Lakiya () or Laqye () is a

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

town ( local council) in the Southern District of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. In it had a population of .

History

Lakiya was founded in 1985 as part of a government project to settle Bedouins in permanent settlements. It is one of the seven original government-planned Bedouin

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

s in the

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

desert. In 1999 the first local council elections were held, with Sheikh Ibrahim Abu Maharab elected as council head. Abu Maharab was later succeeded by Khaled al-Sana. Since 2016, the Trans-Israel Highway 6 services Lakiya, being connected to the town through both the Lakiya and

Shoket Interchange Shoket Interchange is an Interchange (road), interchange in the Negev located between Beersheba and Meitar. It is the southern terminus of Highway 6 (Israel), Highway 6, Israel's central and longest controlled-access highway, also known as the Tran ...

Demographics

According to the

Israel Central Bureau of Statistics The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (, ''HaLishka HaMerkazit LiStatistika''; ), abbreviated CBS, is an Israeli government office established in 1949 to carry out research and publish statistical data on all aspects of Israeli life, including ...

(CBS), the population of Lakiya was 9,943 in December 2010 (7,600 in December 2004). Its annual growth rate is 3.1%. Lakiya's jurisdiction is 5,728

dunam A dunam ( Ottoman Turkish, Arabic: ; ; ; ), also known as a donum or dunum and as the old, Turkish, or Ottoman stremma, was the Ottoman unit of area analogous in role (but not equal) to the Greek stremma or English acre, representing the amo ...

s (5.7 km²). There are several Bedouin clans residing in Lakiya, the largest being al-Sana; other families are al-Assad, Abu Ammar and Abu Maharab. Some clans do not live inside Lakiya, but on adjacent territory.

Economy

In 2013, Arab-Bedouin women from Lakiya and other Bedouin towns participated in a sewing course for fashion design at the Amal College in Beer Sheva, including lessons on sewing and cutting, personal empowerment and business initiatives. Negev Weaving project by bedouin women in Lakiya

Negev Weaving project by bedouin women in Lakiya

The Lakiya Negev Weaving Project was founded in 1991 to empower

Negev Bedouin women Negev Bedouin women are women who belong to a desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group known as the Negev Bedouin, inhabitants of the Negev region of Israel. Bedouin women are said to be doubly marginalized, as members of a minority and as women in ...

by applying their traditional weaving skills to the manufacture and sale of woven products. It is based on the unique Bedouin heritage passed on from mother to daughter. Approximately 130 Bedouin women are involved in all the stages of the production from initial wool treatment, weaving the rugs, cushion covers and pouches, and sales. The women were provided with professional guidance and hands-on assistance in marketing, branding, sales, the business's organizational structure and business plan, fundraising and networking. The aim was to create a profitable and financially independent cooperative business. Several retailers and chains now sell the goods in Israel and abroad. Bedouin bookmark

The Desert Embroidery Project is another women's empowerment program in Lakiya Some 20 women completed their professional entrepreneurial and business training and guidance and initiated a project based on the design and production of the traditional Bedouin costume jewelry. They are producing this embroidery at home with traditional Bedouin motifs and decorations. The women also hold Bedouin embroidery workshops and events based on the Bedouin tradition. Their workshop also serves as a visitors' center.

Notable people

* Ismael Abu-Saad, professor of education,

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) (, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public university, public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Named after Israeli List of national founders, national founder David Ben-Gurion, the unive ...

Amal Elsana Alh'jooj Amal Elsana Alh'jooj (; ; born 1972) is a Palestinian Bedouin feminist, peace activist, and community organizer known for her grassroots work promoting universal access to rights and social justice in the Global South. She is an Arab citizen of I ...

, feminist and peace activist * Roz Willey as-Sana, Bedouin Weaving project coordinatorDesert Weavings
*

Taleb el-Sana Taleb el-Sana (, ; born 25 December 1960), sometimes spelled Talab al-Sana or variations thereof, is an Israeli Arab Bedouin politician and lawyer. He was the longest serving Arab Member of the Knesset until he lost his seat in 2013. Biograp ...

, an Israeli politician, the longest serving Arab member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

References

External links