1660 destruction of Safed
Encyclopedia
The 1660 destruction of Safed by the Druze
occurred at the time of the rule of Ottoman Empire
sultan Mehmed IV
. The towns of Safed
and nearby Tiberias
, with substantial Jewish communities, were destroyed in the turmoil, following the 1658 death of Mulhim Ma'n. Only a few of the former residents of Safed had returned to the town after the destruction. Some sources place the destruction of Safed in 1662.
until 1660, when the Ottomans
sought to regain local control by reorganizing the sanjaks of Safed and Sidon-Beirut into the new province of Sidon
. From the 1658 death of Emir Mulhim Ma'n to 1667, a struggle for power between his sons and other Ottoman-backed Druze rulers took place in the region. Mulhim's son Ahmad Maʿn emerged victorious among the Druze, but the Maʿnīs lost control of the area and retreated to the Shuf mountains and Kisrawan. In the second half of the seventeenth century Safed became the capital of the Ottoman sanjak
of the same name.
and Tiberias were destroyed, with only a few of former Safed's Jewish residents to return to the town.
According to the General Council (Vaad leumi) of the Jewish Community of Palestine, the Druze
of Lebanon
raided and destroyed both Safed and Tiberias in 1662, "and the inhabitants fled to the adjacent villages, to Sidon
or to Jerusalem". Gershom Scholem
places the attack in 1662 as well.
, in his History of Palestine, asserts the near-total destruction of the Safed Jewish community, claiming that "its community had been massacred in 1660, when the town was destroyed by Arabs, and only one Jew escaped." However, Gershom Scholem
writes that the reports of the "utter destruction" of the Jewish community in Safed in this time period "seem greatly exaggerated, and the conclusions based on them are false." He points out that Sabbatai Sevi's mystical movement was active in Safed in 1665. Scholem also attributes to the "French trader d'Arvieux who visited Safed in 1660" an understanding of "the religious factor which enabled the community to survive," a belief "'that the Messiah who will be born in Galilee, will make Safed the capital of his new kingdom on earth'"
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
occurred at the time of the rule of 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...
sultan Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV Modern Turkish Mehmet was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687...
. The towns of Safed
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...
and nearby Tiberias
1660 destruction of Tiberias
The 1660 destruction of Tiberias occurred during Druze power struggle in the Galilee. The destruction of Tiberias by the Druze resulted in abandonment of the city by its Jewish community, until it was rebuilt by Daher el-Omar in early eighteenth century....
, with substantial Jewish communities, were destroyed in the turmoil, following the 1658 death of Mulhim Ma'n. Only a few of the former residents of Safed had returned to the town after the destruction. Some sources place the destruction of Safed in 1662.
Safed: historical context
Safed's central role in Jewish life in Galilee declined after the late 16th century, when it was a major city with a population of 15,000 Jews. By the second half of the seventeenth century Safed still had a majorly Jewish community with 200 "houses" and some 4,000 to 5,000 Jewish residents, while about 100 "houses" (multiple family units) in the town were Muslim. The district was under control of Druze emirs from the Maan familyMaan family
The Banu Ma'an tribe , were a tribe & dynasty of Qahtani Arab some of which later became Druze and rulers of the Lebanon Mountains during a period of the Ottoman Empire, and one of the most successful ruling dynasties in Druze history...
until 1660, when the Ottomans
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...
sought to regain local control by reorganizing the sanjaks of Safed and Sidon-Beirut into the new province of Sidon
Sidon Province, Ottoman Empire
The Eyalet of Sidon was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. In the 19th century, the eyalet extended from the border with Egypt to the Bay of Kesrouan, including the Plain of Falastin , the Jezreel Valley, and the hilly region of Galilee.Depending on the location of its capital, it was also known as...
. From the 1658 death of Emir Mulhim Ma'n to 1667, a struggle for power between his sons and other Ottoman-backed Druze rulers took place in the region. Mulhim's son Ahmad Maʿn emerged victorious among the Druze, but the Maʿnīs lost control of the area and retreated to the Shuf mountains and Kisrawan. In the second half of the seventeenth century Safed became the capital of the Ottoman sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
of the same name.
The destruction
Sidney Mendelssohn in his book The Jews of Asia: especially in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. claims that in 1660 Safed had been destroyed by the Arabs and the Jews "had suffered severely". The 1912 Jewish Encyclopedia and Moïse Franco place the destruction in 1660 as well. Joel Rappel claims that by 1662 both SafedSafed
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...
and Tiberias were destroyed, with only a few of former Safed's Jewish residents to return to the town.
According to the General Council (Vaad leumi) of the Jewish Community of Palestine, the Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
raided and destroyed both Safed and Tiberias in 1662, "and the inhabitants fled to the adjacent villages, to Sidon
Sidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
or to Jerusalem". Gershom Scholem
Gershom Scholem
Gerhard Scholem who, after his immigration from Germany to Palestine, changed his name to Gershom Scholem , was a German-born Israeli Jewish philosopher and historian, born and raised in Germany...
places the attack in 1662 as well.
Claims of massacre
Rosanes brings a claim of Safed's Jewish community "utter destruction" in his book "History of the Jews in Turkish realm". Jacob de HaasJacob de Haas
Jacob de Haas was a British Hasidic Jew, a journalist and an early leader of the Zionist movement, who propagated the movement in the United States.-Biography:...
, in his History of Palestine, asserts the near-total destruction of the Safed Jewish community, claiming that "its community had been massacred in 1660, when the town was destroyed by Arabs, and only one Jew escaped." However, Gershom Scholem
Gershom Scholem
Gerhard Scholem who, after his immigration from Germany to Palestine, changed his name to Gershom Scholem , was a German-born Israeli Jewish philosopher and historian, born and raised in Germany...
writes that the reports of the "utter destruction" of the Jewish community in Safed in this time period "seem greatly exaggerated, and the conclusions based on them are false." He points out that Sabbatai Sevi's mystical movement was active in Safed in 1665. Scholem also attributes to the "French trader d'Arvieux who visited Safed in 1660" an understanding of "the religious factor which enabled the community to survive," a belief "'that the Messiah who will be born in Galilee, will make Safed the capital of his new kingdom on earth'"
Safed's Jewish community in the later years
Only a few of the former residents of Safed had returned to the town after the destruction. Altogether, the town's Jewish community kept existing despite the events, with Barnai saying that "in the second half of the seventeenth century the Jewish presence in Palestine dwindled, and the Jewish presence in the Galilee also shrank. Only in Safed was there a small community."See also
- Ottoman SyriaOttoman SyriaOttoman Syria is a European reference to the area that during European Renaissance from the late 15th to early 18th century was called the Levant within the early period of the Ottoman Empire, the Orient until the early 19th century, and Greater Syria until 1918...
- Timeline of Jewish HistoryTimeline of Jewish historyThis is a timeline of the development of Jews and Judaism. All dates are given according to the Common Era, not the Hebrew calendar....
- 1834 Safed PlunderSafed plunderThe Safed Plunder or Safed Great Plunder was a large scale looting and massacre of Safed's Jewish population, that took place in 1834 in Safed Galilee, during the events of the Arab revolt against Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt.-Background:...
- 1838 Druze massacre of Safed1838 Druze massacre of SafedThe 1838 Druze massacre of Safed or 1838 Safed massacre was a violent event in Galilee, in which Druze rebels plundered and robbed the town of Safed and caused casualties and losses to Safed's mostly Jewish population.-Pretext:...