Sakhnin
Encyclopedia
Sakhnin is a city in Israel
's North District
. It is located in the Lower Galilee, about 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) east of Acre
. Sakhnin was declared a city in 1995. Its population of 25,100 is Arab
, mostly Muslim
with a sizable Christian minority
. It is located on the site of the ancient Jewish town Sikhnin, which flourished during the Roman
conquest (2nd century CE
). Sakhnin is home to the largest population of Sufi Muslims within Israel, with approximately 80 members.
surrounded by mountains, the highest one being 602 meters high. Its rural landscape
is almost entirely covered by olive
and fig
groves as well as oregano
and sesame
shrubs.
In the heart of the old town there is a grave called The Sheikh Ibrahim which is one of the 66 graves in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, who was considered a saint by the locals. This grave/shrine used to be visited by many women, light candles inside it the shrine, and hang pieces of cloth on its walls asking for blessing.
Another important site, which lies in the Christian neighborhood, is called Rabbi Yihushua Di Sakhnin or Alsaddik in the local language. He is buried in gigantic stone coffin. In the past, the local people were scared whenever they passed this grave during the night, while others used to kiss its walls and ask the dead Rabbi to heal them and their relatives because it was believed that the Rabbi used to heal people from certain diseases.
Another famous shrine is al Sheik Obeid's shrine, which is very close to the Shaknin's guesthouse. This shrine was deticated to al Sheik Abdalla Ibrahim Khalaili. Women also used to visit this shrine, paint its walls with henna, and hang pieces of cloth on the walls and then ask the Sheik to fulfill their wishes. The last grave, which also became a shrine later, lies in the western cemetery of the town and it is known by Sheik Ismael. This grave was recently restored by some volunteers.
Another important site in Sakhnin is called The Cave of the Ten which is carved in the rocks. The shepherds used to use its water for their cattle. It is not clear how this cave got its name. Some people believe that it got its name because of the number of fingers in a person's both hands. Another version says that it got its name because of the Ten Commandments. Another important site, which lies in the southeast of the town, is called The Spring which served as the main source of drinking water for the people of Sakhnin decades ago.
, whose ancient Egypt
ian records mention it as a centre for production of indigo dye
. Sargon II
also makes mention of it as Suginin.
It was mentioned as Sogane, a town fortified in 66, by Josephus
.
Known as Sikhnin or Sikhni, meaning "home of the labourers" in Aramaic, and Sukhsikha, meaning "produces oil" in Hebrew
, the town was known for Jewish scholars like the rabbi Joshua of Sakhnin in the periods of the Mishna and Gemara
. His grave is known in Arabic as Nabi as-Sideiq, and was a focus of pilgrimage from the Middle Ages
through the present. The town continued to flourish as Hellenist
Sogne into the period of Roman
conquest.
Annexed to the Ummayad Caliphate
after the Battle of Yarmouk
, it came under brief crusader
rule as Zakkanin until retaken by Saladin
and the Ayyubid Dynasty
following the Battle of Hattin
where it remained in Muslim hands under the Mamluks, Dhaher al-Omar, and the Ottomans, until Ottoman Syria
was occupied by the British Empire
after World War I
.
In 1596, Sakhnin appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Akka of the Liwa
of Tabariyya. It had a population of 66 Muslim households and 8 bachelors. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, cotton, and a water mill.
In the late 1870s, Conder and Kitchener described Sakhnin as follows. "A large village of stone and mud, amid fine olive-groves, with a small mosque. The water supply is from a large pool about half a mile to the south-east. The inhabitants are Moslems and Christians, and in 1859 numbered 1,100, and cultivated 100 feddans, according to Consul Rogers."
At the time of the 1931 census
, Sakhnin had 400 occupied houses and a population of 1688 Muslims, 202 Christians, and 1 Jew.
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
, Sakhnin surrendered to Israeli forces on July 18, 1948, during Operation Dekel
, but was re-captured by Arab forces shortly afterwards. It finally fell without battle into Israeli hands in October 1948. In 1976, it became the site of the first Land Day
marches, in which six Israeli Arabs were killed by Israeli forces during violent protests of government confiscation of 5000 acres (20 km²) of Arab-owned land near Sakhnin. And in 1976 three more civilians were killed during clashes with the police, and in Jerusalem and the Aqsa Intifada in 2000 two men were killed.
. The following year, the club won the State Cup
, and was the first Arab team to do so; consequently, it participated in the UEFA Cup
the following season, losing out to Newcastle United
. The team received a new home with the 2005 opening of Doha Stadium
, funded by the Israeli government and the Qatar
National Olympic Committee, whose capital it is named after. The stadium has a capacity of 5,000.
