The residents of Vakıflı are the descendants of those Armenians who resisted the Armenian genocide of 1915 on Musa Dagh. For 53 days they repelled attacks by Turkish troops until French sailors sighted a banner that the Armenians had tied to a tree on the mountain emblazoned with the words "Christians in Distress: Rescue". After being transported to Port Said by the French, seven Armenian villages returned to their homes while Hatay was under French occupation starting from 1918. Following an agreement between France and Turkey and a controversial Referendum, the district reverted to Turkey on June 29, 1939, a move still not recognized by Syria. After this move the other six Armenian villages immigrated out of Hatay settling in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, especially Anjar, while the residents of Vakıflı and a few families from the other villages chose to stay behind.