Rahat
Rahat
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 Rahat
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| Coordinates: 31°23′33″N 34°45′16″E / 31.39250°N 34.75444°ECoordinates: 31°23′33″N 34°45′16″E / 31.39250°N 34.75444°E | ||
| District | Southern | |
| Founded | 1972 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | City (from 1994) | |
| • Mayor | Fayez Abu Sahiban | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 19,586 dunams (19.586 km2 or 7.562 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015) | ||
| • Total | 62,415 | |
| Name meaning | Calm, comfort | |
Rahat (Hebrew: רַהַט, Arabic: رهط) is a predominantly Bedouin city in the Southern District of Israel. In 2015 it had a population of 62,415. As such, it is the largest Bedouin settlement in the world, and the only one in Israel to have city status.
Rahat is one of seven Bedouin townships in the Negev desert with approved plans and developed infrastructure (the other six are Hura, Tel as-Sabi (Tel Sheva), Ar'arat an-Naqab (Ar'ara BaNegev), Lakiya, Kuseife (Kseife) and Shaqib al-Salam (Segev Shalom).
In Arabic, "rahat" means "relief" or "groups" (it is also a Muslim name used mostly for males). In Hebrew, "rahat" means "trough".
The city has a total of 33 neighborhoods. All but one of the neighborhoods consist entirely of separate Bedouin clans, but one is a mixed-clan neighborhood. Between each neighborhood there is a wadi. The city also has a market, public and commercial services, neighborhood parks, public areas, women's employment centers, children's play areas, and several mosques.
According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2001 the ethnic make-up of the city was almost completely Arab Bedouin, without a significant Jewish population (see also: Population groups in Israel), making it the largest Bedouin settlement in Israel. Members of several Bedouin family clans reside in Rahat: Al-Qrenawi, Tarabin, Al-Huzeil, Al-Tayaha, Al-Azazma, Al-Jubur, Al-Tawarah, Howeitat, AbuZayed etc. Rahat's society is considered a young one, as more than half of its residents are under the age of 18.
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Wikipedia