Sakhnin
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| Sakhnin | |
| Hebrew | סח'נין, סכנין |
| Arabic | سخنين |
| Government | City (from 1995) |
| District | North |
| Population | 23,900 (2004) |
| Jurisdiction | 9,700 dunams (9.7 km²) |
| Mayor | Mohammad Bashir |
Sakhnin (Arabic: سخنين; Hebrew: סח'נין or סכנין) is an Arab Israeli city in Israel's North District. It is located in the Lower Galilee, about 23 km east of Acre. Sakhnin was declared a city in 1995. Its population is mostly Muslim with a sizeable Christian minority. It is located on the site of the Jewish town Sikhnin, which flourished during the Roman conquest (2nd century CE).
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[edit] Geography
Sakhnin is built over three hills and is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, the highest one being 602 meters high. Its non-industrial landscape is almost entirely covered by olive and fig groves as well as oregano and sesame shrubs.
[edit] 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 El-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 of Arab-owned land near Sakhnin. The city was also one of the flashpoints in the October 2000 events.
[edit] Sports
In 2003, Sakhnin's team, Bnei Sakhnin, became one of the first Arab teams to play in Israel's top soccer league. In 2004, the team won the Israeli 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 will ultimately reach a capacity of 15,000.
[edit] References
[edit] External link
- Sakhnin municipality site (in process of development)
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| Cities | Afula | Acre (Akko) | Bet She'an | Karmiel | Kiryat Shmona | Ma'alot-Tarshiha | Migdal HaEmek | Nahariya | Nazareth | Nazareth Illit | Safed | Sakhnin | Shagor | Shefa-'Amr (Shfar'am) | Tamra | Tiberias |  |
| Local councils | Abu Sinan | Ajar | Arrabe | Basmat Tiv'on | Beit Jann | Bir al-Maksur | Bu'eine Nujeidat | Buq'ata | Deir Hanna | Dvorya | Eilabun | Ein Knaya | Ein Mahal | Fassuta | Ghajar | Hurfeish | Hazor HaGelilit | I'billin | Iksal | Ilut | Jadida Makar | Julis | Ka'abiyye-Tabbash-Hajajre | Kabul | Kafar Kanna | Kaokab Abu al-Hija | Katzrin | Kfar Kama | Kfar Manga | Kfar Tavor | Kfar Vradim | Kfar Yasif | Kineret | Kisra-Sumei | Maghar | Ma'ilya | Majdal Shams | Mas'ada | Mashhad | Mazra'a | Metula | Mevo Hama | Migdal | Nahf | Peki'in | Ra'ama | Reineh | Ramat Yeshi | Rosh Pinna | Sajur | Sha'ab | Shelomi | Shibli-Umm al-Janam | Tuba-Zangariyye | Tur'an | Yafi'a | Yanuh-Jat | Yavne'el | Yesod HaMa'ala | Yirka | Zarzir | |
| Regional councils | Al-Batuf | Bet Shean Valley | Bustan al-Marj | Northern Jordan Valley (Emek Hayarden) | Gilboa | Golan | Jezreel Valley | Lower Galilee | Upper Galilee | Ma'ale Yosef | Mateh Asher | Megiddo | Merom HaGalil | Mevo'ot HaHermon | Misgav | |
