Zir'in
Zir'in
زرعين Zer'en | |
---|---|
Felix Bonfils , before 1885. | |
Avital[2] |
Zir'in (
Etymology
Derived from a common Canaanite root meaning to "sow", Yizre'el translates in Hebrew as "God give seed" and its Arabic name "Zir'in" has a similar connotation.[3]
The Crusaders referred to it as "le Petit Gerin" or "the Little Jenin" to distinguish it from Jenin, which they called "le Grand Gerin".[3] In Latin literature of the time it was called "Gezrael", "Iezrael", "Parvum Gerinum" or "Zarain".[4]
History
Bronze and Iron Ages
Zir'in is identified with the Canaanite
Crusader period
A vaulted building and other structures remain from a castle that belonged to the
Mamluk period
After the
Ottoman period
In 1517, Zir'in was incorporated into the
In 1596 Zir'in was a part of the
In 1838, Edward Robinson said Zir'in contained about 20 houses.[13]
In 1870/1871 (1288
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine found Zir'in as consisting of about thirty houses, with the most prominent family living in a tall, tower-like house in the village center. A spring and well supplied Zir'in with water.[15] The Ottomans founded a boys' school in the village.[3]
British Mandate
In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Zir'in had a population of 727; 723 Muslims and 4 Christians,[16] all 4 Christians were Orthodox.[17] In the 1931 census this had increased to a population of 978 persons; 975 Muslims and 3 Christians, in 239 inhabited houses.[18]
In the early 20th century, Zir'in was the birthplace of Mahmud Salim, a leader of the
In the 1945 statistics, the population was 1,420, all Muslims,[19] with a total of 23,920 dunams of land.[20] In 1944/45 a total of 22,595 dunums of village land was allocated to cereals,[21] while 81 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.[22]
1948 war
Prior to the
Controlled by the ALA, Zir'in was located in a strategic commanding position overlooking the towns of Afula and Baysan. The fear of Iraqi forces from Gesher in the east and Jenin in the south to form a "spearhead" and capture the Baysan and Jezreel valleys convinced the Jews to take Zir'in. After a mortar barrage to soften its defense, the village was captured on May 28 by the Thirteenth Battalion of the Golani Brigade with "little resistance".[24] Women and children fled weeks prior to its capture,[25] and after word had spread of its capture, the residents of nearby Nuris and al-Mazar also abandoned their villages. The ALA unsuccessfully attempted to recapture Zir'in two days later.[24]
On July 10, the
Israel
Following the war, the area was incorporated into the State of Israel. The kibbutz of Yizre'el was established on the northwestern side of Zir'in in August 1948.[2]
The tower house
In the 19th century this was described as the Castle of Zir'in, which was used as an inn (manzil) for travellers.[26] A representative for the Palestine Antiquities Museum (PAM), Mr Husseini, visited Zir'in in 1941, and noted: "S-E. of Church in a lane a part of a wall about 8m. long with two rough courses of masonry...S. within house of Abdul Karim Abdul Hadi in an open yard more building foundations are visible to N. two medieval vaults known as el-Uqud."[27] Denys Pringle believes the vaults are part of the destroyed Crusader castle,[4] but according to Petersen, they could equally well be from the Mamluk time.[27] Petersen, who inspected the place in 1994, notes that the appearance of the building indicate that it was constructed over a long period of time.[27]
Geography
Situated on a plateau off the
Nearby localities included Nuris to the southeast, Sandala to the south, Zububa to the southwest, Sulam to the north, and Qumya to the northeast.[28] In 1945, it consisted of 23,920 dunams.[20] The majority of the village lands (20,964 dunams) were allocated for cereals,[21] while the built-up area of Zir'in consisted of 81 dunams.[22]
Demographics
Zir'in had a population of 22 in 1596 according to Ottoman records.
References
- ^ Morris, 2004, p. xvii, village #121. Also gives cause of depopulation
- ^ a b c d Khalidi, 1992, p.340.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Khalidi, 1992, p.339.
- ^ a b c Pringle, 1997, p. 56.
- ^ David Ussishkin, "Jezreel—Where Jezebel Was Thrown to the Dogs", Biblical Archaeology Review July / August 2010. Read Online
- ^ a b Lyons and Jackson, 1984, p.207.
- ^ Sauvavet, 1941, p. 74-75. Quoted in Petersen, 2001, p. 322
- ^ al-Bakhīt, Muḥammad ʻAdnān; al-Ḥamūd, Nūfān Rajā (1989). "Daftar mufaṣṣal nāḥiyat Marj Banī ʻĀmir wa-tawābiʻihā wa-lawāḥiqihā allatī kānat fī taṣarruf al-Amīr Ṭarah Bāy sanat 945 ah". www.worldcat.org. Amman: Jordanian University. pp. 1–35. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
- S2CID 258602184.
- ^ a b Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 160
- ^ Cohen, cited by Petersen, 2001, p. 322
- ^ Karmon, 1960, p. 169 Archived 2019-12-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, pp. 161-167
- ^ Grossman, David (2004). Arab Demography and Early Jewish Settlement in Palestine. Jerusalem: Magnes Press. p. 256.
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, pp.88, 131, quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p.339.
- ^ Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Jenin, p. 29
- ^ Barron, 1923, Table XV, p. 47
- ^ Mills, 1932, p. 72
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 17
- ^ a b c Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 55
- ^ a b Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 100
- ^ a b Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 150
- ^ Morris, 1987, p.159, quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p.339.
- ^ a b Tal, 2004, p.258.
- ^ Morris, 2004, p. 75
- ^ Wilson, 1884, II p.27. Cited in Petersen, 2001, p. 322
- ^ a b c Petersen, 2001, p. 322
- ^ Satellite view of Zir'in Palestine Remembered.
- ^ a b Welcome to Zir'in Palestine Remembered.
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. (1882). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. 2. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics (1945). Village Statistics, April, 1945.
- Guérin, V. (1874). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 2: Samarie, pt. 1. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale. (pp.311 - 323)
- Hadawi, S. (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center.
- 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 3-920405-41-2.
- Karmon, Y. (1960). "An Analysis of Jacotin's Map of Palestine" (PDF). Israel Exploration Journal. 10 (3, 4): 155–173, 244–253. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
- ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
- Lyons, Malcolm Cameron; Jackson, D.E.P. (1984). Saladin: the Politics of the Holy War. ISBN 978-0-521-31739-9.
- Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
- ISBN 978-0-521-00967-6.
- 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. (p.172)
- Petersen, Andrew (2001). A Gazetteer of Buildings in Muslim Palestine (British Academy Monographs in Archaeology). Vol. I. ISBN 978-0-19-727011-0.
- ISBN 0-521-39036-2. (pp. 276-278)
- ISBN 0521-46010-7.
- ISBN 978-0-521-85148-0. ( pp. 269-272)
- 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.
- ISBN 0-7146-5275-X.
- Wilson, C.W., ed. (c. 1881). Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt. Vol. 2. New York: D. Appleton.
External links
- Welcome to Zir'in
- Zir'in, Zochrot
- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 9: IAA, Wikimedia commons
- Zir'in at Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
- Zir'in Archived 2003-11-20 at the Wayback Machine by Rami Nashashibi (1996), Center for Research and Documentation of Palestinian Society.
- Zir'in, circa 1900