Isfiya
Isfiya
| |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • ISO 259 | ʕisp̄íyaˀ |
 View of the village | |
  Isfiya Location within Israel  Isfiya Isfiya (Israel) | |
| Coordinates: 32°43′10″N 35°03′48″E / 32.71944°N 35.06333°E | |
| Grid position | 156/236 PAL |
| Country |  Israel |
| District |  Haifa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15,561 dunams (15.561 km2 or 6.008 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
| • Total | 12,896 |
| • Density | 830/km2 (2,100/sq mi) |
| Name meaning | The devious (road)[2] |
Isfiya (
History
Late Roman and Byzantine periods
Isfiya was built on the ruins of an ancient settlement. A building, dating from the second–fourth centuries CE has been excavated, together with ceramics and coins dating from the period.[5]
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In 1930, remains of a 5th-century Jewish town, Husifah or Huseifa, were unearthed in Isfiya.[6] Among the finds are a synagogue with a mosaic floor bearing Jewish symbols and the inscription "Peace upon Israel".[7] A cache of 4,500 gold coins were found dating from the Roman period.[8]
A rock-cut burial cave containing pottery coffins, eight ossuaries, numerous oil lamps, as well as pottery, glass vessels, and several bronze objects was unearthed on HaHoresh Street. One of the ossuaries bears a Greek inscription indicating it belongs to Maia, the daughter or wife of a man named Saul.[9]
Crusader period
Ottoman period
The Druze came to the village in the early eighteenth century. The inhabitants made their living from olive oil, honey and grapes.[8]
Isfiya was one of only two villages remaining on Mount Carmel after the expulsion of Ibrahim Pasha in 1841. Seventeen other villages disappeared. The village's survival was attributed partly to "the exceptional valour" of the inhabitants, partly to buying protection from a local Galilee chief, Aqil Agha.[11]
In 1859, the English consul Rogers estimated the population to be 400, who cultivated 20 feddans of land.
In 1881 the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described it as standing "on the highest part of the Carmel watershed, and the highest house was therefore the trigonometrical station on the ridge. It is a moderate-sized village of stone houses, with a well on the south-west. The inhabitants are all Druses. [..] Corn-land and olives surround the land."[16] A population list from about 1887 showed that Isfiya had about 555 inhabitants; 480 Druze and 75 Catholic Christians.[17] When a Jewish moshava was established at Mutallah (Metula) north of Safed in 1896, the Druze population resisted eviction until receiving a reasonable compensation in 1904;[18] some relocated to Isfiya, including the Wahb family.[19]
British Mandate
In the
In the 1945 statistics the population of Isfiya consisted of 1,790; 180 Muslims, 300 Christians and 1,310 classified as "others", that is, Druze,[23] while the land area was 46,905 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[24] Of this, 1,103 dunams were designated for plantations and irrigable land, 17,357 for cereals,[25] while 74 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.[26]
During the
State of Israel
Though Isfiya is predominantly Druze, a number of Jews also live there and in other Druze villages due to their low rent rates.[28]
Climate
Isfiya has a mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). The average annual temperature is 18.7 °C (65.7 °F), and around 689 mm (27.13 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Isfiya | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.8 (58.6) |
15.5 (59.9) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
26.2 (79.2) |
28.2 (82.8) |
29.5 (85.1) |
30.1 (86.2) |
28.6 (83.5) |
26.8 (80.2) |
22.6 (72.7) |
17.1 (62.8) |
23.2 (73.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.3 (52.3) |
11.8 (53.2) |
13.2 (55.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
20.6 (69.1) |
23.1 (73.6) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
24 (75) |
21.9 (71.4) |
18.1 (64.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
18.7 (65.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) |
8.2 (46.8) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.1 (52.0) |
15.1 (59.2) |
18.1 (64.6) |
20.1 (68.2) |
20.8 (69.4) |
19.5 (67.1) |
17.1 (62.8) |
13.7 (56.7) |
9.8 (49.6) |
14.2 (57.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 184 (7.2) |
128 (5.0) |
79 (3.1) |
26 (1.0) |
8 (0.3) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.1) |
20 (0.8) |
91 (3.6) |
151 (5.9) |
689 (27.1) |
| Source: [29] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
77.1% of the population is
Landmarks
The tomb of Abu Abdallah is located in Isfiya. Abu Abdullah was one of three religious leaders chosen by Caliph Al-Hakem in 996 CE to proclaim the Druze faith. He is said to have been the first Druze religious judge (qadi). The Druze make an annual visit to this shrine on November 15.[32]
Economy
Isfiya and
The economy of Isfiya is consistently growing as more tourists are visiting regularly, and more businesses are being opened.
