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Al-Bireh

Coordinates:31°54′19″N35°12′54″E/ 31.90528°N 35.21500°E/31.90528; 35.21500
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For other uses, seeBira.

Al-Bireh
Municipality type A (City)
Arabic transcription(s)
•Arabicالبيرة
•Latinal-Bira (unofficial)
Official logo of Al-Bireh
Municipal Seal of Al-Bireh
Al-Bireh is located in State of Palestine
Al-Bireh
Al-Bireh
Location of Al-Bireh withinPalestine
Al-Bireh is located in the West Bank
Al-Bireh
Al-Bireh
Al-Bireh (the West Bank)
Coordinates:31°54′19″N35°12′54″E/ 31.90528°N 35.21500°E/31.90528; 35.21500
Palestine grid170/145
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateRamallah and al-Bireh
Government
• TypeCity
• Head of MunicipalityUmar Hammayil
Area
•Municipality type A (City)22,406dunams(22.4 km2or 8.6 sq mi)
Population
(2017)[1]
•Municipality type A (City)45,975
• Density2,100/km2(5,300/sq mi)
•Metro
153,237
Name meaning"The Well of the Palace"[2]
Websiteal-bireh.ps

Al-Bireh,al-Birah,orel-Bira(Arabic:البيرة;also known historically asCastrum Mahomeria,Magna Mahomeria,Mahomeria Major,Birra,orBeirothah) is aPalestiniancity in the centralWest Bank,15 kilometers (9.3 mi) north ofJerusalem.[3]It is the capital of theRamallah and al-Bireh Governorateof theState of Palestine.It is situated on the central ridge running through the West Bank and is 860 meters (2,820 ft) above sea level, covering an area of 22.4 square kilometers (8.6 sq mi). Al-Bireh is under the administration of thePalestinian National Authority(as part ofArea A).

Bireh has been associated with several ancient sites. Because of its location Al-Bireh served as an economic crossroad between the north and south, along the caravan route between Jerusalem andNablus.UnderCrusaderrule, it was one of the fief villages of theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre.It was captured and destroyed bySaladin,but it was rebuilt during theAyyubidperiod. Throughout theOttomanera, it was a predominantly Muslim village. Following theBritish Mandate,its population grew. After the1948 Arab–Israeli War,it came underJordanian occupationuntil theSix-Day Warin 1967, when it was occupied by Israel.

Since theOslo Accords,Bireh has been governed by the Palestinian Authority and now serves as a significant administrative center, hosting various governmental and non-governmental organizations. According to thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics(PCBS), the city had a population of approximately 45,975 in the 2017 census.[1]

History

Al-Bireh Crusader Church, circa 1881.[4]

Edward Robinsonin the early 19th century thought Al-Bireh was thebiblicalBe'eroth,[5]but modern scholars believe Be'eroth was located at Kh. el-Burj nearBeit Iksa.[6]

In theHellenistic period,it was also known asBereaorBeroth,and Seleucid generalBacchidescamped there in 161 BCE before attackingJudas Maccabaeus's forces atElasa.[7]

Claude Reignier Conderand others identified it withBeirothahof the Samaritan chronicles.[6][8]

Medieval period

TheCrusaderscaptured and named the townBirra.It was also calledCastrum Mahomeria,Magna MahomeriaorMahomeria Major.[9]It was one of 21 villages given by KingGodfreyas afiefto theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre.[10]In 1114, the gift was re-confirmed byBaldwin I of Jerusalem.[11]

In 1156, 92 people fromMahomeriapledged their allegiance to theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre,and a further 50 names were added in the next three decades. Hence, it has been estimated that the totalFrankishpopulation at this time was 500–700.[9][12]

The Crusaders built a castle,[13]church and hospice there.[9][14][15]The latter two buildings were built by theKnights Templarin 1146 and belonged to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.Benjamin of TudelaandIsthori Haparchidescribed it as a large village.[6]

TheAyyubidsunderSaladindrove away the Crusaders from Birra when they reconquered interior Palestine after theBattle of Hattinin 1187, and completely demolished the town.Yaqut al-Hamawimentions seeing the ruins a few times during his travels in the area.[16]

Nearing the end of Ayyubid rule, in 1280, the modern town of al-Bireh was an inhabited village. The Ayyubids built amosquein the town dedicated toUmar ibn al-Khattabadjacent to the church ruins.[17]

Potsherdsfrom theCrusader/Ayyubidera have been found.[6]

