Al-Husayniyya, Safad
Al-Husayniyya (Arabic: الحسينية) was a Palestinian village, depopulated in 1948.
On 13 May 1948, Haganah paramilitary forces committed a crime by killing more than 30 children and women, which led the rest of the people living in the village to flee and seek shelter in Lebanon and Syria.
Location
The village was located 11 kilometres northeast of Safed, on a slightly elevated hill in the southwestern corner of the al-Hula Plain. It stood along the eastern side of a highway that led to Safad and Tiberias.
History
The Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi noted its ancient buildings and praised one of them, which he claimed had originally been a temple and perhaps was built by Solomon.
In 1881, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the place as having "a few ruined cattle-sheds".
In the second half of the 19th century, after the Algerian followers of Abdelkader El Djezairi had been defeated by the French in Algeria, they sought refuge in another part of the Ottoman Empire. They were given lands in various locations in Ottoman Syria, including al-Husayniyya, and the nearby villages of Dayshum, Ammuqa, Marus and Tulayl.
Safed
Safed (Hebrew: צְפַת Tzfat, Ashkenazi: Tzfas, Biblical: Ṣ'fath; Arabic: صفد, Ṣafad) is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of 900 metres (2,953 ft), Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters. Since the 16th century, Safed has been considered one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias; since that time, the city has remained a center of Kabbalah, also known as Jewish mysticism.
Due to its mild climate and scenic views, Safed is a popular holiday resort frequented by Israelis and foreign visitors.
History
Biblical account
According to the Book of Judges (1:17), the area where Safed is located was assigned to the Tribe of Naphtali. Legend has it that Safed was founded by a son of Noah after the Great Flood.
Classical Antiquity
Safed has been identified with Sepph, a fortified Jewish town in the Upper Galilee mentioned in the writings of the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus. (PACE: The Jewish War, 2.{{{chap}}}.{{{sec}}} (Whiston).) It is mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud as one of five elevated spots where fires were lit to announce the New Moon and festivals during the Second Temple period.
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