Kaukab Abu al-Hija

Kaukab Abu al-Hija (Arabic: كوكب أبو الهيجا‎; Hebrew: כַּוּכַּבּ אַבּוּ אל-הִיגַ'א), often simply Kaukab, (meaning "star" in Arabic), is an Arab Muslim village and local council in the North District of Israel, in the Lower Galilee. It is located on Road 784, between Shefa-'Amr and Karmiel, and next to Kafr Manda. Kaukab was historically under the control of the Abu al-Hija family of the Galilee.

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Kaukab had a population of 3,000 in 2008, and is ranked low (3/10) on the Israeli socio-economic scale. Its jurisdiction is 2,567 dunams.

History

Hellenistic through Byzantine Periods

It is possible to discern the ruins of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine settlements on Kaukab's location, and it might be the location of the town Kokhva, mentioned in the Talmud, however, many places in the area shared the name, and one cannot know which one was Kokhva.

Ayyubid Period

Kaukab was founded next to a grave attributed to Hussam ad-Din Abu al-Hija, one of Saladin's lieutenants, and is holy to the local Muslims. It is thus named Kaukab Abu al-Hija to differentiate it from several other Arab villages with the same name.