Cave-dwelling Jews
Jewish communities living in caves
Cave dwelling Jews , also cave Jews or troglodyte Jews (from the French phrase "Juifs troglodytes"), were Jewish communities that dwelled in man-made caves in the mountains. The best known communities of this type existed in the Gharyan Plateau ("Jebel Gharyan") area of the Nafusa Mountains in Libya , and are commonly referred to as Gharyan Jews . These communities no longer exist today. [1] [2]
History
Jewish tribes living in manmade caves were known for centuries in Morocco , Algeria , and in Tripolitania . Their homes and synagogues were in caves; only cemeteries were on the surface. [1] Jewish cave dwellers of Libya were known since at least 70 C.E., when Romano-Jewish historian Josephus described the Troglodytis . [1] [3] When Spain invaded Tripoli in 1510 , many Jews fled to Gharyan (among other places), and these Jews brought with them Sephardic traditions. [1] [2] More information about the Ghayan Jews began to be published in the mid-19th century. [1] The main groups of Jewish cave-dwellers were in the settlements of Gharyan , Tigrena/Tigrinna, and Beni-Abbas. [2] In 1906, the archaeologist Nahum Slouschz visited the area and wrote a detailed account. [4] [5] [6]
After Libya gained independence, most Jews, including those of Gharyan, migrated to Syria to make aliyah due to worsened conditions such as pogroms . [7]
At present, many of these caves are occupied by Libyans, who modernized the dwellings, including the addition of electricity, running water, and sewage disposal. A number of advantages exist to this type of dwelling. [ clarification needed ] Some of these cave homes are also rented out to tourists. [8] [9]
Description
Nahum Slouschz wrote:
"From time to time the keen eye discovers, amidst olive and fig trees, or near a mosque or ruins, holes open in the declivity of a hill, resembling in form the door of a cave. A little, wooden door opens before the traveler, and he enters into a kind of dark and uneven gallery, sloping all the way, to traverse which safely [,] practice alone is essential. After a walk of fifteen to twenty metres, one descends into a kind of court, feebly lighted from above by some rays of light; there is the stable, which precedes the central court, and which often serves as a workshop to the Jewish blacksmiths. Continually descending, a subterranean court is reached, which serves as a central dwelling, kitchen, and workshop, the compartments being in caves dug in the walls of the court, from which they receive a little light and air. The natives find subterranean life very natural and comfortable, though the traveler scarcely feels at ease. The Synagogue of the village Beni-Abbas is also situated in a cave, but the access is open and easy, and its roof is even above the level of the ground. At Tigrena a Synagogue has just been built entirely above the ground." [4]
See also
- Cave monastery
- Qumran Caves , once inhabited by the Essenes
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Ken Blady, Jewish Communities in Exotic Places , ISBN 146162908X , 2000, Section "Cave Rabbis? Cave Synagogues?", pp.311-329
- 1 2 3 "The Jewish Community of Gharian" , ANU - Museum of the Jewish People
- ↑ Josephus Flavius, Antiquities , 1.15.1
- 1 2 "The Troglodyte Jews of the Sahara" (translated from the French of N. Slousch), The Reform Advocate , 21 September 1907
- ↑ "Jewish cave homes at Gharyan, Libya"
- ↑ Marie-Louise Gumuchian Going underground: Libya's unusual cave dwellings , Reuters , July 1, 2013
- ↑ "The Jews of Libya" , Jewish Renaissance , April 2005, p. 13-22
- ↑ Salaheddin Mohammed Ali Ebrahim "A framework to assess the rehabilitation of historic cave dwellings in Libya using modernization theory and technology acceptance model " , Ph.D. thesis, 2020
- ↑ "Libya renovates ancient ‘cave houses" , Al Arabiya , 31 May 2012.
Further reading
- Maurice Roumani. "Gharian." Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Brill Online, 2010 ( online access; requires login )
- Harvey E. Goldberg, Cave Dwellers and Citrus Growers: A Jewish Community in Libya and Israel , 1972, Chapter 4. "Troglodyte dwellings of the Gharian", pp. 36–57
Cave
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Types and formation
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Speleothems
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Dwellings | |
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