Rashaf
Rashaf or Rshaf is a municipality in the Bint Jbeil District of the Nabatieh Governorate of Southern Lebanon, 16 kilometres from the Israel-Lebanon border.
Etymology
According to Palmer, the name means "morass" or "bog.Location
Rashaf is situated 106 km from Beirut, on a hill overlooking Srobbine and Debel villages. It covers an area of 608 hectares and is located 750m above sea level. The following villages border Rashaf : Srobbine - Debel - Al Tiri - Haddatha - Beit Leif. It can be reached by several routes, such as the following :Sour - Aain Baal - Qana - Siddiqine - Kafra - Hariss - Haddatha - Rashaf
History
In 1596, it was named as a village, ar-Rasaf, in the Ottoman nahiya of Tibnin under the liwa' of Safad, with a population of 51 households, all Muslim. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues"; a total of 2,720 akçe.In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A stone village, containing about 100 Metawileh, situated on a hill-top, with a few grapes, figs and olives, and arable cultivation; there is a spring near and cisterns in the village; also a birket for cattle.”
Following the 1982 invasion Rashaf became part of the Israeli ‘security zone’. On 29 September 1992, following 5 days of clashes between Hizbullah and the South [Lebanon Army], Hizbullah attacked the SLA position in Rashaf with Katyusha rockets. In the ensuing battle 2 SLA and 4 Hizbullah men were killed.
Demographics
In 2014 Muslims made up 99.49% of registered voters in Rashaf. 98.20% of the voters were Shiite Muslims.The registered population is estimated at 3,200 people. During the winter, the number of residents is approximately 300, a number which increases to 1,500 during summer. The low number of residents is because Rashaf was under Israeli occupation, which forced most of the residents to immigrate to the southern suburbs of Beirut and Sour, Aaitit, Al Rmadiyeh, Al Sarafand and Al Bazouriyeh. Despite the Israeli retreat in year 2000, migrants did not return to their village. However, the village has witnessed some renewed construction activities, with 200 additional houses built. There are 250 houses in the village distributed across 12 quarters: El Dayaa - Al Saha, Al Bayyad, Khalet El Maghara, Sahlet El Zaitoun, Al Roués, Al Dabsh Al Sharky, Al Dabsh Al Gharby, Al Assi, Al Maabour, Aain Jdeidah, Al Sowan, and Al Aaqaba.