Wikipedia

Majdal Yaba

Majdal Yaba(Arabic:مجدل يابا) was aPalestinian Arabvillage in theRamle Subdistrict,18.5 kilometres (11.5 mi) northeast ofRamlaand 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east ofJaffa.A walled Jewish settlement nameMigdal Aphek(Hebrew:מגדל אפק,lit. 'Tower of Aphek';Ancient Greek:Αφεχού πύργος[8]) stood at the same site as early as the second century BCE, and it was later destroyed by theRomansduring theFirst Jewish–Roman Warin 67 CE. In theCrusader period,a fort namedMirabelwas built at the site. Muslim13th-centurysources mention it as Majdal Yaba. For a short time underOttoman rule,its name was changed from Majdal Yaba toMajdal Sadiqand then back again.

Majdal Yaba
مجدل يابا
Majdal al-Sadiq, Majdal Yafa
A street in the Palestinian village of Majdal Yaba, November 1917
A street in the Palestinian village of Majdal Yaba, November 1917
Etymology: "Tower of [our] Father" or "Tower of Yafa" and later "Tower of Sadiq" or "The watch-tower of Yâba"[1]
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Majdal Yaba (click the buttons)
Majdal Yaba is located in Mandatory Palestine
Majdal Yaba
Majdal Yaba
Location withinMandatory Palestine
Coordinates:32°04′51.04″N34°57′24.97″E/ 32.0808444°N 34.9569361°E/32.0808444; 34.9569361
Palestine grid146/165
Geopolitical entityMandatory Palestine
SubdistrictRamle
Date of depopulationJuly 10, 1948[4]
Area
[3]
• Total
26,332dunams(26.332 km2or 10.167 sq mi)
Population
(1945)
• Total
1,520[2][3]
Cause(s) of depopulationMilitary assault byYishuvforces
Current LocalitiesEnat,[5]Rosh HaAyin,[5]Givat HaShlosha,[5]Nahshonim,[6]Migdal Afek[7]

Incorporated intoMandatory Palestinein 1922, Majdal Yaba was captured by Israeli forces during the1948 Arab–Israeli waron July 12, 1948. The town was depopulated as a result of the military assault. The number ofrefugeesfrom Majdal Yaba was estimated at 1,763.[9]The Israeli locality ofRosh HaAyinwas established on the village lands in 1950, followed by thekibbutzGivat HaShloshain 1953.

The fortress at the former site of Majdal Yaba, 2008

History

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Antiquity

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As early as the second century BCE inthe Hasmonean perioda Judean settlement called Migdal Afek or Aphek (Hebrew:מגדל אפק) sat on the same hill of Mirabel and Majdal Yaba.[10] According toJosephus,during theFirst Jewish–Roman War(66-70 CE), the Jews ofAntipatrisfled to Migdal Aphek on the approach ofCestius Gallius.[8]The settlement was destroyed in the revolt and did not recover until the 2nd century CE, and in 363 an earthquake leveled the city.[11]

Crusader/Ayyubid and Mamluk periods

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Ruins of the Mirabel fortress

The Crusaders conqueredPalestinefrom theFatimid Caliphatein 1099, and built a fortress on the former site of Migdal Afek and the future site of Majdal Yaba in 1152, naming it 'Mirabel'. The fort was held byManasses of Hierges,but eventually fell toBaldwin of Ibelin,who ruled it as a lordship of theKingdom of Jerusalemfrom 1162 to 1171.[12]In 1166, lands belonging to the fortress and the harvest of its fields were given to the Church of St. John the Baptist inNablus.[13]

The Muslim diplomatUsama ibn Munqidhreported that the lordHugh of Ibelinacted oppressively against the Muslims in the lordship;[14][15][16]in 1156, he imposed heavy taxes on the Muslims, requiring them to pay four times as much as the local Christians.[17]The inhabitants of eight villages, including theIbn Qudamahfamily, left their homes in 1156 and migrated to Damascus, where they founded theSalihiyahsuburb.

