Rashaya is a most attractive little town seated on
the western slopes of Mount Hermon. It lies in the
South Beqaa 85 kilometres from Beirut, ensconced in
the northern side of the valley known as Wadi et-Taim,
from where there flow a number of water courses that
feed the river Jordan, famous for its religious associations,
which descends southward into the Sea of Galilee and
beyond that into the Dead Sea much lower down.
The township stands at an altitude of 1,360 metres,
half way up the famous mountain, whose summit rises
to 2,814 metres above sea level and to be exact to
3,300 metres above the Beqaa-Ghor depression, which
makes it the second highest mountain in Lebanon, somewhat
lower than Qornet es-Sawdat but rather higher than
Sannine. It is from Rashaya that anyone sets out who
wants to climb Mount Hermon from the Lebanese side,
winding up the mountain past picturesque vineyards
and fig-tree groves below, then wild ravines and jagged
escarpments till one reaches the very top, which marks
the frontier between Lebanon and Syria. It might even
be that this was the high mountain mentioned in the
Gospels, Mark 8: 1 and elsewhere, scene of the Transfiguration,
“after Jesus had passed through the upper valley
of the Jordan north of Cæsarea Philippi”
(the present town of Banias.)
The township of Rashaya has always occupied a strategic
position overlooking the et-Taim valley and since
time immemorial has been the emplacement of an impressive
and famous fortress which was in turn Canaanite, Greco-Roman,
Arab, Crusader and Ottoman. The massive Feather Tower,
built by the Crusaders in 1172 on the still visible
remains of more ancient fortifications, was refurnished
in the 17th century by the Shehab family, who made
it the seat of their power. This fortress has more
than once played a role in the history of Lebanon,
particularly when rival foreign powers have pitted
against one another the various religious communities
which otherwise lived peaceably together, Druze, Greek
Orthodox, Greek Catholics and Syriacs – there
are four very old churches, two Greek Orthodox and
one each for the Greek Catholics and the Syriacs.
In the tragic year 1860 there was a horrible massacre,
with blood spilt even inside the citadel. In 1925,
on November 22nd, later to be a date of destiny, this
place was the scene where the French authorities suffered
a memorable military defeat. In 1943 the members of
the new Lebanese Government, President Beshara el-Khoury
himself, the Speaker of Parliament Adel Osseyran,
and ministers Camille Shamoun, Abdel-Hamid Karameh
and Selim Takla, were imprisoned in the citadel on
a hasty impulse of Commissioner Jean Helleu, Delegate
General of the Free French authorities. The latter
quickly disavowed the Commissioner's action, so the
prisoners left the citadel of Rashaya head high to
sign the new Pact of the Lebanese Republic on November
22nd, so making this day a double anniversary.
This famous town, famous in history but turned to
the future, offers its visitors a delightful natural
setting, with its high plateau dominating the valley,
the terraced gardens, thousand red-brick houses, and
its main street once paved in stone, now known as
the “souq” (market), leading up to the
citadel. There is here a most lively social and cultural
life. One receives a warm welcome from the 6,500 Druze
and Christian inhabitants, who live happily together
while practising the traditional crafts for which
they are famous, particularly silver work and jewellery.
To these delights may be added an agreeable climate,
cold with several snowfalls covering the ground in
winter, warm but dry in summer, and marked by 290
days of sunshine each year. What could one wish for
better?
- The village of Rashaya: >> View
Movie << (2005-10-01)
- The Souk of Rashaya: >> View
Movie << (2008-11-15)
- Citadel of Independence: >> View
Movie << (2009-12-01)
