Ziyara
(
Arabic
:
????????
,
romanized
:
Ziy?ra
) is the
Druze
pilgrimage
observed annually between 25 and 28 April at the
Shrine of Shu'ayb
, the shrine which Druzians believe contains the purported tomb of prophet
Shu'ayb
. It is officially recognized as a public holiday in
Israel
.
[1]
[2]
Holiday
[
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]
The
Druze
generally only celebrate one holiday,
Eid al-Adha
. The
Druze community in Israel
under the leadership of Sheikh
Amin Tarif
, however, has endowed this period with a special status, deeming the
ziyara
a festive day by law. Workers are allowed to take a break from work without infringing their workers' rights. Schools operating under the Druze education system are closed for the period, while Druze soldiers in the
Israel Defense Forces
are also given the period as a vacation. The whole community, not just religious
Druze in Israel
, celebrates this
Ziyara
.
[
citation needed
]
Observation
[
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]
The celebration starts on 25 April and concludes on 28 April, with many religious leaders from all the religions in
Israel
, and also political leaders (occasionally also the PM), coming to congratulate the Israeli Druze community during their festivities at the
Maqam
al-
Nabi Shu'ayb
. Religious leaders or sheikhs from
Mount Carmel
, the
Galilee
and the
Golan Heights
take the opportunity to discuss religious issues.
[3]
[4]
Visits of Druze from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan during Ziyaras
[
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]
- Since 1968,
Druze
from the
Golan Heights
can freely visit the shrine and they are also involved in the feast.
- Other
Syrian Druze
outside the Golan never used to be involved at the celebrations.
[
citation needed
]
- Lebanese Druze rarely visited the shrine, but in 1982 a group from Lebanon, during the Israeli occupation of the south, answered the call of Sheikh Amin Tarif to visit.
- Following the
Israel?Jordan peace treaty
in 1994, Jordanian Druze are permitted to visit the shrine throughout the year, and their visits are not restricted to the festive period.
See also
[
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]
32°48′27.65″N
35°27′18.26″E
/
32.8076806°N 35.4550722°E
/
32.8076806; 35.4550722
References
[
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]