Zefat - The Saraya \ הסראיה
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
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Zefat - The Saraya
This old white stone building sits hilltop off Aliyah Bet Street. Some 300 years old, the Saraya has witnessed much of Zefat’s history, times of glory and of fear.
At the start of the 18th century, D’har El Omar, a powerful Bedouin Sheikh, took control over the Galilee. The chose a hilltop in Safed and then built himself a large and magnificent living place for himself and his family. This was the Saraya.
The Saraya Under The Turks
Upon the conclusion of D’har El Omar’s rule in the late 1700s, the ruling Turkish authorities, who controlled the area from 1517 to the beginning of the 20th century, captured it. The Saraya then stayed under Turkish rule until the collapse of their empire and the start of
the British mandate’s control in the holy land. But approximately 100 years after the Turks captured the Saraya, it was documented in a British survey as being referred to as the ‘Turkish Han.’
Over the years, the Saraya began to crumble and fall into disrepair. However, at the end of the 19th century, the building was newly renovated and restored to its original grandeur at the hands of the Turks. It was also properly given the name “The Saraya.”
The Saraya then began to serve as the central headquarters of the local governing Ottomans (Turks). And at the turn of the 19th century, the clock tower, which still stands today, was built in honor of Ebid El Haamid II, the reigning.
British Central Command
Then, in the aftermath of World War I, the British took control over Palestine and the Saraya was made it into the headquarters of British legislation and power in northern Palestine. During the riots of 1929, the British held the Jews here to protect them from the Arabs, although some were killed from sniper bullets while taking refuge here. For three days, the Jews huddled in fear while the Arabs plundered the Old City. The British wanted to evacuate the Jews from Safed, but the Jews refused to leave and soon forced their way past the British guards. They returned to the rubble of their destroyed homes. After the British left and just before the War of Independence, the Saraya became the Arab’s high seat of regulation.
Israeli Army Headquarters
On January 4, 1948, a historic day for the city of Safed, Lehi fighters managed to blow up the building. By doing so, they were able to break a link in the Arab’s chain of command. After the War of Independence, the Saraya was rebuilt. It had many functions, from being the Israeli army headquarters to a home for pensioners.
A Community Center Today
In 1975, the Saraya was properly restored and finished, thanks to the help of Sir Isaac Wolfson and his wife Edith. Sir Isaac was a very prominent philanthropist and benefactor to Israel. The building was then renamed “The Isaac and Edith Wolfson Community Center.” Today, the Wolfson Center serves as home of the Noam synagogue, which is functional both on Shabbat and during the week. It also houses a music conservatory, offers Hebrew classes for new immigrants and a museum on Jewish life in Hungary before the Holocaust. The Saraya Courtyard is also used for outdoor concerts where music lovers can listen to live music echoing off the old stone walls. More recently, the bell atop the clock tower was restored. Chiming across town every quarter hour, the bell is a charming reminder of Safed’s rich and colorful past
About the cache
The cache is located on the outside of the building so it is accessible when the building is closed. All the same, I recommend entering the building when it is open and touring the grounds. In is a truly impressive building.
Looking at the main entrance, the cache is at the very right of the building. Climb up two ramps and look at the straight wall (not the round one to your left)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Nobhg 30 pz bs gur tebhaq