Rahat

Rahat (Hebrew: רַהַט, Arabic: رهط‎) is a predominantly Bedouin city in the South District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of December 2014 the city had a total population of 60,400 (53,095 in December 2010 and 51,700 in December 2009). As such, it is the largest Bedouin settlement in the world, and the only one in Israel to have city status.

It is one of seven Bedouin townships in the Negev desert with approved plans and developed infrastructure (other six are: Hura, Tel as-Sabi (Tel Sheva), Ar'arat an-Naqab (Ar'ara BaNegev), Lakiya, Kuseife (Kseife) and Shaqib al-Salam (Segev Shalom).

Meaning of the name

In Arabic, "rahat" means "relief" or "groups" (it is also a Muslim name used mostly for males). In Hebrew, "rahat" means "fountain."

Design

The city has a total of 33 neighborhoods. All but one of the neighborhoods consist entirely of separate Bedouin clans but one is a mixed-clan neighborhood. Between every neighborhood, there is a wadi. The city also has a market, public and commercial services, neighborhood parks, public areas, women's employment centers, children's play areas, and several mosques.

Turkish delight

Turkish delight, lokum or rahat lokum and many other transliterations (Ottoman Turkish: رَاحَة الْحُلْقُوم‎ rāḥat al-ḥulqūm, Turkish: Lokum or rahat lokum, from colloquial Arabic: راحه الحلقوم‎ rāḥat al-ḥalqūm) is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, and hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are mostly gel, generally flavored with rosewater, mastic, Bergamot orange, or lemon. The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar, to prevent clinging. Other common flavors include cinnamon and mint. In the production process, soapwort may be used as an emulsifying additive.

History

The exact origin of these sweets is yet to be definitively determined; however, "lokum" comes from the Arabic Halkum or Al-Halkum. In the Arab world, Turkish delights are called rāḥat al-ḥulqūm (رَاحَة الْحُلْقُوم) which means "Throat Comfort".