Khamsin

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Khamsin or Hamsin (from Arabic:خمسين, khamsīn or khamseen) is a Middle Eastern term for the dry, hot wind that blows in from the desert. It can refer to the wind that blows from the Sahara across Egypt in the spring, typically from March through May; or in Israel, for the easterly wind that brings dust from the Arabian desert to cities and oppressive pressure on the people.

Al-Khamaseen in Egypt 2007-04-17
Al-Khamaseen in Egypt 2007-04-17

The hamsin is usually limited to two seasons, between March and May, and between September and November.

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[edit] Etymology

Derives from the Arabic for "fifty". Some speculate that it blows around fifty days per year, but whether this is true or is the reason for the name is unsure. The Arabic term "yom al-khamsīn" means "the day of Pentecost" (see Acts 2:2).

The Hebrew word sharav (Hebrew: שרב‎) is sometimes used in Israel for a hamsin (considered more "proper Hebrew"), but actually this term means hot dry weather, even if there is no wind. The Biblical term for a hamsin is ruah qadīm (Hebrew: רוח קדים‎ — "east wind"). [1]

[edit] Usages

Hamsin (חמסין) is sometimes used as a metaphor for political and social situations in the Middle East, such as between the Arab and Jewish populations in Israel. It was the name of a magazine published during the 1970s and 1980s by a group of Middle East exiles in Europe, including members of Matzpen; every issue carried the text "KHAMSIN is a hot desert wind which blows in the Middle East for fifty days each year. For many years a scorching wind has been blowing continually over the Middle East..."[2] It was also the the title of a 1982 Israeli film about a clash between a Jewish landowner and his Arab workers in a small farming village in the Galilee.[3] The film was selected by the Israeli Film Board as their nominee for the Academy Award for best foreign language film in 1983. [4]

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Fifty Days and Fifty Nights. JewishForward.com (Apr 04, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
  2. ^ Matzpen-The Socialist Organization in Israel
  3. ^ Kronish, Amy. Arabs on Israeli Screens. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
  4. ^ "Oscar Film Critical of Israel", New York Times, January 24, 1983. Retrieved on 2007-02-26. "The Israel Film Board, a 10-member advisory board appointed by the Government, has selected Hamsin, a film critical of Israel as its nominee for the best foreign-language picture in Hollywood's Academy Awards competition. The choice comes at a time when Israelis are increasingly sensitive to the way they are seen overseas. Hamsin examines relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel--relations that the film's director, Daniel Wachsmann, an Israeli Jew, portrays as a circle of fear..." 
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