In 1177, the Muslim army underSaladin,sultan of the Egypt-basedAyyubid Sultanate,marched from south of Palestine northwards pastAscalonto Mirabel Castle, which was being used to defend the road between Jaffa and Jerusalem.[18]In July 1187, Saladin's younger brother,al-Adil I,conquered Mirabel, but did not destroy the castle.[12]According to E.G. Rey, there existed among the ruins 'the remains of a fine church of the 12th century', a claim repeated by T. A. Archer.[19]ChroniclerBaha ad-Din ibn Shaddadrecorded that in 1191–92, Saladin used the castle as a base for carrying out raids against the Crusaders, although he camped outside of it. Saladin gave orders to dismantle the walls of Mirabel after his defeat at thebattle of Arsuf.[20]While under Ayyubid rule in 1226, the geographerYaqut al-Hamawimentions it asMajdal Yafaor 'Tower of Jaffa', probably due to its proximity to the town ofJaffa.He says it was a village with a "formidable fort".[21]

June 1240 marked the arrival of theEnglish crusadeled byRichard of Cornwall,brother of theKing Henry III of Englandand brother-in-law ofEmperor Frederick II.Al-Salih Ayyub,the Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, offered Richard a new treaty to be complementary to the earlier one signed withTheobald IV,Count of Champagne.His offer this time included his readiness to recognize the legitimacy of the concessions made by his uncle and opponental-Salih Ismail,the Ayyubid emir of Damascus, to the Crusaders, so that Jaffa and Ascalon, and all ofJerusalem,includingBethlehemand Majdal Yaba, in addition toTiberias,Safed,Mount Taborand the castles ofBelvoir,were all included in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.[22]

In 1266, after the fall of Jaffa to theMamluks,SultanBaybarssent chiefs fromDeir Ghassanehto protect Majdal Yaba's castle.[23]In the late 13th century, the castle at Majdal Yafa was abandoned.[12]

Ottoman period

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Majdal Yaba had become repopulated when Palestine was incorporated into theOttoman Empirein the early 16th century, and by the 1596tax records,it was a small village in thenahiya( "subdistrict" ) of Jabal Qubal, part ofSanjak Nablus.The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on wheat, barley, beehives and goats; a total of 900akçe.All of the revenue went to awaqf.The population consisted of 8Muslimfamilies,[24]an estimated total population of 44.[21]The castle in Majdal Yaba was rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries.[12]

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Majdal Yaba formed the westernmost village of the highland region known as Jurat 'Amra or Bilad Jamma'īn. Situated betweenDeir Ghassanehin the south and the presentRoute 5in the north, and between Majdal Yaba in the west andJamma'in,MardaandKifl Harisin the east, this area served, according to historianRoy Marom,"as a buffer zone between the political-economic-social units of the Jerusalem and the Nablus regions. On the political level, it suffered from instability due to the migration of theBedouintribes and the constant competition among local clans for the right to collect taxes on behalf of the Ottoman authorities. "[25]

On 3 March 1799, GeneralKléber,commander-in-chief of theinvading French forces,received the order to push detachments after having taken up position to the south of theAuja River,to watch enemy movements, and to prepare for the army to march toAcre.He instructed GeneralLannes), on 6 March, to undertake a reconnaissance in the mountains inhabited by the people ofJabal Nablus,who seemed to be hostile. Turks were firing from behind rocks and down precipices. The small column was obliged to retreat with heavy losses, with sixty French troops killed, more than double the number wounded, and Lannes's arm broken.[26][27]

The Shrine (Maqam) of Burraz al-Din, 2007

In the 19th century, the village was named 'Majdal al-Sadiq' after Sheikh Muhammad al-Sadiq al-Jamma'ini, the chief of the village who hailed from the prominent Rayyan clan. The Rayyan were a branch of the Arab Bani Ghazi tribe that migrated to Palestine fromTransjordanin the 17th century.[28]According toEli Smith,in 1843, the fortress (known as the "Rayyan Fortress" ) in the village was in ruins.[29]

Finn's 1850 sketch of the door with theGreekinscription at the castle in Mejdal Yaba, which reads: ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΟΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΚΗΡΥΚΟΥ,Martyr shrine (martyrion) ofSaint Kyriko.[30]

On 7 November 1850James Finn,future British Consul to Jerusalem and Palestine, visited the village and found it and the castle in a very dilapidated condition. He met Sheikh al-Sadiq's family, and slept in the castle for a night, surveyed the remains of the church at the castle, and saw the Greek inscription upon the lintel, which he translated as meaningMartyr Memorial Church of the Holy Herald,[31]butClermont-Ganneaulater translated asMartyr shrine (martyrion) ofSaint Kyriko,relating Kyrikos/Cyricus, the child martyr ofTarsus.[30]On leaving Majdal he descended toRas al-Ain( "head of the springs" ) at half an hour's distance, a site which he believed to be identical with the ancient city ofAntipatris.[31]