Sakhnin is also the hometown of Abbas Suan
, an Israeli international footballer
who previously played for Bnei Sakhnin.
The town and their soccer team are the subject of the 2010 documentary film "After The Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United"
In 19 September 2008, Bnei Sakhnin played a game with the Spanish team Deportivo de La Coruña
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's North District
North District (Israel)
The Northern District is one of Israel's six administrative districts. The Northern District has a land area of 4,478 km², which increases to 4,638 km² when both land and water are included...
. It is located in the Lower Galilee, about 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) east of Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
. Sakhnin was declared a city in 1995. Its population of 25,100 is Arab
Arab citizens of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel refers to citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, and whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab....
, mostly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
with a sizable Christian minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
. It is located on the site of the ancient Jewish town Sikhnin, which flourished during the Roman
Iudaea Province
Judaea or Iudaea are terms used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
conquest (2nd century CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
). Sakhnin is home to the largest population of Sufi Muslims within Israel, with approximately 80 members.
Geography
Sakhnin is built over three hills and is located in a valleyValley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
surrounded by mountains, the highest one being 602 meters high. Its rural landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
is almost entirely covered by olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
and fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
groves as well as oregano
Oregano
Oregano – scientifically named Origanum vulgare by Carolus Linnaeus – is a common species of Origanum, a genus of the mint family . It is native to warm-temperate western and southwestern Eurasia and the Mediterranean region.Oregano is a perennial herb, growing from 20–80 cm tall,...
and sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
shrubs.
Important Sites in Sakhnin and the Nearby Area
There are many old houses, caves and graves in the old section of Sakhnin.In the heart of the old town there is a grave called The Sheikh Ibrahim which is one of the 66 graves in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, who was considered a saint by the locals. This grave/shrine used to be visited by many women, light candles inside it the shrine, and hang pieces of cloth on its walls asking for blessing.
Another important site, which lies in the Christian neighborhood, is called Rabbi Yihushua Di Sakhnin or Alsaddik in the local language. He is buried in gigantic stone coffin. In the past, the local people were scared whenever they passed this grave during the night, while others used to kiss its walls and ask the dead Rabbi to heal them and their relatives because it was believed that the Rabbi used to heal people from certain diseases.
Another famous shrine is al Sheik Obeid's shrine, which is very close to the Shaknin's guesthouse. This shrine was deticated to al Sheik Abdalla Ibrahim Khalaili. Women also used to visit this shrine, paint its walls with henna, and hang pieces of cloth on the walls and then ask the Sheik to fulfill their wishes. The last grave, which also became a shrine later, lies in the western cemetery of the town and it is known by Sheik Ismael. This grave was recently restored by some volunteers.
Another important site in Sakhnin is called The Cave of the Ten which is carved in the rocks. The shepherds used to use its water for their cattle. It is not clear how this cave got its name. Some people believe that it got its name because of the number of fingers in a person's both hands. Another version says that it got its name because of the Ten Commandments. Another important site, which lies in the southeast of the town, is called The Spring which served as the main source of drinking water for the people of Sakhnin decades ago.
History
Settlement at Sakhnin dates back 3,500 years to its first mention in 1479 BCE by Thutmose IIThutmose II
Thutmose II was the fourth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. He built some minor monuments and initiated at least two minor campaigns but did little else during his rule and was probably strongly influenced by his wife, Hatshepsut...
, whose ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian records mention it as a centre for production of indigo dye
Indigo dye
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color . Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants, and this process was important economically because blue dyes were once rare. Nearly all indigo dye produced today — several thousand tons each year — is synthetic...
. Sargon II
Sargon II
Sargon II was an Assyrian king. Sargon II became co-regent with Shalmaneser V in 722 BC, and became the sole ruler of the kingdom of Assyria in 722 BC after the death of Shalmaneser V. It is not clear whether he was the son of Tiglath-Pileser III or a usurper unrelated to the royal family...
also makes mention of it as Suginin.
It was mentioned as Sogane, a town fortified in 66, by Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
.
Known as Sikhnin or Sikhni, meaning "home of the labourers" in Aramaic, and Sukhsikha, meaning "produces oil" in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, the town was known for Jewish scholars like the rabbi Joshua of Sakhnin in the periods of the Mishna and Gemara
Gemara
The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Rabbi Judah the Prince The Gemara (also transliterated Gemora or, less commonly, Gemorra; from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by...
. His grave is known in Arabic as Nabi as-Sideiq, and was a focus of pilgrimage from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
through the present. The town continued to flourish as Hellenist
Hellenistic civilization
Hellenistic civilization represents the zenith of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 BCE to about 146 BCE...
Sogne into the period of Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
conquest.
