Rachaya Al Foukhar (also spelled Rashaya Al Foukhar, ar, راشيا الفخار) is a
Lebanese village in the district of
Hasbaya in the
Nabatiye Governorate
Nabatieh Governorate ( ar, محافظة النبطية, ') is one of the nine governorates of Lebanon. The area of this governorate is 1,058 km2. The capital is Nabatieh.
Districts
The governorate is divided into four districts (Aqdiya, sing ...
in southern
Lebanon. It is located on the western slopes of
Mount Hermon at an altitude starting at 750 m with the highest summit being at 1,250 m. The population is
Greek Orthodox.
History
In 1838, during the
Ottoman era,
Eli Smith
Eli Smith (born September 13, 1801, in Northford, Connecticut, to Eli and Polly (Whitney) Smith, and died January 11, 1857, in Beirut, Lebanon) was an American Protestant missionary and scholar. He graduated from Yale College in 1821 and from Andov ...
noted the population of Rachaya Al Foukhar as being
"Greek" Christians.
In 1852
Edward Robinson noted: "The village is celebrated for its pottery; for the manufacture of which it is one of the chief seats. There are many large dome-shaped furnaces for burning of ware; and many specimens were standing outside of the houses
. tall jars, and the like. This pottery is sent around to all the fairs of the country, and far into the
Hauran
The Hauran ( ar, حَوْرَان, ''Ḥawrān''; also spelled ''Hawran'' or ''Houran'') is a region that spans parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan. It is bound in the north by the Ghouta oasis, eastwards by the al-Safa (Syria), al-Safa ...
; as also to
Hums and
Hamah
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, ar ...
."
In 1875,
Victor Guérin found here a town with 700 inhabitants, mostly "
Schismatic Greek". He also noted the pottery production, and that there was a small
Protestant mission in the place.
In 1990, U.S missionary William Robinson was killed here by masked gunmen.
U.S. Missionary Shot to Death At Home in South Lebanon
Ihsan A. Hijazi, March 29, 1990, The New York Times
References
Bibliography
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External links
Rachaiya El Foukhar
Localiban
{{Hasbaya District
Populated places in Hasbaya District
Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Lebanon