Page 22 - Holyland Magazine - 2023 Edition

Kfar Kama

The circassian village chosen among the world's best

Kfar Kama, a Circassian village in the north,
has entered the World Tourism Organization's
prestigious list. The list of recommended tour-
ist towns to be visited was expanded with
the entry of this Galilean town, located near
Mount Tabor.
The nomination of 2 other localities were
submitted by Israel—the settlement of Tzipori
in the Lower Galilee, which was not recognized,
and Kibbutz Neot Semadar in the Arava, which
was included in the organization's upgrade
program and closely accompanied so that it
could apply again next year and win the status.
Founded in 1878 near Mount Tabor, Kfar
Kama was pioneered by Muslim Circassians
who were exiled from their homeland in the
Caucasus during the Russian-Circassian war.

Comprising 0.05% of Israel's population, most
members of the Circassian community live in
Israel, in Kfar Kama, and in the settlement of
Rehaniya in the Upper Galilee. Similar to the
Druze, the obligation to serve in the IDF also
applies to them.

Kfar Kama offers tourists a visit passing through
a time tunnel with unique architecture and a
museum dedicated to Circassian heritage.
Along with preserving the community's culture
and heritage, including dance performances
and tourist festivals, visitors are offered
an extraordinary gastronomic and cultural
experience. The village is full of restaurants,
horse riding attractions for all the family, a
dairy that offers workshops on cheese-making

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