WhenEdward Robinsonvisited in 1852, he reported that the fortress had been rebuilt and also served as a palace for the ruling sheikh. Sheikh al-Sadiq, however, had been banished by the Ottomans.[29]In the 1850s, the Rayyan controlled 22–25 villages in thenahiyeofJamma'in Westin Sanjak Nablus,[28]with Majdal Yaba being their main village, where they maintained a fortress and manor.[32]During this time, however, they were embroiled in war with their rival clan, the Qasim, who controlled the Jamma'in East area and also belonged to the Bani Ghazi tribe.[28][32]

In 1859, Sulayman Rayyan was in control of Majdal Yaba,[28]and by 1860 the Rayyan clan had lost all of their influence in thesanjakafter being defeated by the Qasims.[32]The Rayyan continued to live in and rule Majdal Yaba, but the village ceased to be a center of power.[21]According to thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine(SWP), the Rayyan family were "ruined by the Turkish Government."[33]Victor Guérinvisited in 1870.[34]

In 1870/1871, an Ottoman census listed the village in thenahiyaof Jamma'in al-Thani, subordinate to Nablus.[35]Members of SWP who visited in 1873 reported a large building of "massive masonry", probably a former church, with a side door inscribed in Greek "Memorial ofSaint Cerycus".[36]In 1882, the village was described as "a large and important village, evidently an ancient site, having ancient tombs and remains of a church. It stands on high ground above the plain, and contains a house or palace of large size for the Sheikh; it was the seat of a famous family who ruled the neighbourhood. The water supply is from wells and cisterns.[37]In 1888, a school was founded in Majdal Yaba.[21]

British Mandate

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Majdal Yaba was captured by British troops on 9 November 1917.[38]In the1922 census of Palestineconducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,there were 726 inhabitants: 723 Muslims and 3 Jews,[39]rising to 966, all Muslim, in a total of 227 houses in the1931 census.[40]

The layout of the village resembled a parallelogram and its houses were clustered together, separated by narrow alleys. They were built of mud and straw or stone and cement. Each neighborhood was inhabited by a singlehamula('clan') and contained adiwanfor public meetings and receiving guests.[21]The Rayyan family had still not recovered by the beginning of the Mandate Period; it was known to be impoverished, as was the Qasim family."Dar az-zalimin kharab[the home of the oppressors is ruined], "said peasants when they passed by theirkursis(seats of power).[41]In 1935, a mosque was built in Majdal Yaba and the Ottoman-built school had reopened in 1920, enrolling 147 students in the mid-1940s. There was also a clinic in the village. Agriculture was the basis of the economy, with farmers planting wheat, corn, barley, vegetables, and sesame. They also tended fruit orchards, particularly citrus.Artesian wellsirrigated the fields.[21]

In the1945 statisticsMajdal Yaba had a population of 1,520 Muslims,[2]with a total of 26,332 dunams of land.[3]Of this, a total of 2,481dunumsof village land was used forcitrusand bananas, 110 dunams were plantations or irrigable land, 13,906 dunums were used for cereals,[42]while 59 dunams were classified as built-up urban areas.[43]

  • Majdal Yaba during French Invasion of 1799
  • Al-Muzayri'a 1941 1:20,000
  • Al-Muzayri'a 1945 1:250,000
  • Families prior to 1948

1948 war and aftermath

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  • Majdal Yaba, July 1948
  • Majdal Yaba, February 1949
  • Majdal Yada, March 1949
  • Member of Harel Brigade at Majdal Yaba, 1949
  • Damra family tomb in Majdal Yaba's Eastern Cemetery

Majdal Yaba was in the territory allotted to the Arab state under the 1947UN Partition Plan.[44]During the war, it was occupied by the Second Battalion of theAlexandroni Brigadeon July 12, 1948, inOperation Danny,after wresting it from theIraqi Armywho were defending the village during the1948 Arab-Israeli War.The nearby village ofRas al-Ein,deserted in the 1920s, was also captured. TheNew York Timesreported that the situation of the surrounded Iraqi troops was "hopeless".[45]The capture of Majdal Yaba also led to the control of the hills lying to the north of the operation zone and the springs of theal-Auja river(Arabic:نهر العوجا). On August 28, 1948, The Iraqi forces attempted to recapture the village, but were asked to abandon the operation[46]

The Israeli town ofRosh HaAyin— which today is a city – was built on village lands in 1950, and in 1953, the JewishkibbutzofGivat HaShloshawas established on village lands. According to Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi,the Rayyan Fortress still "crowns the site" in addition to the tomb of Sheikh Muhammad Al-Sadiq, and a part of the village cemetery still remains. In 1992 the fortress was "slowly crumbling" and the dome of the tomb was severely cracked.[5]The ruins of Mirabel Castle have been recently restored and made accessible as part of the Israeli national park of Migdal Afek.


