RAMLA

As an introductory note I would like to emphasize that RAMLA is not Ramallah. Ramallah houses many of the "palestinian" administrative buildings including Arafat's grave. A town called Ramah is mentioned many times in the Hebrew Bible and was part of the tribal allotment of Benjamin. Some scholars believe that Ramallah could be the location of biblical Rama, however the connection is certainly not definitive. Another point of note is that RAMLA & not Jerusalem was the centre of Muslim authority during the early Arab period (638-1099).

RAMLA was founded in 717 by the Ummayad Caliph Abd el Malik & is the only city ever built by the Muslims during their early occupation of the Holyland.

The early Arab period was ruled by different caliphates which are as follows : Ummayad (661-750), Abbasid (750-878), Tulimid (878-970), Fatimid (970-1071) & Seljuk (1071-1099). The later Ayyubid dynasty (1171-1250) existed during the Crusader period. All were Sunni Muslims except for the Fatimids who were Shia Muslims. Later occupiers of the Holyland included the Crusaders (1099-1291), the Mamlukes (1291-1516), the Ottoman Turks (1516-1917) & the British (1917-1948).

Ramla is located at a strategic point where a branch of the via Maris intersects with a route linking Jerusalem to the coast. The via Maris being the ancient trade route that connected Egypt to Syria. In 749 an earthquake destroyed the city but it was again rebuilt in 789 by the Abbasid caliph Harun al Rashid - the caliph associated with the fictional "A thousand & one nights" story. By the 10th century Ramla was the largest city in the Holyland & home to a small Jewish & Karaite population. (The Karaites being Jews who accept the written law but not the oral law, who today a have small community which call Ramla home). From 1024 to 1029, the Bedouins revolted againts the Fatimids who were Shia muslims that ruled the Holyland from their headquarters in Egypt .The revolt resulted in the decimation of the non-Arab occupants and the destruction of the town.

Additional earthquakes in 1033 & 1067 did not help matters. In 1071 Turkish Muslims known as the Seljuks, rebuilt Ramla to the east of the original town in what today is known as the old city.

The Crusaders (1099-1291) captured Ramla in 1099 & established a military & commercial centre. The populace having fled the city in the wake of their advance. Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, the Jewish Marco Polo, visited the city in 1170. In 1187 the Ayyubid caliph Saladin, a muslim of Kurdish descent captured the city. It was later recaptured by the Crusaders in 1191 under the leadership of Richard the Lion Heart. The Mamluk's (1291-1516) ascended to power in Egypt & under the leadership of the Sultan Baybars, captured Ramla in 1266.

Ramla was revived during the 14th century and became prosporous once more. Jews returned to the city and were residents until the mid 17th century when conditions started to decline & the city became impoverished . In 1799 Napolean spent some time in the city during his Holyland campaign. A Jewish return to the city arose at the end of the 19th century & in 1906 the founding session of the political party “Poalei Zion” took place in Ramla. Among the leaders at the conference were David Ben Gurion, later Israel’s first Prime Minister, and Yitzhak Ben Zvi, later the second President of the State of Israel. WW1 (1914-1917) prevented Jews from returning to the city, however, in 1917 the British general Allenby conquered the city from the Turks & Jews once again started returning. All came to a halt with the Arab disturbances which occurred between 1936-1939. During the 1948 War of Independence Ramla served as a base for hostile Arab forces who amongst other acts attempted to block the road to Jerusalem.

In 1948 the Israel Defence Force captured Ramla in an operation known as Operation Dani.

Today the population of Ramla stands at 75 000 souls & is made up of Jews (87%), Muslim & Christian Arabs (23%) & a small community of Karaites.

SOME STRUCTURES REPRESENTATIVE OF PAST INHABITANTS OF RAMLA & THE PRESENT DAY MARKET.

The White Mosque – Built during the Ummayad period (661-750) of which only remnants remain.

The Tower of 40 located on the site of the White mosque was built during the Mamluk period (1291-1516) & served as the mosque's minaret.

The Pool of Arches - Built by Harun al Rashid during the Abbasid period (750-878).

The Great Mosque was originaly a church built during the Crusader period (1099-1291) & converted into a mosque during the Mamluk period (1291-1516).

Gindes Bridge - Built during the Mamluk period (1291-1516). The bridge is still in use today.

The railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem was inaugurated in 1892 by the Ottoman Turks.

Ramla is home to a British WW1 cemetery .

The market is smaller than, but similar to the famous Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem. Within the market's rundown alleyways is a dilapidated building which houses a resturant by the name of "Etsel Naji". The menu comprises of what can be described as "the food of the people" & is well worth savoring.

Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect) Website : rontraub-tours.com Photo's : Rimonah Traub.