Notable people
- Zeidan Atashi
- Reda Mansour
- Elias Tony Absawy
See also
References
- ^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 109
- ^ https://m.jpost.com/magazine/top-of-the-hill-474175 Jerusalem Post
- ^ "The Central Bureau of Statistics - Populations in Israel by Town". www.cbs.gov.il. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ^ Oren, 2008, 'Isfiya
- ^ a b "Astrology and Judaism in Late Antiquity".
- ^ Avi-Yonah and Makhouly, 1934, pp. 118–131
- ^ a b Druze Jewish Virtual Library
- ISBN 978-3-11-071577-4, retrieved 2024-02-07
- ^ Dan Barag (1979). "A new source concerning the ultimate borders of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem". Israel Exploration Journal. Vol. 29. pp. 197–217.
- ^ Tristram, 1865, p. 112
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 282
- ^ Tristram, 1865, pp 111- 114
- ^ Weir, 1989, p. 80, citing Tristram, 1865, p. 68
- ^ Guérin, 1875, pp. 248-249
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, pp. 281 -282
- ^ Schumacher, 1888, p. 178
- ISBN 0-87855-964-7. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ Falah 1975, p. 45.
- ^ Barron, 1923, Table XI, Sub-District of Haifa, p. 33
- ^ Barron, 1923, Table XVI, p. 49
- ^ Mills, 1932, p. 92
- ^ Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 14
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 48
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 90
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 140
- ^ [1] Archived July 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Jews Moving to Druze Villages". Arutz Sheva. 21 February 2011.
- ^ "Climate: Isfiya". September 2019.
- ^ "Isfiya Municipal Profile" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2016.
- ^ "הרשות לפיתוח הגליל - בואו להכיר את עוספיא". www.galil.gov.il. Archived from the original on 2018-06-16. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ^ The Abu Abdullah Shrine in Isfiya Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ^ "מבוא כרמל".
- ^ "Mevo Carmel". The Center for Jewish - Arab Economic Development. Archived from the original on 1 August 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Small Business Incubator for "Green" Businesses Mevo Carmel - Joint Jewish-Arab Employment Zone | יסמין | יזמות נשים". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
Bibliography
- Avi-Yonah, M.; Makhouly, N. (1934). "A sixth-century synagogue at 'Isfiya". Quarterly of the Department of Antiquities in Palestine. 3: 118–131.
- Barag, Dan (1979). "A new source concerning the ultimate borders of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem". Israel Exploration Journal. 29: 197–217.
- Barron, J.B., ed. (1923). Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922. Government of Palestine.
- Conder, C.R.; Kitchener, H.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. 1. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Falah, Salman (1975). "A History of the Druze Settlements in Palestine during the Ottoman Period". In Maoz, Moshe (ed.). Studies on Palestine during the Ottoman Period. Jerusalem: Magnes Press. ISBN 9789652235893.
- Department of Statistics (1945). Village Statistics, April, 1945. Government of Palestine.
- Guérin, V. (1875). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 2: Samarie, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
- Hadawi, S. (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center.
- Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
- Oren, Eliran (2008-12-04). "'Isfiya" (120). Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Palmer, E.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Schumacher, G. (1888). "Population list of the Liwa of Akka". Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund. 20: 169–191.
- Tristram, H.B. (1865). Land of Israel, A Journal of travel in Palestine, undertaken with special reference to its physical character. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
- Weir, Shelagh (1989). Palestinian Costume. ISBN 0-7141-2517-2.
External links
- Welcome To 'Isfiya
- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 5: IAA, Wikimedia commons
