Al-Bireh
Al-Bireh | ||
---|---|---|
Municipality type A (City) | ||
Arabic transcription(s) | ||
• Arabic | البيرة | |
• Latin | al-Bira (unofficial) | |
Municipality type A (City) 45,975 | | |
• Density | 2,100/km2 (5,300/sq mi) | |
• Metro | 153,237 | |
Name meaning | "The Well of the Palace"[2] | |
Website | www.al-bireh.ps |
Al-Bireh, al-Birah, or el-Bira (
Because of its location Al-Bireh served as an economic crossroad between the north and south, along the caravan route between Jerusalem and Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the city had a population of approximately 45,975 in the 2017 census.[1]
History
In the Hellenistic period, it was also known as Berea or Beroth, and Seleucid general Bacchides camped there in 161 BCE before attacking Judas Maccabaeus's forces at Elasa.[7]
Claude Reignier Conder and others identified it with Beirothah of the Samaritan chronicles.[6][8]
Medieval period
The Crusaders captured and named the town Birra. It was also called Castrum Mahomeria, Magna Mahomeria or Mahomeria Major.[9] It was one of 21 villages given by King Godfrey as a fief to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.[10] In 1114, the gift was re-confirmed by Baldwin I of Jerusalem.[11]
In 1156, 92 people from Mahomeria pledged their allegiance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and a further 50 names were added in the next three decades. Hence, it has been estimated that the total Frankish population at this time was 500–700.[9][12]
The Crusaders built a castle,
Ottoman era
Al-Bireh, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into the
In the spring of 1697,
After the
When French explorer Victor Guérin visited the village in 1863, he found it to have 800 inhabitants.[21]
Socin, citing an official Ottoman village list compiled around 1870, noted that Al-Bireh had a population of 399 Muslims in 142 houses, and 20 "Greeks" in 5 houses, though that population count included only men. It was further noted that the name meant "The cistern".[22] Hartmann found that Al-Bireh had 142 houses.[23]
In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Bireh as a good-sized village, with "fairly well built" houses.[24]
In 1896, the population of Bireh was estimated to be about 1,080 persons.[25]
Until 1917, the city served as a political and administrative center for the Ottoman Empire.[citation needed]
British Mandate era
In the
In the 1945 statistics, the town's residents numbered 2,920; of which 280 were Christians and 2,640 Muslims,[29] while urban Bireh had 967 dunams of land, and rural Bireh 22,045 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[30] Of this, 5,162 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 11,226 used for cereals,[31] while 759 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[32]
Jordanian era
In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Al-Bireh came under Jordanian rule.[33]
In 1961, the population of Bira was 14,510.[34]
Post-1967 era
During the Six-Day War, on June 6, 1967, Israeli troops occupied the city, and Al-Bireh has been under Israeli occupation since.
Israel confiscated 346
In 1994, the civil administration of the city was turned over to the
After the 1995 accords, 39.8% of village land was classified as Area A, 5% as Area B, while the remaining 55.2% was classified as Area C.[37]
Demographics
The 1997 census carried out by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics counted 27,856 residents, exactly half male and half female.
Al-Bireh is inhabited by 5 major clans: Qur'an, Hamayel, 'Abed, Qaraqra, At Taweel and Ar Rafidi.[41]
Government
Al-Bireh established a city council headed by mayor Eid Musa in 1928 under the British Mandate. Eight other mayors took office either through elections or government appointments. The city had some well known mayors, including Abudul Jawad Saleh who was mayor in the 1970s until exiled by the Israelis. He later went on to become a member of the PLO executive committee and then minister of agriculture in the Palestinian Authority. In 1982, Israel instated a civil administration, but later appointed an Arab mayor, Hassan al-Tawil. In 1988, after two years in office, he was stabbed and critically wounded outside his office.[42] In 1996, a 12-member municipal council was established by the Palestinian National Authority with Sheikh Jamal al-Tawil as mayor.[43]
In the
In 2010, a public square in al-Bireh was dedicated to the memory of Dalal Mughrabi, leader of an attack that killed 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, in 1978.[45]
Health and education
In 2010, the Jerusalem Fund, National Arab American Medical Association Foundation and Physicians for Peace dedicated the Palestine Diabetes Institute in al-Bireh.[46] Al-Quds University maintains a campus in al-Bireh.
Sports
The 7,000-seat Majed Ass'ad or Al Bireh International Stadium was completed in 2010; originally constructed in 1996, it was upgraded to international standards from 2006 to 2010 at a cost of €3 million.
Al Bireh Youth Foundation is the most prominent sports club in the city, mostly famous for its football teams and ancient scouts association.[51]
Twin towns – sister cities
- Gennevilliers, France
Notable people
- Bassel al-Araj, Palestinian activist killed in al-Bireh
- Ahmad Sa'adat, a PFLP secretary-general currently imprisoned in Israel[53]
References
- ^ a b Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
- ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 292
- ^ Al Bireh City Archived 2012-04-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Wilson, c1881, vol 1, p.215
- ^ a b Robinson and Smith, 1841, pp. 130 - 133
- ^ a b c Finkelstein et al., 1997, p. 510
- JSTOR 43587090.
