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| Hiding in Al Bassa from the ottoman soldiers | eMail to a friend
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Posted by Eid Haddad on May 16, 2004
My parents told me, that my grandfather Eid Elias (Besharah/Bechara) Haddad, known too as Abu Elias, he was a soldier in the ottoman army. The ottomans used to call him Eid Akkaly (Eid of Akka/Acre). At that time Palestine was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire (and until the end of the First World War). He was called to duty against his will. He was sent to the Balkan region. There he saw lots of horrors done by the ottomans. One of the horrible episodes which he saw, was a pregnant woman being cut open alive, and the baby was snatched out of her belly. He saw also the ottomans setting men on Khazook (a thick piece of wood with pin-like top). My grandfather could not bear such savage acts. Therefore he decided to run away from duty.
The ottoman authorities considered him as a traitor to the moslem Ottoman Empire, because he was christian. My grandfather travelled for a long time. He took the remote and mountainous paths back home, to avoid meeting with the ottomans. On his way he met some bedouins who stripped him of his clothes. He spent days hiding in caves, and living on what nature provided of herbs and rain water. At last he met a bedouin, who gave him clothes and food enough to continue his journey home to Al Bassa.
Finally he arrived to Al Bassa. Unfortunately he could not stay at home, because the ottoman soldiers were after him. Al Bassa was surrounded by lots of historical graves and caves in the neighbouring mountain, known as Jabal Al Moshaqah. He took refuge there. At that time my aunt Qatef was a little girl. My grandmother Um Elias (Nazleh Barber) ordered my aunt to deliver zuwadi (food and water) to my grandfather. She told her (on my grandfathers orders) to call on Al Jinni (genie) to come and collect his zuwadi, as soon as she arrived to the steep of the mountain. This went on for weeks. All of Al Bassa villagers knew of that.
The ottomans heard of that. Later they sent some soldiers to investigate. The soldiers searched every where, but could not find him the first day. The next day at night some soldiers were ordered to go to the mountain and search again. My grandfather was already aware of what was going on. Therefore he hid in one of the old graves, but first he took most of his clothes off and covered his body with ashes, so he looked like a real black genie. The surprise was when he appeared to one of the ottoman soldiers. The soldier ran down as quickly as he could while shouting, that a genie appeared to him. From that moment started Al Bassa villagers calling the mountain Jabal Al Jinni Eid Bechara.
After some time new orders came to arrest my grandfather. One day the soldiers followed my aunt secretly, as she was on her way to deliver the zuwadi. The soldiers surprised my grandfather, and arrested him. Luckily for him the war was over soon after the arrest, and so he got his freedom again. Until today I still hear old Bassawi men telling me this story, when they get to know, that I am the grandson of Eid Besharah/Bechara.
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