It is one of the oldest cities in historical Palestine. It was founded by the Canaanites above Trefut Castle on the southwestern slope of Mount Canaan. It is the capital of the occupied Upper Galilee, and the center of a district bearing its name located between Syria, Lebanon, and the districts of Akka and Tiberi.
Safed was mentioned in Pharaonic inscriptions dating back to the fourteenth century before the birth of Christ, peace be upon him, as one of the cities of Galilee. It was known in the Roman era as “Sifa,” meaning a fortified castle. It was mentioned in Islamic manuscripts in the fourth century AH/tenth century AD.
Safad's strategic location and commercial importance caught the attention of the leaders of the Crusades, who occupied it in 1140 AD.In the year 1188 AD, Sultan Saladin al-Ayyubi liberated the city from the hands of the Crusaders. Historical sources indicate that the ruler of Damascus, King Al-Saleh Ismail, ceded the Arab city to the Crusaders as a gift and price for his alliance with them against the two Mamluk sultans Al-Saleh Ayyub in Egypt and Al-Nasir Daoud in Jordan.
After that, Safad did not remain in the hands of the Crusaders for long, as it was liberated by the Mamluk Sultan al-Zahir Baibars in 1266 AD, and the city maintained throughout the Mamluk era its status as one of the Sultanate’s offices in the Levant, and a post station carried by carrier pigeons between the Levant and Egypt.In 1517, the Ottoman Empire extended its control over Safad after the victory of the Ottoman Sultan Selim I over the Mamluk Sultan Qansuh al-Ghur.
The Mamluks at the Battle of Marj Dabiq in 1516, and during the Ottoman era, the number of villages in the Safad district reached 78 villages.In 1918, the Palestinian city was subjected to the rule of the British occupation, and in 1945 53,620 people lived in the Safad district, distributed among 69 villages in addition to the city of Safad, whose area alone at that time amounted to 3,002 dunums.During the era of the British Mandate, dozens of Arab kindergartens and schools were established in the city for students at various levels. It also included a number of sports clubs and secret political societies opposed to the English occupation, the Zionist presence and their agents, until the withdrawal of British forces from Safed on April 16, 1948, allowed the Arab population to control the city. The largest part of his city.
The landmarks of the city, The city of Safed includes a number of ancient historical monuments, including ancient mosques such as the Red Mosque, which has a Mamluk character and was founded in the time of al-Zahir Baybars. In the middle of the city is the Souq Mosque (Al-Jakandari), and one of the most famous corners in Safed is the Asadiyya Corner, in addition to its commercial markets, especially since it has a geographical location that connects the trade routes between Damascus. And Jerusalem and from there to Egypt Another of its landmarks is the Safad Castle, which was built by the Crusaders and played a major role in the Crusades thanks to its supervision of northern Galilee and the Damascus Road.
Copyright © All Rights Reserved
