Iranians in Lebanon: Between History and Politics (Text and Context‪)‬

When asked about Iranian presence in Lebanon, linguist and Professor Dr. Ahmed Lusani stated, "This presence is as old as time itself and it has witnessed great changes over the centuries, especially during the clashes between the Persians and the Romans." Lusani has been living in Lebanon since 1929; he was 40 days old when his father Sayyid Hassan took him to Damascus then travelled on to Jebel Amel to visit friends in southern Lebanon. He then went on to settle south of Sidon and became involved in the religious and jurisprudential activities1 of the town. At the time there was no link between the religious authority in Iran and Lebanon's Shia community, however there were relations and ties.