Fassuta
| Fassuta | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • Hebrew | פַסּוּטָה |
| • ISO 259 | P̄assúṭa |
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | فسّوطه |
 |
|
 Fassuta
|
|
| Coordinates: 33°2′58″N 35°18′21″E / 33.04944°N 35.30583°ECoordinates: 33°2′58″N 35°18′21″E / 33.04944°N 35.30583°E | |
| District | North |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Local council |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 2,900 |
Fassuta is an Israeli Arab town on the northwestern slopes of Mount Meron in the Northern District of Israel, south of the Lebanese border.[1]In 2005, the population of Fassuta was 2,900.
Contents |
History [edit]
Fassuta was built on the ruins of the Crusader castle of Fassove, which was built on the ruins of Mifshata (Mafsheta), a Jewish village established after destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.[2]
In 1596, Fassuta appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Akka of the Liwa of Safad. It had a population of 12 Muslim households and 3 Muslim bachelors. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, fruit trees, and goats or beehives.[3]
In 1881, Conder and Kitchener described Fassuta as "a village, built of stone, containing about 200 Christians, situated on ridge, with gardens of figs, olives, and arable land. There are two cisterns in the village, and a good spring near."[4]
Between 1922 and 1947, the population of Fassuta increased by 120%.[5]In the 1931 census of Palestine, the combined population of Fassuta and Mansura had a population of 507 Palestinian Christians and 81 Muslims living in 129 houses.[6]
Demographics [edit]
In 2005, the population of Fassuta was 2,900 residents, with an annual population growth rate of 0.9%. Most of the inhabitants are Christian Arabs. In 2000, 60.5% of Fassuta high school students passed the Bagrut matriculation exam.[citation needed] In 2000, the mean income was NIS 3,748, compared to a national average of NIS 6,835.[citation needed]
Religion and culture [edit]
In 2007, the Mar Elias Church in Fassuta celebrated its 100th anniversary. The church is named after Elias, the village's patron saint. A large statue of Mar Elias stands in the central square.[1]
Archaeology [edit]
In the 1870s, Guerin found traces of ancient ruins: "Numerous cisterns, a great reservoir, vestiges of many ruined houses, fine cut stones marking out floors, and a dozen of presses nearly perfect. These presses are all on the same model : worked in the rock, they consisted of two compartments, one larger, in which the grapes were placed, and one smaller and lower down, in which the juice was received. In the humble church of the modern hamlet I remarked a chapter imitating Corinthian, and probably of Byzantine period. On two of its faces a cross with equal branches has been sculptured. Above the door of the main church has been placed for a lintel a fragment of frieze decorated with flowers and foliage elegantly executed." [7]
Notable residents [edit]
See also [edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fassuta |
References [edit]
- ^ a b Stern, Yoav (2007-04-30). "Galilee Villages Launch Campaign to Attract Christian Pilgrims". Haaretz. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ^ Marzorati, Gerald (1988-09-11). "An Arab Voice in Israel". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ^ Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth and Kamal Abdulfattah (1977). Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. p. 194.
- ^ C. R. Conder and H. H. Kitchener (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine I. London: The Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. p. 197.
- ^ Transformation in Arab Settlement, Moshe Brawer, in The Land that Became Israel: Studies in Historical Geography, Ruth Kark (ed), Magnes Press, Jerusalem 1989, p.177
- ^ E. Mills, ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine. p. 100.
- ^ M. V. Guérin (1880). Description géographique, historique et archéologique de la Palestine. Galilée II. Paris. p. 67. (translation from SWP I, p. 222)
- ^ "Anton Shammas". Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
Bibliography [edit]
- Conder, Claude Reignier and H.H. Kitchener (1881): The Survey of Western Palestine: memoirs of the topography, orography, hydrography, and archaeology. London:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. vol 1 p.197, p.222
- Guérin, M. V. 1880: Description Géographique, Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine. Galilee, "Tome II" Paris: Imprimerie Nationale (p.67)
