Rashaya
Rachaya (Arabic راشيا, DMG Rāšayā ), also known as Rachaya al - Wadi is a town in Lebanon, located in the district Rachaya and south of the Beqaa Governorate. It is located on the foothills of Mount Hermon, south east of Beirut, near the Syrian border, halfway between Jezzine and Damascus. Rachaya is still a traditional Lebanese town with old cobbled streets and small shops, although in recent years an increase of more modern buildings has taken place.
History
During the French mandate Rachaya became known as the place where on November 11, 1943, the leader of the Lebanese National Movement were arrested by French troops.
The people were:
- Bechara El Khoury ( the first president of Lebanon after independence )
- Riad as- Solh ( the Prime Minister )
- Pierre Gemayel
- Camille Chamoun
- Adel Osseiran
This led nationally and internationally to great pressure on the French government, the detainees were released on November 22, 1943 since this day is the Lebanese Independence Day. The former prison, a fortress from the 18th century, is now a barracks of the Lebanese army. The Citadel is a monument of Lebanese history and can be visited by tourists, but under the leadership of the army.
Edward Robinson visited Rachaya in 1852. He documented a temple in an intermittent lake nearby called " Aaiha plain". George Taylor documented the temple which is one of many around Hermon. An important Neolithic archaeological site near Rachaya is at " Kawkaba " where fragments were found of agricultural tools.