Fureidis
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| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • ISO 259 | P̄ureidis |
 Fureidis | |
  Fureidis  Fureidis | |
| Coordinates:32°35′48″N34°57′02″E / 32.59667°N 34.95056°E /32.59667; 34.95056 | |
| Grid position | 145/222PAL |
| Country | Israel |
| District |  Haifa |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,690dunams (2.69 km2; 1.04 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
• Total | 13,356 |
| • Density | 4,970/km2 (12,900/sq mi) |
| Name meaning | "The little Paradise"[2] |
Fureidis (alsoFreidis;Arabic:فريديس,Hebrew:פֻרֵידִיס) is anArabtown in theHaifa District ofIsrael. It received local council status in 1952. In 2023 its population was 13,356.[1]
The name is believed to come from the Arabic (firdawis), meaning littleGarden of Eden, borrowed from thePersian word forparadise.[2][3]
A cave above the old part of Fureidis on the western slope of theCarmel was found to contain fragments of pottery from theChalcolithic period, including large bowls, jars,ossuary fragments and a pale pink limestone pendant. It appears to have been used as a dwelling and a burial cave. The artifacts in the cave attest to the presence of a settlement from the pre-Ghassulian period.[4]
Pottery and remains from anaqueduct dating to the Roman andByzantine periods have also been found.[5]
In the 19th century, three rock-hewntombs were examined at Fureidis, each with severalkokhim.[6]
At the northern edge of Fureidis,pottery remains from the 13th -14th century, a coin dating to 1388–1399 CE, and building remains dated to theMamluk period have been excavated.[7]
In 1517 Fureidis was incorporated into theOttoman Empire with the rest of Palestine. During the16th and17th centuries, it belonged to theTurabay Emirate (1517-1683), which encompassed theJezreel Valley,Mount Carmel,Beit She'an Valley, northernSamaria,Ramot Menashe, the northern part of theSharon plain.[8]
During the lateOttoman period, in 1859, the English consul Rogers estimated the population to be 200, who cultivated 18feddans of land.[9]
In 1870, the French explorerVictor Guérin visited the village. He estimated it had one hundred and forty people, mostly shepherds and woodcutters, some who also cultivated the land.[10]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the place as a village ofadobe and stone at the foot of the hill, with a well to the south.[9]
A population list from about 1887 showed thatKh. Fureidis had about 300 inhabitants, all Muslim.[11]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Al Feridis had a population of 335; all Muslims,[12] increasing in the1931 census to 454; still all Muslims, in a total of 98 houses.[13]
In the1945 statistics the population of Fureidis consisted of 780 Muslims[14] and the land area was 4,450dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[15] Of this, 365 dunams were designated for plantations and irrigable land, 1,717 for cereals,[16] while 6 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.[17]
Fureidis is one of the fewArab villages on Israel's coast left intact after the1948 war.[3] During the conflict, it received a great number of refugees from nearby villages, includingTantura, and was repeatedly considered for assault by Israeli forces.[citation needed] However, residents of local Jewish settlements, in particularZichron Yaakov requested that Fureidis (and the neighbouring village ofJisr az-Zarqa) be allowed to remain, as they had traditionally had good relations with theYishuv, and a large number of residents from Fureidis worked as hired labour on Jewish farms.[citation needed] This was alluded to by Arab novelistEmile Habibi in his famous novelThe Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist.[18]
As of the census of 2008, Fureidis had 10,800 residents, of whom 99.6% were Muslim Arabs.[19]
According to data released by the IsraeliMinistry of Education based on a 2008 census of high school matriculation scores, Fureidis had a 75.85% eligibility rate, greatly exceeding the accomplishments of most Jewish towns. The national eligibility rate in 2008-2009 was 44.4 percent of all 17-year-olds. Fureidis won third place in the national ranking. Hossni Abu Dahash, the town's high school principal, said the school had organized a marathon study program to prepare 12th graders for theirmatriculation exam.[20]
Ibtisam Mahameed, a resident of Fureidis, whose family came from Tantura, became an activist after 1995 when she was thrown out of anEgged bus because she was anArab.[21]
Ibtisam Mahameed was awarded theDalai Lama's Unsung Heroes of Compassion prize for her efforts to promote peace between Arabs and Jews.[22] For many years Mahammed has been organizing Jewish and Arab women's circles to promote dialogue. She heads several women's peace organizations and has fought on behalf ofbattered women in Arab society.[22]
In the center of Fureidis, there is atomb-shrine calledash-Sheikh Ghneim, said to contain the grave of aSufi sheikh fromBenha,Egypt. His only son,Mer'i, is the ancestor of the prominent local clan bearing his name. Historically, villagers lit candles at the tomb on Fridays.[23]
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