Palestine

Palestine is geographically located in the Asian continent in the southwestern corner of it, and it is an Arab country occupied by Israel since 1948 AD, and its capital is the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and its land area is 26,990 km², and it is divided administratively into sixteen governorates, and it is characterized as a continental state linking a continent Asia and the continent of Africa, and that it has an important strategic location has made it coveted throughout the historical ages by many invaders.

Information about Palestine

Arabic is its official language, and the US dollar, the Jordanian dinar, and the Israeli shekel are its official currency.

Nearby are: the Syrian Republic, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Sinai desert of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Mediterranean Sea.

It belongs to a number of international organizations; Such as the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the League of Arab States, the Arab Monetary Fund, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Palestine is famous for very important events that occurred in it throughout the historical ages, including:

Three thousand years ago it was subject to Canaanite rule; Where the Canaanites settled in its land after migrating to it from the Arabian Peninsula.

In the sixteenth century BC, it was occupied by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, and during their rule it was subjected to the conquest of the Hebrews.
In the year 323 BC, it was seized by Ptolemy and annexed to Egypt, and in 63 BC it was subject to the rule of the Romans.

In the year 1187 AD, the Battle of Hattin took place between the Islamic armies led by Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi and the Franks, who occupied it for five centuries, and the Muslims were victorious in it.

In 1244 AD, it was subjected to the Mongol invasion, then it was subjected to the rule of the Mamluks in Egypt and the Levant.

In 1917, it fell into the hands of the British occupation, and it withdrew from it in 1948, after it announced the establishment of what is known as the State of Israel on its land, which it still occupies today.

There are many diverse terrains; such as the valleys, and the plains; agricultural areas such as the plain of Marj bin Amer, and the mountains; Like Mount Gerizim, lakes like Lake Tiberias, deserts like the Negev desert, rivers like the Jordan River, valleys like Wadi Araba, coastal plains like the plain of Acre, and seas like the Dead Sea.

Its population is 4,680,000, according to the statistics of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for the middle of 2015. Its population works in the industrial sector; such as the glass, cotton, pottery, soap, textile, and agricultural industries; such as the production and export of roses and palms, and the tourism sector to include a large number of historical and tourist attractions; Such as the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Nativity, the Palace of Hisham bin Abd al-Malik, Jabal al-Fardis, and Sebastia.

Because of the occupation, the lands of Palestine are divided into three parts; West Bank, Gaza Strip, and the occupied territories.

It is considered the land of the three monotheistic religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The governorates of Hebron, Jenin, Tulkarm, Jerusalem, Deir al-Balah, North Gaza, Khan Yunis, Bethlehem, Gaza, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho, Tubas, Salfit, and Rafah are their administrative governorates.

It includes the oldest cities in the world; Namely: Jericho, which dates back to more than 10,000 BC, and is located on the western side of the Jordan River, which separates the states of Palestine and Jordan. It is considered one of the first cities inhabited by human societies, and is characterized as the lowest point in the world.

It is characterized by a group of poets who belong to it, such as:

The poet Mahmoud Darwish: He was born in 1941 AD, and published many books; As if we are the undersigned, and the dictator’s measured speeches, and I do not want this poem to end, and I tell you, it is time for me to return, and the butterfly effect.

The poet Samih al-Qasim: He was born in the year 1939 AD. He has published more than sixty books in theatre, story, poetry and translation. He has won many awards such as the Babtain Prize, the Palestinian Poetry Prize, and the Jerusalem Medal for Culture.

The most prominent cities of occupied Palestine

Nazareth city

The city of Nazareth is located in the Lower Galilee region at latitude 32.70194 degrees north of the equator, and longitude 35.30333 degrees east of Greenwich. Dry and hot in summer, cold and rainy in winter, and it is twinned with several cities As the city of The Hague, and Florence, and Alba Iulia.

The economy of the city of Nazareth depends on the soap, oil and tahini production sector, and the agricultural sector; Such as planting trees and vegetables, and the trade sector that depends on dyeing, blacksmithing, tanning, sewing, carpets, copper, and carved wood, and the tourism sector; to include many tourist attractions; Such as Al-Maskobiyya, built in 1904 AD, the Latin Church of the Annunciation, the White Mosque, which is the first mosque to be built there, and the shrine of Sheikh Amer built in 1911 AD.

Haifa city

The city of Haifa is located on the southern shore of the Gulf of Acre, at latitude 32.49 degrees north of the equator, and longitude 35 east of the Greenwich line. Its land area is 63.67 km².

It was founded by the Canaanites in the fourteenth century BC. Like the Carmel station, Wadi Al-Jamal, Al-Kababir, and Wadi Al-Nisnas.

Its economy depends on the agriculture sector; Such as the cultivation of vegetables, barley, lentils, almonds, citrus, wheat, olives, the port, and the tourism sector; to include many tourist attractions; Such as the Ottoman Independence Mosque, the Carmel Monastery, the German Quarter, the Church of St. John, and the Haifa Temple.

Tiberias

The Roman Emperor Herod founded the city of Tiberias in the twentieth year AD. It is geographically located in the northeastern side of Palestine, and its land area is 3,861 square miles.

Ashkelon

The Canaanite people founded the city of Ashkelon in the year 3000 BC. It is geographically located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and its land area is 47,788 km².

Jerusalem

The city of Jerusalem is the capital of occupied Palestine. It was founded by the Canaanites three thousand years ago BC. It is located on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea at a latitude of 31.76667 degrees north of the equator, and 35.25 degrees east of the Greenwich line. Its land area is 125.156 km², and it is higher than The sea level is 754 m, and it is called the city of peace, the flower of cities, and the first of the two qiblahs.

The city includes many villages; Such as the village of Abu Ghosh, Ain Naqouba, Deir al-Sheikh, Beit Mahsir, Ain Rafa, Jerash, Khirbet al-Amour, and al-Lawz, as it has been known throughout history by several names; Of which: Ursalm in the Egyptian Tel el-Amarna letters. Bait Al-Maqdis during the Islamic rule. Yabus relative to the Canaanite Jebusites. Jerusalem in the Bible.