The Mikati family is a Sunni Lebanese family from Tripoli. The Mikati's have been involved in judicial positions during the Ottoman era (1290 A.D) and were known to be the keepers of Prophet Muhammad's holy treasure. The word "Mikati" derived from the Arabic word "Miqa'at" or the time keeper. During the Ottoman Empire, the Mikati family was in charge of the Azan (Islamic call to prayer).
In the 17th Century, the Mikati's were engaged in the trade business between Beirut, Aleppo, Istanbul and Jerusalem.
During the early 20th Century, the Mikati Family was known to be one of Lebanon'seducated and cultural families and whose members were doctors, professors, engineers, architects, and entrepreneurs.
Today, Najib A. Mikati is presently the Prime Minister of Lebanon, and the MP for Tripoli, Lebanon. He began his political career in 1998 as the Minister of Public Works and Transport, and stayed in post under three consecutive cabinets, until 2004. In 2000, he was elected Deputy for Tripoli, until 2005, when he became Prime Minister of Lebanon.
During his mandate, he steered the country towards notable democratic elections. In 2009, he was reelected Deputy for Tripoli for a mandate of four years.
Before entering politics, he co-founded INVESTCOM, a leading telecom family business which pioneered telephony in emerging markets and was later merged into MTN after its shares were listed on both the London and Dubai stock exchanges, in what was the largest international listing of a Middle Eastern company.
