Rashaya
Rashaya
راشيا Rashaya al-Wadi, Rachaya el-Wadi, Rachaiya | |
---|---|
Town | |
Bekaa Governorate | |
District | Rashaya District |
Elevation | 4,430 ft (1,350 m) |
Population (2007) | |
• Total | 8,500[1] |
Rashaya, Rachaya, Rashaiya, Rashayya or Rachaiya (
Rachaya is known for the
Culture
Rashaya has a population of around 6,000 to 7,500 that are mostly Druze.[1] It is still considered to be a traditional Lebanese town with its old cobbled streets and small shops, even though it witnessed in recent years a slight expansion of buildings. It retains a distinguished character of traditional stone houses with red tiled roofs.[1]
The small
The nearby Faqaa forest is classified as a protected area and Pine nuts from the local conifer trees are used in traditional cooking.[1][6]
The Al-Aryan family was a prominent part of the Druze community in Rashaya in the 19th century and a branch, now called the Aryain family still inhabit the town.[7] Rashaya has four churches and a dozen of Druze khalwaat. There is a Greek Catholic Church and a Syriac Catholic Church along with the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.
Archaeology
There have been findings of Paleolithic and Heavy Neolithic Stone Age tools near the town of Qaraoun along with Trihedral Neolithic material recovered nearby at Joub Jannine, both in the Western Bekaa province.[8] The remains of a Roman temple can be seen on the left side of the road leading from Rashaya to the village of Aaiha, one of several Temples of Mount Hermon.[9] Neolithic flints were also found in the hills 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of the town.[10] There is also a significant Neolithic site nearby at Kawkaba where fragments of agricultural tools such as basalt hoes have been found with very faded dating suggesting the 6th millennium or earlier.[11][12][13]
History
The
In June 1860, the town was the scene of a massacre, where two hundred and sixty five Christians were killed by Druze forces, some within the citadel.[17][18] Around one thousand victims were killed in the areas of Hasbaya and Rashaya between 10 and 13 June.[19]
In November and December 1925, the town was engulfed and nearly obliterated by one of the largest battles of the
Under the
Geology
Rashaya is situated on a
Climate
Rashaya receives between 650 millimetres (26 in) and 750 millimetres (30 in) of
Economy
The
Agriculture
Commonly grown crops include
References
- ^ ISBN 978-88-8499-118-8. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ Robert M. Khouri (2003). Liban 1860: chronique des événements. R. Khouri. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ [1], URL accessed May 31, 2008
- ISBN 978-2-7469-6383-2. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ISBN 978-2-7469-4918-8. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Environmental impact assessment report, Wastewater treatment plant, Rashaya, Rashaya Caza Lebanon, YMCA-Lebanon, M.E.E.A. Ltd., Consulting Environmental Engineers, Beirut, Lebanon, November 2005.
- ISBN 978-0-89672-586-7. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ L. Copeland; P. Wescombe (1966). Inventory of Stone-Age Sites in Lebanon: North, South and East-Central Lebanon, p. 34-35. Impr. Catholique. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ George Taylor (1971). The Roman temples of Lebanon: a pictorial guide. Les temples romains au Liban; guide illustré. Dar el-Machreq Publishers. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ Moore, A.M.T. (1978). The Neolithic of the Levant. Oxford University, Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. pp. 436–442.
- ^ J. Cauvin., Mèches en silex et travail du basalte au IVe millénaire en Béka (Liban)., pp. 118-131, Melanges de l'Universite Saint-Joseph, Volume 45, Universite Saint-Joseph (Beirut, Lebanon), 1969.
- ^ Copeland, Lorraine., Neolithic village sites in the South Bekaa, Lebanon., pp. 83-114, Melanges de l'Universite Saint-Joseph, Volume 45, Universite Saint-Joseph (Beirut, Lebanon), 1969.
- ^ Copeland, Lorraine & Wescombe, P. J., Inventory of Stone Age Sites in Lebanon (1966) Part 2: North - South - East Central Lebanon, pp 23, 1-174, Melanges de L'Universite Saint-Joseph, Volume 42, Universite Saint-Joseph (Beirut, Lebanon), 1966.
- ^ Eugenie Elie Abouchdid (1948). Thirty years of Lebanon & Syria, 1917-1947. Sader-Rihani Print. Co. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7099-3002-0. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ Lebanon Atlas - Rashaya: Tourism in Lebanon, Lebanon Touristic Sites, Rachaya al Wadi, Rashayya Archived 2008-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hottinger. University of California Press. pp. 174–. GGKEY:2Z8L6JXTWN3. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-4179-3909-1. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-19-518111-1. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-313-33539-6. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- doi:10.1016/0040-1951(81)90139-6.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ISBN 978-1-86239-007-2. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- doi:10.1016/0040-1951(90)90375-I.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ USAID opens water treatment plants in Bekaa, The Daily Star (Lebanon), July 30, 2007.
External links
- Lebanon Atlas
- Rashaya on www.discoverlebanon.com
- Panoramic view of Rashaya on www.discoverlebanon.com
- Panoramic view from the Citadel of Independence on www.discoverlebanon.com
- The Dead Sea Transform - An Introduction
- Video of Rashaya on YouTube
- The GEF Small Grants Program - Forest and fruit trees nursery project in Rashayia
- Saint Nicholas Church in Rashaya on Wikimapia