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Abu Ghosh (Israel)

Mo'atza Mekomit Abu Ghosh, Majles Abu Ghosh al-Mahaly

image by Dov Gutterman | 2:3
Emblem adopted 9th March 1995

Description
The Emblem

See also:

Description

Local Council Abu Ghosh (in Arabic - Father of the Thunder) is situated 16 km west to Jerusalem, north to the Highway 1 (Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem). Founded in 1520. Pop. 5,000, all Muslims of one family of Cherkess origin which controled the Jerusalem Corridor during the Ottoman era. In this village you can also find two Christian monasteries.
The Local Council informed me that in case of need a white flag bearing the municipal emblem is used. I was not able to receive details of the emblem colours. The municipal emblem was published in the official gazette (Rashumot), 'Publications Gazette' section (Yalkut ha'Pirsumim), YP 4289, 9 March 1995.
Dov Gutterman, 13 October 2001

In my visit of today, I noticed that all flags are with green emblem on white.
Dov Gutterman, 6 April 2004

Abu Ghosh is costumery identified as the biblical "Qiryat Ye'arim" (Jushua 9, Samuel A 7,1) and therefore, thou its population is almost all Muslims, there are two monasteries: Notre Dame de l'Arche d'Alliance and Les Soeurs de St. Josef de l'Apparition. After the Arab conquest, it was renamed as Qariat al-Anab (town of the grapes). During the Ottoman era, the area was took over by a Abu Ghosh family which was from a Cherkess origin and whose descendants are the inhabitants of the village today. During the 18th and 19th Centuries, the family took over large areas of Jerusalem mounts and controlled the main road to Jerusalem. In 1948, the inhabitants kept their good relations with the nearby Jewish settlements and didn't took part in the battles around the road to Jerusalem
The village became a Local Council in 1992 and became a tourism attraction (and especially known for one of the best sources of Humus in Israel).
Note that the municipal emblem as well other local emblems such as the community center (<www.matnasim.org.il>) and the local football team Maccabi Abu-Ghosh (<m-ag.tk>), all feature grapes as reminder to its former name - Qariat al-Anab (town of the grapes) which is kept also in the name of the near kibbutz Qiryat-Anavim established on land purchased from the Abu-Ghosh family.
Sources: MOTI Site, Mapa site, Snunit site, City Index site.
Dov Gutterman, 5 April 2005

The Emblem

image by Dov Gutterman