Annexed to the Ummayad Caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
after the Battle of Yarmouk
Battle of Yarmouk
The Battle of Yarmouk was a major battle between the Muslim Arab forces of the Rashidun Caliphate and the armies of the East Roman-Byzantine Empire. The battle consisted of a series of engagements that lasted for six days in August 636, near the Yarmouk River, along what is today the border...
, it came under brief crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
rule as Zakkanin until retaken by Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
and the Ayyubid Dynasty
Ayyubid dynasty
The Ayyubid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origin, founded by Saladin and centered in Egypt. The dynasty ruled much of the Middle East during the 12th and 13th centuries CE. The Ayyubid family, under the brothers Ayyub and Shirkuh, originally served as soldiers for the Zengids until they...
following the Battle of Hattin
Battle of Hattin
The Battle of Hattin took place on Saturday, July 4, 1187, between the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the forces of the Ayyubid dynasty....
where it remained in Muslim hands under the Mamluks, Dhaher al-Omar, and the Ottomans, until Ottoman Syria
Ottoman Syria
Ottoman 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...
was occupied by the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In 1596, Sakhnin appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Akka of the Liwa
Liwa (arabic)
Liwa or Liwa is an Arabic term meaning district, banner, or flag, a type of administrative division. It was interchangeable with the Turkish term "Sanjak" in the time of the Ottoman Empire. After the fall of the empire, the term was used in the Arab countries formerly under Ottoman rule...
of Tabariyya. It had a population of 66 Muslim households and 8 bachelors. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, cotton, and a water mill.
In the late 1870s, Conder and Kitchener described Sakhnin as follows. "A large village of stone and mud, amid fine olive-groves, with a small mosque. The water supply is from a large pool about half a mile to the south-east. The inhabitants are Moslems and Christians, and in 1859 numbered 1,100, and cultivated 100 feddans, according to Consul Rogers."
At the time of the 1931 census
1931 census of Palestine
The 1931 census of Palestine was the second census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine. It was carried out on 18 November 1931 under the direction of Major E. Mills. The first census had been conducted in 1922...
, Sakhnin had 400 occupied houses and a population of 1688 Muslims, 202 Christians, and 1 Jew.
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
, Sakhnin surrendered to Israeli forces on July 18, 1948, during Operation Dekel
Operation Dekel
Operation Dekel , was the largest offensive in the north of Israel after the first truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was carried out by the 7th Armoured Brigade, a battalion from the Carmeli Brigade along with some elements from the Golani Brigade between 8–18 July. Its objective was to...
, but was re-captured by Arab forces shortly afterwards. It finally fell without battle into Israeli hands in October 1948. In 1976, it became the site of the first Land Day
Land Day
Land Day , March 30, is an annual day of commemoration for Palestinians of the events of that date in 1976. In response to the Israeli government's announcement of a plan to expropriate thousands of dunams of land for "security and settlement purposes", a general strike and marches were organized...
marches, in which six Israeli Arabs were killed by Israeli forces during violent protests of government confiscation of 5000 acres (20 km²) of Arab-owned land near Sakhnin. And in 1976 three more civilians were killed during clashes with the police, and in Jerusalem and the Aqsa Intifada in 2000 two men were killed.
Sports
In 2003, the town's football club, Bnei Sakhnin, became one of the first Arab teams to play in the Israeli Premier League, the top tier of Israeli footballFootball in Israel
Football is the most popular sport in Israel. Football as an organised sport first developed in the United Kingdom who controlled Israel during the days of the British Mandate. Israel will be hosting the UEFA U-21 Championship in 2013....
. The following year, the club won the State Cup
Israel State Cup
The State Cup , is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israeli Football Association.The State Cup was first held in 1927–28 as the Palestine Cup...
, and was the first Arab team to do so; consequently, it participated in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
the following season, losing out to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
. The team received a new home with the 2005 opening of Doha Stadium
Doha Stadium
Doha Stadium is the current home of Bnei Sakhnin.Located in the small Arab Galilee town of Sakhnin, it was built with public funds largely from the State of Israel and the Qatar National Olympic Committee, and was named after the Qatari city of Doha...
, funded by the Israeli government and the Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
National Olympic Committee, whose capital it is named after. The stadium has a capacity of 5,000.
Sakhnin is also the hometown of Abbas Suan
Abbas Suan
Abbas Suan is an Arab-Israeli footballer from Sakhnin in the Galilee. As a footballer he was considered by many as one of the best Arab-Israeli players....
, an Israeli international footballer
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
who previously played for Bnei Sakhnin.
The town and their soccer team are the subject of the 2010 documentary film "After The Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United"
In 19 September 2008, Bnei Sakhnin played a game with the Spanish team Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
.
External links
- After The Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United (2010) Official film website.
- Sakhnin municipality site (in process of development)