| Sakhnin | |
  Sakhnin
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| District | North |
| Government | City (from 1995) |
| Hebrew | סַחְ'נִין, סִכְנִין |
| Arabic | سخنين |
| Population | 25,100 (2007) |
| Area | 9,816 dunams (9.816 km2; 3.790 sq mi) |
| Mayor | mazin g'nayem |
| Coordinates | 32°52′N 35°18′E / 32.867°N 35.3°ECoordinates: 32°52′N 35°18′E / 32.867°N 35.3°E |
Sakhnin (Arabic: سخنين; Hebrew: סַחְ'נִין or סִכְנִין Sikhnin) is an city in Israel's North District. It is located in the Lower Galilee, about 23 kilometres (14 mi) east of Acre. Sakhnin was declared a city in 1995. Its population of 25,100[1] 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.
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Geography
Sakhnin is built over three hills and is located in a valley 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.
History
Settlement at Sakhnin dates back 3,500 years to its first mention in 1479 BCE by Thutmose II, whose ancient Egyptian records mention it as a centre for production of indigo dye. Sargon II also makes mention of it as Suginin.
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 Palestine fell to the British after World War I.
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 5,000 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 Ligat ha'Al, the top tier of Israeli football.[2] 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.[2]
Sakhnin is also the hometown of Abbas Suan, an Israeli international footballer who previously played for Bnei Sakhnin.
In 19 September, 2008, Bnei Sakhnin played a game with the Spanish team Deportivo de La Coruña.
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sakhnin |
- ^ "Table 3 - Population of Localities Numbering Above 1,000 Residents and Other Rural Population". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2008-06-30. http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2009/table3.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
- ^ a b Soccer: In Israel and Italy, storied teams rise International Herald Tribune, 15 April 2007
External links
- Sakhnin municipality site (in process of development)
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