Barqa, Gaza

Coordinates: 31°46′35″N 34°42′5″E / 31.77639°N 34.70139°E / 31.77639; 34.70139
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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other with similar names, see Barka.
Barqa
برقة
Burqa
Maqam (shrine) of Neby Burk, in 1898[1]
Maqam (shrine) of Neby Burk, in 1898[1]
Etymology: sandy ground covered with flint[2]
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Barqa, Gaza (click the buttons)
Geopolitical entity
Mandatory Palestine
SubdistrictGaza
Date of depopulationMay 13, 1948[5]
Area
[4]
 • Total
5,206 dunams (5.206 km2 or 2.010 sq mi)
Population
 (1945)
 • Total
890[3][4]
Cause(s) of depopulationMilitary assault by Yishuv forces
Current LocalitiesGan Yavne

Barqa (

Philistine city. In 1945, the village had a population of 890 and total land area of 5,206 dunums
.

It was occupied and depopulated on May 13, 1948 during

1948 Arab-Israeli War. The ruins of the village were later incorporated into the Israeli town of Gan Yavne
.

History

It is likely that Barqa was built on the site of the Greek town of Barka, which the Romans called Baraca. The villagers were Muslim, and around the village mosque were a number of tombs that they referred to as the tombs of Shaykh Muhammad, Shaykh Zarruq, and the prophet (al-nabi) Barq.[6]

A burial chamber with four

Byzantine era, and two Byzantine glass vessels, dated to fifth century CE.[7] The village was a major centre in the Byzantine era. In 511 CE a richly decorated basilica church was built, with a mosaic floor. It was in use until the seventh century.[8]

Ottoman era

Barqa, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into the

Muslim. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, fruit trees and sesame; the taxes totalled 2,100 akçe.[9]

In 1838, Robinson noted Burka as a Muslim village located in the Gaza district.[10]

In 1863

kubbeh was here, dedicated to Neby Barak, and surrounded by tombs.[11] An Ottoman village list from about 1870 showed that Burka had a population of 202, with a total of 80 houses, though the population count included men, only.[12][13]

In 1882 the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Barqa as an "ordinary" village, with the tomb of Neby Burk.[14]

British Mandate of Palestine

Barqa, Gaza District, 1930
Barqa, Gaza District,1945

In the

Muslims,[15] which had increased in the 1931 census to 600, 593 Muslim, 6 Jews and 1 Christian, in a total of in 123 houses.[16]

In the 1945 statistics the population of Barqa consisted of 890, all Muslims,[3] and the land area was 5,206 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[4] Of this, 667 dunams were designated for citrus and bananas, 47 for plantations and irrigable land, 4,031 for cereals,[17] while 26 dunams were built-up areas.[18]

1948 and aftermath

Barqa became depopulated on May 13, 1948, after a military assault by the

Giv'ati forces.[5][19][20] The area was subsequently incorporated into the State of Israel
. In 1992, the village remaining structures on the village land were described:

"Two houses remain standing on the site. One serves as a warehouse; it is made of concrete and has a covered portico on two sides. The other, a stone house with rectangular doors and windows and a flat roof, stands deserted in the midst of wild vegetation. The site is overgrown with weeds interspersed with cactuses and eucalyptus and palm trees. Israelis cultivate the land around the site."[21]

References

  1. ^ Gautier, 1898, p. 95
  2. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 267
  3. ^ a b Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 31
  4. ^ a b c Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 45
  5. ^ a b Morris, 2004, p. xix, village #280.Also gives cause of depopulation
  6. ^ Khalidi, 1992, pp. 82-83
  7. ^ Volynsky, 2010, Barqa (North)
  8. ^ Sion, Rapuano, Habas and Di Segni, 2010, Barqa
  9. ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 147
  10. ^ Robinson and Smith, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 118
  11. ^ Guérin, 1869, pp. 68-70; as given by Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 420
  12. ^ Socin, 1879, p. 149 Also noted in the Gaza district
  13. ^ Hartmann, 1883, p. 134 also noted 80 houses
  14. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 409. Cited in Khalidi, 1992, p. 84
  15. ^ Barron, 1923, Table V, Sub-district of Gaza, p. 9
  16. ^ Mills, 1932, p. 2
  17. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 86
  18. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 136
  19. ^ Morris, 2004, p. 179, note #112, p. 271
  20. ^ Morris, 2004, p. 256 note #759, p 305
  21. ^ Khalidi, 1992, p. 83

Bibliography

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