- ^ Conder, 1876, p. 196
- ^ a b c Pringle, 1993, pp. 161 - 165
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 11
- ^ de Roziére, 1849, p. 263, cited in Röhricht, 1893, RRH, pp. 16 - 17, No 74
- ^ de Roziére, 1849, pp. 242 -244, cited in Röhricht, 1893, RRH, pp. 77 - 78, No 302
- ^ Pringle, 1997, p. 35
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, pp. 88-89
- ^ Pringle, 2009, pp. 259 - 266
- ^ Le Strange, 1890, p. 423
- ^ Sharon, 1999, pp. 236-239
- ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 116
- ^ Maundrell, 1703, p. 63: March 25, 1697, cited in Wilson, c1881, vol 1, p. 218
- ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 3, 2nd appendix, p. 122
- ^ Guérin, 1869, pp. 7-13
- ^ Socin, 1879, p. 148
- ^ Hartmann, 1883, p. 127
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, pp. 8-9
- ^ Schick, 1896, p. 121
- ^ Barron, 1923, p. 16
- ^ Barron, 1923, Table XIV, p. 45
- ^ Mills, 1932, p. 48
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 26
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 64
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 111
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 161
- ^ The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History, p. 73
- ^ Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 15
- ^ Al Bireh City Profile ARIJ, p. 17
- ^ General view of al-Bireh Archived 2008-06-20 at the Wayback Machine Al-Bireh Municipality.
- ^ Al-Bira City City Profile, ARIJ, pp. 16−17
- ^ Palestinian Population by Locality, Sex and Age Groups in Years Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ 2007 PCBS Census. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. p.114.
- ^ Al Bireh City Profile p. 7
- ^ Israeli-Selected Arab Mayor Is Stabbed, The New York Times
- ^ History of City Council Archived 2006-06-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Local Elections (Round Four)- Successful lists by local authority and No. of votes obtained[permanent dead link] Central Elections Commission - Palestine.
- ^ Palestinians Honor a Figure Reviled in Israel as a TerroristThe New York Times.
- ^ The Jerusalem Fund Dedicates Palestine Diabetes Institute in Al-Bireh, Palestine
- ^ Municipal Development & Lending Fund. "MDLF has completed "Al Bireh International Stadium" project Funded by AFD". 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ B'Tselem (25 November 2009). "Civil Administration chokes Palestinian construction". Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ "Al-Bireh stadium construction resumed under specter of halt". Ma'an News Agency. 31 December 2009. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ Hass, Amira (27 November 2009). "Settlers petition to tear down nearby Palestinian stadium". Ha'aretz. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ They teach Al-Bireh residents how to get a kick out of life, The Jerusalem Post
- ^ "Relations internationales". ville-gennevilliers.fr (in French). Gennevilliers. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
- ^ Barghouti, Ze'evi assassin among prisoners to be freed
Bibliography
- Barron, J.B., ed. (1923). Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922. Government of Palestine.
- .
- Conder, C.R.; Kitchener, H.H. (1883). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. 3. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- ISBN 978-965-440-007-7.
- Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics (1964). First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population (PDF).
- Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics (1945). Village Statistics, April, 1945.
- Guérin, V. (1869). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 1: Judee, pt. 3. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
- Guérin, V. (1874). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 2: Samarie, pt. 1. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale. (p. 205)
- Hadawi, S. (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Centre. Archived from the original on 2018-12-08. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
- Hartmann, M. (1883). "Die Ortschaftenliste des Liwa Jerusalem in dem türkischen Staatskalender für Syrien auf das Jahr 1288 der Flucht (1871)". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins. 6: 102–149.
- Hütteroth, Wolf-Dieter; Abdulfattah, Kamal (1977). Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-920405-41-4.
- Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Maundrell, H. (1703). A Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem: At Easter, A. D. 1697. Oxford: Printed at the Theatre.
- Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
- Palmer, E.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- ISBN 0-521-39036-2.
- ISBN 0521-46010-7.
- ISBN 978-0-521-85148-0.
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 2. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 3. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1856). Biblical Researches in Palestine and adjacent regions: A Journal of Travels in the years 1838 and 1852, 2nd edition. Vol. 3. London: John Murray. (p. 76)
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1856). Later Biblical Researches in Palestine and adjacent regions: A Journal of Travels in the year 1852. London: John Murray. (pp. 429 + 340(?))
- Röhricht, R. (1893). (RRH) Regesta regni Hierosolymitani (MXCVII-MCCXCI) (in Latin). Berlin: Libraria Academica Wageriana.
- de Roziére, ed. (1849). Cartulaire de l'église du Saint Sépulchre de Jérusalem: publié d'après les manuscrits du Vatican (in Latin and French). Paris: Imprimerie nationale.
- Schick, C. (1896). "Zur Einwohnerzahl des Bezirks Jerusalem". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins. 19: 120–127.
- ISBN 978-90-04-11083-0.
- Socin, A. (1879). "Alphabetisches Verzeichniss von Ortschaften des Paschalik Jerusalem". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins. 2: 135–163.
- de Vogüé, M. (1860). Les églises de la Terre Sainte. (pp. 338-339)
- Wilson, C.W., ed. (c. 1881). Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt. Vol. 1. New York: D. Appleton.
External links
- Welcome To The City of al-Bira
- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons
- Al-Bira City (Fact Sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ)
- Al-Bira City City Profile, ARIJ
- Al-Bireh Municipality Website
- The Al-Bireh demonstration project on agricultural reuse of wastewater in the West Bank