Al-Burayj

Coordinates: 31°44′25″N 34°55′52″E / 31.74028°N 34.93111°E / 31.74028; 34.93111
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Al-Burayj
البريج'
Etymology: The little tower[1]
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Al-Burayj (click the buttons)
Geopolitical entity
Mandatory Palestine
SubdistrictJerusalem
Date of depopulationNot known[4]
Area
[3]
 • Total19,080 dunams (19.08 km2 or 7.37 sq mi)
Population
 (1945)
 • Total720[2][3]
Current LocalitiesSdot Micha[5]Sdot Micha Airbase[5]

Al-Burayj or Bureij, lit. 'little tower',

Palestinian Arab village in the Jerusalem Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on October 19, 1948, during the first phase of Operation Ha-Har. The village was located 28.5 km west of Jerusalem
.

History

Late Ottoman period

In 1838 el-Bureij was noted as a Muslim village, located in

er-Ramleh district.[7]

In 1863

Tibneh, just to the north.[8]

Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 that buredsch had a population of 116 in a total of 41 houses, though that population count included men, only. It was further noted that it was located between Mughallis and Saydun.[6] Hartmann found that el-buredsch had 40 houses.[9]

In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described El Bureij as: "A small village on high ground, having a high house or tower in the middle, from which it is named."[10]

British Mandate

In the

Muslims,[11] increasing in the 1931 census to 621; 7 Christians and 614 Muslims, in a total of 132 houses.[12]

In the

cereals,[13] while 14 dunams were built-up (urban) Arab land.[14]

Al-Burayj's had a mosque named al-'Umari Mosque, and it was also home to a Greek Orthodox monastery.[15]

1948, aftermath

During Operation Ha-Har, between the 19 and 24 October 1948, the Harel Brigade captured several villages, among them Bureij. The villagers fled, or were expelled eastwards.[16]

Following the war, the area was incorporated into the State of Israel. In 1955 the moshav of Sdot Micha was established on land that had belonged to al-Burayj, south of the village site.[5]

  • Al-Burayj 1945 1:250,000 (upper centre)
    Al-Burayj 1945 1:250,000 (upper centre)
  • Al-Burayj 1947 1:20,000
    Al-Burayj 1947 1:20,000
  • Building in Al-Burayj after capture by Harel Brigade
    Building in Al-Burayj after capture by Harel Brigade
  • Prisoners waiting to be interrogated, Al-Burayj, 1948
    Prisoners waiting to be interrogated, Al-Burayj, 1948
  • Al-Burayj 1948
    Al-Burayj 1948
  • Members of Harel Brigade in Al-Burayj 1948
    Members of Harel Brigade in Al-Burayj 1948

Large part of the village land is now a military base called Sdot Micha Airbase, which is inaccessible to the public.[5]

References

  1. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 267
  2. ^ a b Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 24
  3. ^ a b c Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 56 Archived 2008-08-05 at the Library of Congress Web Archives
  4. ^ Morris, 2004, p. xix, village #272. Gives both cause and date of depopulation as "Not known"
  5. ^ a b c d Khalidi, 1991, p. 282
  6. ^ a b Socin, 1879, p. 149
  7. ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 120
  8. ^ Guérin, 1869, p. 30
  9. ^ Hartmann, 1883, p. 140
  10. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 8
  11. ^ Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramleh, p. 21
  12. ^ Mills, 1932, p. 19
  13. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 102
  14. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 970, p. 152
  15. ^ Khalidi, 1991, pp. 281-282
  16. ^ Morris, 2004, p. 466

Bibliography

External links

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