Rafah

Rafah is a town in the Gaza Strip, on the Egyptian border, and a nearby town on the Egyptian side of the border, on the Sinai Peninsula. Over the ages is has been known as Robihwa by Egyptians, Rafihu by Assyrians, Raphia by Greekss and Romans, and now Rafah by the Arabs. The Aramaic text Targum Onkelos interpretted the Biblical location of Chatzerim as referring to Rafah, but there is no other evidence for this. It is the largest town in the southern Strip, with a population of about 96,000, of which some 44,000 live in the two refugee camps about it, Canada Camp to the north, and Rafah camp to the south.

History

\nRafah has a history stretching back thousands of years. It was first recorded in an inscription of Egyptian Pharoah Seti I, from 1303 BC, and as the first stop on Pharoah Shoshenq I's campaign to Palestine in 925 BC. In 720 BC it was the site of the Assyrian king Sargon II's victory over the Egyptians, and in 217 BC a large battle between the victorious Ptolemy IV and Antiochus III. (It is said to be the largest battle ever fought in Palestine, with over a hundred thousand soldiers and hundreds of elephants). During the Byzantine period, it was a Diocese, and an important trading city during the early Arab period, however it steadily declined and was likely abandoned by the 12th century. By the Mameluk period it was recorded as a postal station, and 16th century Ottoman records show a small village of 16 taxpayers. In 1917 the British army captured Rafah, and it was used as a base for the attack on Gaza. The presence of the army bases drew people back to the city, and in 1922 it had a population of 600. By 1948 the population had risen to 2,500. After the Israeli War of Independence, the refugee camps were established, and in 1967 the population was about 55,000, of whom only 11,000 lived in Rafah itself. On May 18, 2004 Israel launched a large offensive on the town dubbed Operation Rainbow, cutting it off from the rest of Gaza. Claiming smuggling tunnels as their main justification, by the end of July more than 15,000 people had been made homeless by demolishing their homes (UNRWA figures).

External links

\n* Reports from Rafah\n* Interview with Hip Hop Artist Michael Franti - Reporting from Rafah.\n* More reports from Rafah\n* Part A Part B Satellite photos comparing 2001 to 2004. \n\n\n Category:Palestinian Cities\nCategory:Egyptian geography\nCategory:Israeli history