Khiam
Khiam
الخيام | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Khiam | |
  Khiam Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 33°19′38″N 35°36′40″E / 33.32722°N 35.61111°E | |
| Grid position | 137/154L |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
| District | Marjeyoun District |
| Elevation | 1,265 m (4,150 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
Khiam (Arabic: الخيام; sometimes spelled Khiyam) is a large town in the Nabatieh Governorate of Southern Lebanon.
Location
[edit]Khiam is situated approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) south from the capital city of Beirut and 35 kilometres (22 mi) south-east from the city of Nabatieh. The border with Israel is 5 kilometres (3 mi) to the south. Khiam lies at a height of 800 metres (2,625 ft) above sea level.
Origin of name
[edit]E. H. Palmer wrote that the name means "The tents".[1]
Haifa Nassar, a Khiyam-based journalist, highlights various theories and references, many of which suggest that the name stems from the word "tent." One prominent but unverified theory is mentioned by Muhammad Qubaisi in his book South Lebanon. He notes that, according to the Torah, Jacob moved his family and livestock to northern Palestine and settled in the plain of Al-Khiam, where he lived in tents.[2]
History
[edit]Ottoman period
[edit]In 1596, it was named as a village, Hiyam, in the Ottoman nahiya (subdistrict) of Tibnin under the liwa' (district) of Safad, with a population of 111 households and 7 bachelors, all Muslim. The villagers paid a tax on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, olive trees, vineyards, goats and beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues"; a total of 6,914 akçe.[3][4]
In 1838, Eli Smith noted it as el-Khiyam; a Metawileh, "Greek" Christian and Maronite village in Merj 'Ayun.[5]
In 1875, Victor Guérin visited: "El Khiam contains two quarters: the one on the south, with a population of 700 Metawileh, and the other on the north, with 600 Christians, divided into Maronites, Greek-Orthodox, and Greek-Catholics, with some Protestants, who have founded a chapel and a school."[6]
In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it as: "A village, north-east of the Merj Ayun, built of stone, containing about 300 Christians and 200 Druzes. It contains a white round Moslem holy place and a modern church. It is situated on a low ridge, surrounded by figs, olives, and arable. The water supply is from three rock-cut cisterns, one birket, and the good spring of 'Ain ed Derdarah."[7]
French mandate period
[edit]The municipality of Al-Khiyam was established in 1928 during the French Mandate, following a brief attempt during the Ottoman period in 1916. The first municipal council, led by Haj Mohammad Haj Hussein Abdullah, was dissolved in 1931.
In 1935, Haj Ali Afandi Haj Ibrahim Abdullah was elected as the new mayor. In 1937, he was appointed as a deputy in the Lebanese parliament during the French Mandate, leading to his resignation as mayor.[8]
After independence
[edit]In 1953, Haj Khalil Haidar was re-elected as mayor and served until 1957. In 1957, Hassan Ali Faiz Abdullah was appointed as the mayor and served until 1963. A new council was elected in 1963, with 16 members, and Kamel Mohammad Ali Al-Daoui as the mayor and Haj Asaad Khalil Mhana as the deputy mayor. This council continued its work until the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975.[9]
During the 1990s, Khiam became known for the Khiam Prison, operated by the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army during the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon. Lebanese Muslim civilians were exposed to torture by Israeli and Lebanese agents in this camp and faced indefinite detention once arrested.[10] The prison was captured by Hezbollah during the Battle of Khiam in 2000, shortly before the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon.
The town saw a major confrontation between the Israeli Army and Hezbollah fighters in the 2006 Lebanon War, during which a United Nations post was bombed by the Israeli Army killing four United Nations Military Observers.[11] The IDF and Hezbollah clashed in the area once again in June 2024, with fighter jets and artillery strikes.[12][13]
Notable people
[edit]- Ali Daher (born 1996), Lebanese footballer[14]
- Issam Abdallah (1986-2023), Reuters video journalist
- Ali Hassan Khalil (born 1964), former Ministry of Finance (Lebanon)
References
[edit]- ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 26
- ^ "مصادر ومراجع". Khiyam.com. August 14, 2024.
The article discusses various theories regarding the origin of the name of the town Al-Khiyam, referencing historical sources and local traditions.
- ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 181
- ^ Note that Rhode, 1979, p. 6 Archived 2016-10-10 at the Wayback Machine writes that the register that Hütteroth and Abdulfattah studied was not from 1595/6, but from 1548/9
- ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 137
- ^ Guerin, 1880, p. 279; as given in Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 88
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 88
- ^ "تاريخ بلدية الخيام". Khiyam.com. 2024.
The article details the history of the Al-Khiyam municipality, tracing its origins back to an initial attempt in 1916 during the Ottoman period, its official establishment in 1928 under the French Mandate, and the various leaderships and challenges it faced throughout the 20th century.
- ^ "تاريخ بلدية الخيام". Khiyam.com. 2024.
The article details the history of the Al-Khiyam municipality, tracing its origins back to an initial attempt in 1916 during the Ottoman period, its official establishment in 1928 under the French Mandate, and the various leaderships and challenges it faced throughout the 20th century.
- ^ https://www.hrw.org/news/1999/10/27/torture-khiam-prison-responsibility-and-accountability Human Rights Watch - Khiam Prison
- ^ HRW, 2007, pp. 114-116
- ^ Siddiqui, Urooba Jamal,Usaid. "Israel's attack on makeshift camp in Gaza kills 25 Palestinians". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Israel and Hezbollah: Fears of escalation after flurry of attacks". 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "Ali Daher - Soccer player profile & career statistics - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
Bibliography
[edit]- Conder, C.R.; Kitchener, H.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. 1. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Guérin, V. (1880). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 3: Galilee, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
- HRW (2007). Why They Died: Civilian Casualties in Lebanon During the 2006 War. Human Rights Watch.
- Hütteroth, Wolf-Dieter; Abdulfattah, Kamal (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. ISBN 3-920405-41-2.
- Palmer, E.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Rhode, H. (1979). Administration and Population of the Sancak of Safed in the Sixteenth Century (PhD). Columbia University. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 3. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.
External links
[edit]- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 2: IAA, Wikimedia commons
- Khiyam, Localiban
- Khiam Official website
- Khiam center
- In focus: Al-Khiyam, BBC profile
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