Kfarhamam

Infobox City Lebanon
official_name = Kfarhamam
governorate = Nabatieh Governorate
district = Hasbaya District

Kfarhamam (also Kafarhamam, Kafrhamam, Kfar Hamam, Kafar Hamam-Arabic:كفرحمام -) is a small village located in the Arqoob region in the district of Hasbayya in Southern Lebanon, which lies on the Eastern side of the Nabatieh Governorate. Kfarhamam is bounded by El Mari village from the South, Hebbariyeh village from the North, Kfar Chouba from the West, and Rachaya Al Foukhar from the East. It is 117 km away from Beirut, and around 850 m above sea level. According to the latest electoral lists, the population of the village today is about 3500 people.

The village has a strategic location in the Hermon mountains of Lebanon, as it overlooks the Upper Galilee of Northern Israel and is very close by to the Golan Heights and the Shebaa farms. Its importance also lies in the fact that its very close to an intersection of the borders of three different countries; those being Lebanon, Israel, and Syria.

History

Kfarhamam is originally a Syriac word. Kfar means house, and hamam means peace, hence Kfarhamam means "the house of peace". The village is about 500 years old and has been destroyed and rebuilt many times since the 1970s. Many people had escaped the village due to the security problems of the region, until in the late 1970s the village was fully evacuated for a certain period of time. 50% of these evacuees in the 1970s had to go to Brazil and Canada to earn their living; most of which still haven't returned till this day. Even today, the villagers of Kfarhamam usually live outside due to the many effects of the Israeli occupation and the Lebanese governments' negligence towards this village. Most of these villagers are distributed between Brazil, Canada, the Persian Gulf, Europe, and the more advanced cities of Lebanon such as Beirut, Saida, and the Bekaa valley.

Geography

Kfarhamam is known for its many different kinds of trees, mainly its pine, olives, figs, and grapes. The village's production of these fruits is much higher than its demand. There are small Roman ruins in Kfar Hamam, as well as 3 caves, and some historic tunnels; the security problems of the region have prevented further excavation in those locations. In addition to that, the village is rich in water springs and wells and is hence self-dependent in terms of water supply.

Israeli Occupation (1978-2000)

During the Israeli occupation of the village for 22 years, the village did not hesitate in sacrificing its young men for the cause of liberation; a lot of them ended up as prisoners, martyrs, or exiles. One example of these is its previous Mokhtar (village mayor) Abdo Ali Abdulhamid who was exiled several times, last of which was in 1994. The reason for his exile lies in his discovering of an Israeli plan to turn the Arqoob area of Southern Lebanon into Jewish Falasha settlements, and his work back then with the leaders of the region and the Lebanese government to prevent this plan from materializing; that in addition to his refusal alongside with the other villagers to work with the Israelis and their allies. Abdul Hamid managed to serve as the mayor of Kfarhamam from 1950 till 2001. Many other examples are present; for a lot of the villagers joined the Lebanese Communist Party during the years of the civil war to fight for the liberation of their village, and several of them have either been killed, jailed, or gone missing. Of these Communists is one of the earliest Lebanese martyrs to get killed while fighting for liberation, Yehya El-Khaled, who was also honored by naming the main street in the village after his name.

Today, the villagers of Kfarhamam live a more peaceful life. Although they were highly affected by the 2006 Lebanon war, a lot of these villagers have returned and are planning to live in Southern Lebanon. Unlike many other villages in the region, Kfarhamam is not affiliated with any single Lebanese political party. Its people were never too fond of the fundamentalist ideology represented by Hizbollah, nor of the pro-Western ideology represented by other Lebanese leaders.

Important intellectual figures of Kfarhamam include the Brazilian Member of Parliament in the 1970s Omar Alaa Eldin, the village's previous Mokhtar Abdo Ali Abdulhamid, the previous Lebanese Member of Parliament Ahmad Sweid, the Judge Mohamed Sweid, and Dr. Ghazi Chahrour who happened to be one of the first few doctors to find a cure for certain cases of cancer around the world, which he achieved through his work between Europe and Brazil. It is thought that Dr. Chahrour, holder of both the Lebanese and Brazilian nationalities, was later assassinated by certain medicine corporations, but so far no information has been revealed about his disappearance.

Pictures of the village:

Sources:

http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%83%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85

http://kfarhamam.pipop.org/

"Mabrouk et Tahrir" documentary, Dir. Dalia FATHALLAH, Prod. INA - IMAGES PLUS, Info here: http://www.imagesplus.org/pages/0_docu_m.htm