Salfit
Coordinates: 32 ° 5 ' N , 35 ° 11' E
Salfit ( Arabic سلفيت, DMG Salfīt ) is a small town in the Palestinian Territories . It is located 26 kilometers southwest of Nablus . Salfit is the capital of the Salfit administrative district of the same name .
geography
In 1978, the Israelis established the Ariel settlement three kilometers north of Salfit . The settlement and its fortifications cut Salfit off from its neighboring town of Marda and adjacent communities, which are north of Ariel. The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem claimed that the settlers from Ariel were discharging their sewage onto Palestinian-inhabited land, causing severe damage to the people of Salfit.
Origin of name
Salfit is an ancient Canaanite city that is about 5000 years old. The Canaanite name consists of two syllables sal /سل / 'Basket' and fīt /فيت / 'Grapes', thus the name of the city means “the basket of grapes”.
topography
The city is located at longitude 32 ° 5 'north and latitude 35 ° 11' east. The city is located on a hill and between two valleys. The highest point of the city is 570 m above sea level in the northeastern part of the city. The north-western entrance to the city is 550 m above sea level. The old town is between 520 m and 530 m high. The lowest point of the city is in the west and is 440 m.
economy
As the capital of the administrative district, the city developed into the economic center of the region. Salfit itself is an agricultural town. It is known for its olive groves. Main products are olive oil, olives, grapes, figs, apples (a yellow-red and small variety that bears the city's name), apricots, etc.
Residents
The city population was 10,021 in 2007, although it should be noted that many of the city's sons and daughters live abroad who do not appear in the statistics. The city's residents are divided into two major tribes. The tribe ofبنيمرة Banīmra is the oldest tribe in the city and was called Banī Nimra /بني نمرةbut over time the name was shortened. The second tribe are the al-Hawtarī /الحوتري / al-Ḥautarī . This tribe represents part of the descendants of the Egyptian Abbasid caliph dynasty .
City council
The city council in Salfit consists of 15 elected members. The city council has the following composition (2010):
- Tahseen Slimi: Mayor
- Abdelraheem Jawdat: Deputy Mayor
- Abdelraheem Odeh
- Ibraheem Khamees AL Hamad
- Dr. Samir Rammal
- Dr. Bassam Madi
- Dr. Mohammad AL-masri
- Jamal Yasin
- Ibrahim Abu-Madi
- Naser Maali
- Talat Zohod
- Husein AL-Bishir
- Fatheyeh Jawdat
- Majeda Matar
- Rafat Alqam
School education
There are a total of 43 schools of all levels and grades in Salfit city and district. In addition to the regular school system, Salfit has vocational schools for skilled trades. The "Al Quds Open University" has set up a branch in Salfit with a wide range of offers.
Web links
- City website (Arabic, English)
- Inge Günther: The dream of your own country. In: Frankfurter Rundschau . September 16, 2011, accessed on September 16, 2011 (background report on the mood in Salfit in summer 2011, shortly before the planned application to the UN General Assembly to recognize Palestine as a state).