From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abu Ghosh أبو غوش אבו גוש (also אבו ע'וש)
—  Local council  —
Abu Ghosh Location within Israel
Coordinates: 31°48.288′N 35°6.744′E / 31.8048°N 35.1124°E / 31.8048; 35.1124
Country	Israel
District	Jerusalem District
Founded
Incorporated
Area
- Total	2.5 km2 (1 sq mi)
Population (2005)
- Total	5,700
Time zone	IST (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	IDT (UTC+3)

Abu Ghosh (Arabic: أبو غوش‎; Hebrew: אבו גוש‎) is an Israeli Circassian ^[1] town located 10 kilometers west of Jerusalem on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, 610-720 meters above sea level. Abu Ghosh is named for a Circassian clan that imposed a toll on pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. The village of Suba was controlled by the Abu Ghosh family. Its inhabitants are known for their friendly relations with their Jewish neighbors. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the residents of Abu Ghosh maintained a neutral stance and did not participate in the fighting.

Local government

Abu Ghosh is governed by a Local council, and is part of the Jerusalem District. The mayor of Abu Ghosh is Salim Jabar. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Abu Ghosh had a population of 5,700, predominantly Muslims of Circassian origin, in June 2005.

History

Abu Ghosh is one of the most ancient inhabited sites in Israel.^[2] Archaeological excavations have revealed 3 neolithic settlement phases, the middle phase is dated to the 7th millennium BCE.^[3] Its old Arabic name of Qaryat al'Inab has led Abu Ghosh to be identified with the biblical site of Kiryat Ye'arim.^[2]

A Greek inscription unearthed in the ruins of a Roman fort show that the Tenth Legion of the Roman army had a station house in Abu Ghosh.^[2] The village has also been associated with Anathoth, the birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah.

It takes its name from a Circassian elder whos family name was Ghosh who settled in the area in the 16th century. Most of the Muslim residents of the village today are descendants of the Abu Ghosh clan which are from Circassian origin that came during the Ottoman reign.After the Circassian diaspora;Many of them were protected by the Ottoman Empire.The Clan of Abu Ghosh were sent to the Holy Land by the Ottoman Sultan Selim to resemble the Ottoman Empire-Which saw the Circassians as experienced fighters.This clan controlled the pilgrimage route from Jaffa to Jerusalem, and imposed tolls on all pilgrims passing through. The churches in Jerusalem also paid a tax to the Abu Ghosh clan.^{[4] [5][2]}

In the 19th century, the village was also known as Kuryet el' Enab.^[6]

Kiryat Anavim, the first kibbutz in the Judean Hills, was founded near Abu Ghosh in 1914, on land purchased from a resident of Abu Ghosh.

Neutrality in Israeli-Arab conflict

Crusader church

In 1947 and 1948, the road to Jerusalem was blocked by the Arabs and passage through the hills surrounding Jerusalem was crucial for getting supplies to the besieged city. Of the 36 Arab speaking villages nestled in these hills, Abu Ghosh alone remained neutral, and in many cases proved friendly and helped to keep the road open. "From here it is possible to open and close the gates to Jerusalem," said former President Yitzhak Navon.^[7]

Issa Jaber, director of the local department of education for the past seven years, feels the personal relationships created with Zionist leaders during the prestate period set the basis for later cooperation. “We had a perspective for the future,” he says.^[8]

The Globe and Mail quotes a 2006 article in the (Vancouver) Jewish Independent that states:

In 1948, when the modern state of Israel became a corporeal reality, many Arab villages were abandoned or destroyed in the ensuing War of Independence. Abu Ghosh was the only one in the area to survive intact and untouched.