See also

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References

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  1. ^Palmer, 1881, p.238
  2. ^abGovernment of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p.30
  3. ^abcGovernment of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.67
  4. ^Morris, 2004, p.xviii,village No. 388. Also gives cause of depopulation.
  5. ^abcdKhalidi, 1992, p. 397
  6. ^Morris, 2004, p.xxii,settlement No. 99
  7. ^Morris, 2004, p.xxii,settlement No. 100
  8. ^abAvi-Yonah, Michael (1976)."Gazetteer of Roman Palestine".Qedem.5:29.ISSN0333-5844.JSTOR43587090.
  9. ^Welcome to Majdal YabaPalestine Remembered.
  10. ^משה גלעד, היא חזרה: מצודת היופי הפלאי, גלריה הארץ, 25.3.2021
  11. ^Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p. 187.
  12. ^abcdPringle, 1997, p.67
  13. ^Röhricht, 1893, RRH, p.110,No 423; cited Pringle, 1998, p.105
  14. ^[1]Archived2012-10-14 at theWayback MachineIbn Tulun القلائد الجوهرية في تاريخ الصالحية.
  15. ^[2]Usama Ibn Munqidh.
  16. ^[3]Usama Ibn Munqidh.
  17. ^[4]Archived2012-10-14 at theWayback MachineIbn Tulun.
  18. ^Conder, 1897, p.137
  19. ^Pringle, 1998, p.29
  20. ^Conder, 1897, p.279
  21. ^abcdefKhalidi, 1992, p. 396
  22. ^Khamisy & Pringle 2019.
  23. ^Deir Ghassaneh.(in Arabic)
  24. ^Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 137
  25. ^Marom, Roy (2022-11-01)."Jindās: A History of Lydda's Rural Hinterland in the 15th to the 20th Centuries CE".Lod, Lydda, Diospolis.1:17.
  26. ^Doguereau, 2002, p. 76 footnote no. 6
  27. ^Bourrienne, 1891, p. 175
  28. ^abcdDoumani (1995), p.48. Doumani states that the Rayyan controlled 25 villages, while Schölch states 22.
  29. ^abRobinson and Smith, 1856, p.140
  30. ^abNowakowski, Paweł (2017).E03550: Greek building inscription for a shrine dedicated to Kyrikos (child martyr of Tarsus, S00007). Found at Medjdel-Yaba near Ras el-Ain, to the north of Diospolis/Lydda (Samaria, Roman province of Palaestina I). Probably 5th-7th c.,University of Oxford,online resource. Based onClermont-Ganneau(1896), p. 340. It refers to Kyrikos/Cyricus, child martyr of Tarsus (son of Ioulitta/Julitta). Retrieved 6 Nov 2024.
  31. ^abFinn (1877), pp.128-132
  32. ^abcSchölch, 1986, pp. 173, 211. Quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p. 396
  33. ^Conder and Kitchener (1882), SWP II, p.379;cited in Schölch (1993), p. 227
  34. ^Guérin (1875), pp.131-3
  35. ^Grossman, David (2004).Arab Demography and Early Jewish Settlement in Palestine.Jerusalem: Magnes Press. p. 252.
  36. ^Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, pp.360-361
  37. ^Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p.286
  38. ^"EL MEJDEL, JAFFA AND WEST COUNTRY TROOPS [Main Title]".
  39. ^Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramleh, p.22
  40. ^Mills, 1932, p.21.
  41. ^Jaussen, J. A.Naplouse et Son District,(Paris, 1927) p. 138, p.141. Cited in Schölch, 1993, p.227.
  42. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.116
  43. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.166
  44. ^"Map of UN Partition Plan".United Nations. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-01-24.Retrieved2009-02-09.
  45. ^New York Timesquoted in Khalidi, 1992, p.397.
  46. ^AkeelAbdul Karim Qassim.

Bibliography

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