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'''Druze''' is a [[religious]] group living mainly in the [[Middle East]], whose religion is an offshoot of [[Islam]], but also incorporates some [[Gnostic]], [[neo-Platonic]] and other religious elements.   

'''Druze''' is a [[religious]] group living mainly in the [[Middle East]], whose religion is an offshoot of [[Islam]], but also incorporates other religious elements.   

The Druzes (or Druses) comprise a closely knit religious community estimated at 300,000-450,000 people. Most live in Syria and Lebanon; smaller groups are in Israel and Jordan.   

The Druzes (or Druses) comprise a closely knit religious community estimated at 300,000-450,000 people. Most live in Syria and Lebanon; smaller groups are in Israel and Jordan.   

==History==

==History==

The Druze religion originated in 1017 AD, when the Datmid Caliph al-Hakim was declared to be the final incarnation of God. The name Druze comes from al-Hakim's first missionary, al-Darazi (d.  1019). The Druzes' first imam (religious leader), however, was Hamza ibn Ali, al-Darazi's rival.  After al-Hakim disappeared in 1021, Hamza developed the doctrines of the faith, which included the belief that al-Hakim would return on Judgment Day

The Druze religion originated in 1017 AD, when the Fatmid Caliph al-Hakim declared himself to be the final incarnation of God. The name Druze comes from al-Hakim's first missionary, al-Darazi (d.  1019). The Druzes' first imam (religious leader), however, was Hamza ibn Ali, al-Darazi's rival.  After al-Hakim disappeared in 1021, Hamza developed the doctrines of the faith, which included the belief that al-Hakim would return on Judgment Day

Around 1630, Druze emir Fakhr al-Din Ma'n (1572-1635) gained effective control of provinces of the [[Ottoman Empire]] along the coasts of Syria and Palestine. His rise, fall from power, and eventual execution shed light on the decentralized nature of the Ottoman state, how the Ottomans tolerated and even encouraged factional fighting among provincial elites, and the efforts of Medici Tuscany to establish footholds in the eastern Mediterranean. The key to Fakhr al-Din's political success lay in his ability to mobilize local resources and to work with foreign consuls and merchants to provide security for the Mediterranean trade so vital to the region's economic well-being.  

Around 1630, Druze emir Fakhr al-Din Ma'n (1572-1635) gained effective control of provinces of the [[Ottoman Empire]] along the coasts of Syria and Palestine. His rise, fall from power, and eventual execution shed light on the decentralized nature of the Ottoman state, how the Ottomans tolerated and even encouraged factional fighting among provincial elites, and the efforts of Medici Tuscany to establish footholds in the eastern Mediterranean. The key to Fakhr al-Din's political success lay in his ability to mobilize local resources and to work with foreign consuls and merchants to provide security for the Mediterranean trade so vital to the region's economic well-being.