Al-Salihiyya, Palestine

Coordinates: 33°10′02″N 35°36′45″E / 33.16722°N 35.61250°E / 33.16722; 35.61250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Al-Salihiyya
الصالحية
Salihiya[1]
Al-Salihiyya c. 1936. Woman weaving papyrus mat.
Al-Salihiyya c. 1936. Woman weaving papyrus mat.
Etymology: This name is elsewhere attached to buildings or establishments founded by Salah ad-Din (Saladin).[2]
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Al-Salihiyya (click the buttons)
Geopolitical entity
Mandatory Palestine
SubdistrictSafad
Date of depopulationMay 25, 1948[1]
Population
 (1945)
 • Total1,520[3][4]
Cause(s) of depopulationFear of being caught up in the fighting
Secondary causeWhispering campaign

Al-Salihiyya (

Safad, at the intersection of the Jordan River and Wadi Tur'an
.

History

Canoeing pioneer John MacGregor was taken prisoner by the villagers of Al-Salihiyya during his exploration of the region in January 1869.[6] During his second night in the village he ate with the village sheikh and 50 other men. The meal consisted of "kusskoosoo" which MacGregor described as "a kind of small bean porridge uncommonly good to eat" and was eaten with saucers of buffalo cream. It was served on a communal wooden plate with wooden spoons for the cream. "They all behaved with excellent propriety and good breeding, but without constraint."[7]

In 1881, during the late

Moslems; situated on plain of arable land, with march and river near."[8]

British Mandate era

At the time of the British Mandate for Palestine, the village had a population of 1281, all Muslim except 2 Christians. They occupied a total of 257 houses, according to the 1931 census of Palestine.[9]

A visitor to the village in 1936 noted that the inhabitants, along with those in other

Indian corn and millet (dura) was being grown. The villagers also caught fish, of which there was an abundance, with drag nets as well as cast nets. They also acted as guides during the duck shooting season. The writer expressed fear for their future. "The whole area has been taken over by Jewish colonists who intend in the near future to drain it and convert it into useful arable land."[10]

In the 1945 statistics the population was 1,520, all Muslims,[4] owning 4,528 dunams, while Jews owned 789 dunams, and 290 was publicly owned, according to an official land and population survey.[3] Of this, 23 dunams were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 4,230 for cereals,[11] while 94 dunams were classified as built-up areas.[12] The village had a mosque and an elementary school for boys.[13]

1948, aftermath

According to Israeli sources, the village had traditionally been ‘friendly’ towards the Yishuv.[14] In late May, 1948, the Haganah reported an argument in Salihiya between youngsters and village elders. The youngsters thought it best ‘to approach the Jews and hand over their arms and stay’. The elders, however, feared that if an Arab army nonetheless reached their area, they would be deemed traitors, ‘and the village would be destroyed.[15] According to Haganah sources: ‘They wanted negotiations [with us]. We did not show up. [They became] afraid.’[14] The village was depopulated on May 25, 1948,[1] by the Palmach's First Battalion[citation needed] during Operation Yiftach.[13]

Kefar Blum cultivate the surrounding land."[13]

  • Al-Salihiyya (Salhyeh) marked on John MacGregor's map. January 1869
    Al-Salihiyya (Salhyeh) marked on John MacGregor's map. January 1869
  • Example of a papyrus reed house in the Hula valley. c. 1910.
    Example of a papyrus reed house in the Hula valley. c. 1910.
  • Hula Bedouin 1935
    Hula Bedouin 1935
  • Al-Salihiyya, 1944 (bottom right quadrant).
    Al-Salihiyya, 1944 (bottom right quadrant).
  • Preparing papyrus for weaving.
    Preparing papyrus for weaving.
  • Members of the Yiftach Brigade in the Hula with an example of local matting. 1948
    Members of the Yiftach Brigade in the Hula with an example of local matting. 1948

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Morris, 2004, p. xvi, village #15. Also gives causes of depopulation.
  2. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 93
  3. ^ a b Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 71 Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 11
  5. ^ Sliman Khawalde, Dan Rabinowitz, 'Race from the Bottom of the Tribe That Never Was: Segmentary Narratives Amongst the Ghawarna of Galilee.' Journal of Anthropological Research Vol. 58, No. 2 (Summer, 2002), pp.225-243
  6. ^ MacGregor, 1869/1904, pp. 223-246. Nb going rate for holding an English man for ransom was at least 100ll.
  7. ^ MacGregor, 1869/1904, pp. 238-239
  8. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, p. 203
  9. ^ Mills, 1932, p. 110
  10. ^ Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement. October 1936. pp. 225−229. "A Visit to the Mat Makers of Huleh" by Theodore Larsson.
  11. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 121 Archived 2018-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 171 Archived 2018-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ a b c Khalidi, 1992, pp. 492-3
  14. ^ a b Morris, 2004, p. 251, note #708, p.303
  15. ^ Morris, 2004, p. 96, note #171, p. 146

Bibliography

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Al-Salihiyya,_Palestine&oldid=1081836118"