Rehaniya
Encyclopedia
Rehaniya is a predominantly Circassian village about 8 km north of Safed
in northern Israel
. It belongs to the Merom HaGalil Regional Council
.
. The Circassians, who fought during the long period wherein the Russians captured the northern Caucasus, were massacred and expelled by Czarist Russia from the Caucasus in an incident that became known as the Circassian Holocaust. The Ottoman Empire
absorbed them in their territory and settled them in sparsely populated areas, including the Galilee
in Palestine
.
The village Rehaniya was established in 1873, but only in 1878 did Circassian families arrive from the Abazah tribe in the northern Caucasus, a region where today is located the Adygea and Karachay-Cherkessia
in the Russian Federation.
The village was built in the tradition Circassian style, which has its roots in the Caucasus, and is called "walled village": the houses are built next to one another and form a protective wall around the city, whose remnants remain until today (2008). In the village there is a mosque
in the style of Circassian mosques in the Caucasus, and substantially different from Arab mosques. Also, the village contains a museum and a center for Circassian heritage.
Rehaniya is one of two predominantly-Circassian villages in Israel. The other one is Kfar Kama, which was recognized as a local council in 1950.
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
in northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It belongs to the Merom HaGalil Regional Council
Merom HaGalil Regional Council
The Merom HaGalil Regional Council is a regional council in the northern Galilee of northern Israel. The regional council was established in 1950...
.
Background and history
The Circassians arrived in the Middle East after they were chased from their homeland in the northern CaucasusCaucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. The Circassians, who fought during the long period wherein the Russians captured the northern Caucasus, were massacred and expelled by Czarist Russia from the Caucasus in an incident that became known as the Circassian Holocaust. The Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
absorbed them in their territory and settled them in sparsely populated areas, including the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
The village Rehaniya was established in 1873, but only in 1878 did Circassian families arrive from the Abazah tribe in the northern Caucasus, a region where today is located the Adygea and Karachay-Cherkessia
Karachay-Cherkessia
The Karachay-Cherkess Republic , or Karachay-Cherkessia is a federal subject of Russia . Population: -Geography:*Area: *Borders:**internal: Krasnodar Krai , Kabardino-Balkar Republic , Stavropol Krai ....
in the Russian Federation.
The village was built in the tradition Circassian style, which has its roots in the Caucasus, and is called "walled village": the houses are built next to one another and form a protective wall around the city, whose remnants remain until today (2008). In the village there is a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in the style of Circassian mosques in the Caucasus, and substantially different from Arab mosques. Also, the village contains a museum and a center for Circassian heritage.
Rehaniya is one of two predominantly-Circassian villages in Israel. The other one is Kfar Kama, which was recognized as a local council in 1950.