The Karami Dynasty
The Karami family, Sunni by faith, produced three Lebanese prime ministers during the country’s most turbulent times.
Inside another of the most prominent and influential political dynasties in Lebanon’s modern history.
This film tells the story of the Sunni Muslim Karami family from Lebanon’s second city, Tripoli, whose leaders have served as prime minister on an unprecedented 11 occasions. Abdul Hamid Karami was Lebanon’s second prime minister, taking office in 1945. His son Rashid held the office eight times in a career that ended with his assassination in a midair helicopter explosion in 1987. His brother Omar Karami held the office for two terms but fell from grace after Rafik Hariri was killed in a roadside bomb attack in February 2005.
A new generation is now seeking to continue the legacy of the dynasty, led by Faisal Karami. But their country’s future may be determined as much by global forces as by regional Middle East geopolitics alone.
Published On 19 Feb 202519 Feb 2025