Rameh

History

Edward Robinson identifies Rameh with the ancient Ramah of Asher (Joshua 19:29), citing its location and ancient sarcophagi discovered on a hill outside the village as evidence.

The village is situated on an ancient site, atop a hill at the edge of Beit HaKerem Valley. To the east are remains of Roman baths, dating to the 2nd to 4th century, and oil presses from the same period. South and southeast are remains of buildings foundations, including an Aramaic inscription on a lintel, which indicate a 3rd to 4th century synagogue. To the northeast of the Roman bath are the remains of a large basilica. This was excavated in 1972, and very large column bases were found, together with polychrome mosaics representing fauna and flora.

Many remains of pottery vessels dated to the Late Roman period (fourth–fifth centuries CE) have also been found, together with building remains from the Byzantine period. Rameh was a major town during the rule of the Crusaders.

Ottoman era

In 1517, Rameh was with the rest of Palestine incorporated into the Ottoman Empire after it was captured from the Mamluks, and by 1596, it was a village under the administration of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Akka, (Liwa ("District") of Safad), with a population of 96 households, all Muslim. It paid taxes on silk spinning (dulab harir), goats, beehives, and a press that was used for processing either olives or grapes, in addition to paying a fixed, or lump sum. A map from Napoleon's invasion of 1799 by Pierre Jacotin showed the place, named as "Ramah".

The French explorer Victor Guérin visited the village in 1875, and found it to have 800 inhabitants, half Christian and half Druze. In 1881 the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it as "a village, built of stone, of good materials, containing a Greek chapel and about 600 Christians and 500 Druzes; it is situated in plains, with large olive-groves, gardens and vineyards; five perennial springs near the village, and several cisterns in it."

British Mandate era

It was one of the largest villages in the Galilee during the period of Ottoman Empire control. In 1923, Rameh became the first village in Palestine to receive self-governing status granted by the British Mandate and had the largest olive orchards in the area. It was granted permission to self-govern through a village council.

In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Al Rameh had a total population 847, 28 Muslims, 624 Christians, and 195 Druze. Of the Christians, 474 were Orthodox, 47 Catholics, 102 Greek Catholic (Melchite) and 1 Maronite. This had increased in the 1931 census of Palestine, when Er Rama had 254 houses, with a total population of 1142. Of these, 70 were Muslim, 746 Christians, and 326 Druze.

In 1945 Er Rama had a population of 1,690; 90 Muslims, 1,160 Christians and 440 "others"(=Druze), with 24,516 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey. Of this, 8,310 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 3,078 used for cereals, while 56 dunams were built-up land.

State of Israel

It was captured by Haganah forces in 1948, becoming a part of Israel, and later achieving local council status in 1954.

Demography

51% of the residents of Rameh are Christian, 29% are Druze and 20% are Muslim.

Notable residents

In alphabetical order by surname, article excluded: