Rashaya

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Rashaya (Arabic:"راشيا") is a town situated in the Rashaya District and south of the Beqaa Governorate. It is located on the slopes of Mount Hermon, south east of Beirut near the Syrian border, and approximately halfway between Jezzine and Damascus.^[1] Rashaya is still considered to be a traditional Lebanese town with its old cobbled streets and small shops, even though it witnessed in recent years a slight expansion of buildings.

1 Etymology
2 History
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Etymology

The word Rashaya stems from the Aramaic word Rashana meaning the masters or lords who inhabited those hills. With time, the Arabs started using the word Rashaya due to the ease of its pronunciation.^[2]

Rashaya also holds the name Rashaya al Foukhar (al Foukhar meaning "the pottery" in Arabic), a title given to the town due to this handicraft tradition it was once known for.

[edit] History

Under the French Mandate and on 11 November 1943, Rashaya witnessed the arrest and the imprisonment of the Lebanese national leaders by the Free French troops (Bechara El Khoury (the first post-independence President of Lebanon), Riad El-Solh (the Prime Minister), Pierre Gemayel, Camille Chamoun). This led to a national and international pressure in demand for their release, and eventually obliging France to obey. On November 22, 1943, the prisoners were released and that day was declared the Lebanese Independence Day.

The prison, which is now stationed by the Lebanese Armed Forces, is an 18th century citadel that can be visited and seen under the army's surveillance.^[3]