"That was because the people in Abu Ghosh have always attached great importance to being hospitable," said Mayor Salim Jaber. "We welcome anybody, regardless of religion or race."^[8]

Elder Sami of Abu Ghosh, a village elder, told the Toronto Globe and Mail: "Perhaps because of the history of feuding with the Arabs around us we allied ourselves with the Jews...against the British. We did not join the Arabs from the other villages bombarding Jewish vehicles in 1947. The Palmach fought many villages around us. But there was an order to leave us alone. The other Arabs never thought there would be a Jewish government here...During the first truce of the War of Independence, I was on my way to Ramallah to see my father and uncles, and I was captured by Jordanian soldiers. They accused me of being a traitor and tortured me for six days."^[8]

The residents of Abu Ghosh speak Hebrew and Arabic in their daily life. It is widely mistaken that the residents of Abu Ghosh come from an Arab origin because they speak Arabic. History attests to their Circassian origin, of which they are proud. ^[9]

Christian sites

Church of Notre Dame in Abu Ghosh

The Crusader Church, at the entrance to the village is one of the best preserved Crusader remains in the country. It was built about 1142 and destroyed in 1187. It was acquired by the French Government in 1899 and placed under guardianship of the French Benedictine Fathers. Since 1956, it has been run by the Lazarist Fathers. Edward Robinson (1838) described it as “obviously from the time of the crusades, and […] more perfectly preserved than any other ancient church in Palestine.” Excavations carried out in 1944 confirm that the Crusaders identified the site as the biblical Emmaus.

The Church of Notre Dame de l'Arche de l'Alliance (Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant), built in 1924, is said to occupy the site of the house of Abinadab where the Ark of the Covenant rested for twenty years until King David took it to Jerusalem. It is built on the site of a fifth-century Byzantine church. It is recognizable by the roof-top statue of Mary carrying the infant Jesus in her arms.

Culture

Pouring "Turkish" coffee in Abu Ghosh

Abu Ghosh is popular among Israelis for its Middle Eastern restaurants and for their Hummus.Abu Ghosh recently took the World Guinness Record of the largest Hummus dish in 2010.

The Abu Ghosh Music Festival is held twice a year, in the fall and late spring, with musical ensembles and choirs from Israel and abroad performing in and around the churches in Abu Ghosh.^[10]

The headquarters of Golan-Globus is in Abu Ghosh

The Elvis Inn, a restaurant in Abu Ghosh, is known for its large gold statue of Elvis Presley in the parking lot.^[11]

References

Bibliography

• Edward Robinson Biblical Researches in Palestine and Adjacent Countries (first published in three volumes, Boston and London, 1841);
• Benny Morris (1994): "1948 and After." ISBN 0-19-827929-9. (Chapter 8, pp. 257-289: The Case of Abu Ghosh and Beit Naqquba, Al Fureidis and Jisr Zarka in 1948 -or Why Four Villages Remained.)
• Sharon, Moshe (1997), Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, Vol. I, A, BRILL, ISBN 9004108335, http://books.google.com/books?id=j1rSzWgHMjoC  
• This article incorporates text from the article "Emmaus" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

See also

• List of Arab localities in Israel

Jerusalem District Cities Beit Shemesh · Jerusalem Local councils Abu Ghosh · Kiryat Ye'arim · Mevaseret Zion Regional councils Mateh Yehuda Other sub-divisions: Center District · Haifa District · Judea and Samaria Area · North District · South District · Tel Aviv District

From Wikitravel

Abu Ghosh is in Israel.

Get in

Abu Ghosh is just outside Jerusalem on the road to Tel Aviv.

Eat

Abu Ghosh is famous for its food, particularly its hummus (chick pea paste)

• Lebanese Restaurant, 88 Hashalom St, +972 2 533-5561. This restaurant, as its name would suggest, specializes in serving traditional Arab cuisine in the Lebanese style. The Lebanese Restaurant is frequented by locals, Israelis and tourists alike and serves, amongst other reasonably priced delicacies, what is arguably the country's best hummus. Many Israeli notables have eaten here and in good weather you can eat under the Mulberry tree that this gem of a restaurant is built around.

• Jerusalem