Umm al-Fahm
Umm al-Fahm (Arabic: أمّ الفحم, Umm al-Faḥm; Hebrew: אֻם אל-פַחְם Umm el-Fahem) is a city which is located 20 kilometers northwest of Jenin in the Haifa District of Israel with a population of 48,500, nearly all of whom are Arab citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm mountain ridge, the highest point of which is Mt. Iskander (522 meters above sea level), overlooking Wadi Ara. Umm al-Fahm is the social, cultural and economic center for residents of the Wadi Ara and Triangle regions.
History
Its name means "Mother of Charcoal" in Arabic, the village was surrounded by natural forests which were used to produce charcoal. Several archaeological sites around the city date to the Iron Age, as well as Muslim, Roman and Hellenistic periods.
In 1265 C.E. (663 H.), after Baybars won the territory from the Crusaders, the revenues from Umm al-Fahm were given to the Na'ib al-Saltana of Syria, Jamal al-Din al-Najibi.
Ottoman era
In 1517 the village was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire with the rest of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Sara of the Liwa of Lajjun. It had a population of 24 households, all Muslim, and paid taxes on wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, occasional revenues, goats and/or beehives, and a press for olive oil or grape syrup.
