Drijat ( ar, دريجات; he, דריג'את), also known as Draijat, is an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

village in southern

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. Located in the

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...

desert near Arad, between

Kuseife Kuseife ( ar, كسيفة) or Kseifa ( he, כְּסֵיפָה) is a Bedouin town ( local council) in the Southern District of Israel. Kuseife was founded in 1982 as part of a government project to settle Bedouins in permanent settlements. In 1996 ...

and the

Yatir Forest Yatir Forest ( he, יער יתיר) is a forest in Israel on the edge of the Negev Desert. The forest covers an area of 30,000 dunams (), and is the largest planted forest in Israel. History The first trees were planted in 1964 by the Jewish ...

, it falls under the jurisdiction of

al-Kasom Regional Council al-Kasom Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית אל קסום, ''Mo'atza Azorit El Kassum'', ar, المجلس الإقليمي القيصوم, ''al-Majlis al-Iqlīmī al-Qayṣūm'') is one of two Negev Bedouin regional councils formed as ...

. In its population was . Drijat Aerial View

History

According to its residents, Drijat was established in the 19th century.Bedouin village gets water hook-up, 5 years after recognition
Haaretz, 14 September 2009 However, like dozens of other Arab locales in the Negev Desert, was an

unrecognized village Unrecognized Bedouin villages in Israel are rural Negev Bedouin, Bedouin communities in the Negev and the Galilee which the Cabinet of Israel, Israeli government does not recognize as legal. They are often referred to as "unrecognized villages". ...

until 2004, when it joined the

Abu Basma Regional Council Abu Basma Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית אבו בסמה, ''Moatza Ezorit Abu Basma'', ar, مجلس إقليمي أبو بسمة, ''Majlis Iqlimi Abu Basma'') was a regional council operating in 2003-2012 and covering several B ...

. It is the only Arab village in the Negev that is not Bedouin; its residents are descended from a long line of

fellahin A fellah ( ar, فَلَّاح ; feminine ; plural ''fellaheen'' or ''fellahin'', , ) is a peasant, usually a farmer or agricultural laborer in the Middle East and North Africa. The word derives from the Arabic word for "ploughman" or "tiller". ...

. The ruins of a historical site named Dargot is located in Drijat, which is on the

Israel National Trail The Israel National Trail ( he, שביל ישראל, ''Shvil Yisra'el'') is a hiking path that was inaugurated in 1995. The trail crosses the entire country of Israel. Its northern end is at Dan, near the Lebanese border in the far north of the c ...

. In 2009 the village was connected to

national water carrier National Water Carrier of Israel The National Water Carrier of Israel ( he, המוביל הארצי, ''HaMovil HaArtzi'') is the largest water project in Israel, completed in 1964. Its main purpose is to transfer water from the Sea of Galilee ...

, but remains unconnected to the electricity grid. In 2005, it became the first town in the world to be outfitted with a multipurpose solar electricity system for providing power to the entire village and reducing pollution. The only solar-powered mosque in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

is also located in the village.

References

{{Authority control Al-Kasom Regional Council Arab villages in Israel Populated places in Southern District (Israel)

History

See also

References