Ottoman era

Al-Bireh, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into theOttoman Empirein 1517, and in thecensusof 1596, the village, called Bira al-Kubra, was a part of thenahiya( "subdistrict" ) ofAl-Qudswhich was under the administration of theliwa( "district" ) of Al-Quds. It had a population of 45 households, allMuslim,and paid taxes on wheat, barley, olive trees, fruit trees, occasional revenues, beehives and/or goats; a total of 4,570akçe.Half of the revenue went to awaqf.[18]

In the spring of 1697,Henry Maundrellnoted at Al Bireh, which he calledBeer,the remains of a Church, which he wrote was built byEmpress Helena.[19]

After the1834 Arab revolt in Palestine,the Ottoman authorities conscripted many men from Al-Bireh as soldiers. In 1838, when Robinson visited, 60 had been taken away to be soldiers, out of a total population of 700.[5]Robinson noted it as a Muslim village,el-Bireh,located in the area immediately north of Jerusalem.[20]

When French explorerVictor Guérinvisited the village in 1863, he found it to have 800 inhabitants.[21]

Socin,citing an officialOttomanvillage list compiled around 1870, noted that Al-Bireh had a population of 399 Muslims in 142 houses, and 20 "Greeks" in 5 houses, though that population count included only men. It was further noted that the name meant "Thecistern".[22]Hartmannfound that Al-Bireh had 142 houses.[23]

In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine(SWP) described Bireh as a good-sized village, with "fairly well built" houses.[24]

In 1896, the population of Bireh was estimated to be about 1,080 persons.[25]

Until 1917, the city served as a political and administrative center for theOttoman Empire.[citation needed]

British Mandate era

In the1922 census of Palestineconducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Al-Birehhad a population of 1,479; 1,407Muslims,and 72Christians,[26]where the Christians were 61 Orthodox, 3 Roman Catholics and 8 "other".[27]The population had increased in the1931 censusto 2,292; 2,044 Muslim and 248 Christians, in 541 houses.[28]

In the1945 statistics,the town's residents numbered 2,920; of which 280 were Christians and 2,640 Muslims,[29]while urban Bireh had 967dunamsof land, and rural Bireh 22,045 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[30]Of this, 5,162 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 11,226 used for cereals,[31]while 759 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[32]

Jordanian era

In the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli Warand the1949 Armistice Agreements,Al-Bireh came underJordanian rule.[33]

In 1961, the population ofBirawas 14,510.[34]

Post-1967 era

Great Mosque,al-Bireh

During theSix-Day War,on June 6, 1967, Israeli troops occupied the city, and Al-Bireh has been underIsraeli occupationsince.

Israel confiscated 346dunamsof land from Al-Bireh in order to build theIsraeli settlementofBeit El(established in 1977) in addition to 780 dunams in order to buildPesagot(established in 1981).[35]

In 1994, the civil administration of the city was turned over to thePalestinian National Authorityunder theOslo Accords.Al-Bireh is the second largest center of Palestinian administration after Gaza. Besides the governor's headquarters, it also hosts a considerable number of governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations, including the Ministries of Transportation, Supply,Information,Public Works and Higher Education,[citation needed]as well as the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.[36]Due to its proximity with Ramallah, the cities form a singleconstituency for electionsto the Palestinian National Authority.

Al-Bireh Aerial photo

After the1995 accords,39.8% of village land was classified asArea A,5% asArea B,while the remaining 55.2% was classified asArea C.[37]

Demographics

The 1997 census carried out by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics counted 27,856 residents, exactly half male and half female.[38]The majority of the inhabitants werePalestinian refugeeswho made up 55.4% of the total population.[39]In the 2007 PCBS census, there were 38,202 people living in the city.[40]

Al-Bireh is inhabited by 5 majorclans:Qur'an, Hamayel, 'Abed, Qaraqra, At Taweel and Ar Rafidi.[41]

Government

Al-Bireh City Hall

Al-Bireh established a city council headed by mayor Eid Musa in 1928 under the British Mandate. Eight other mayors took office either through elections or government appointments. The city had some well known mayors, including Abudul Jawad Saleh who was mayor in the 1970s until exiled by the Israelis. He later went on to become a member of the PLO executive committee and then minister of agriculture in the Palestinian Authority. In 1982,Israelinstated a civil administration, but later appointed an Arab mayor, Hassan al-Tawil. In 1988, after two years in office, he was stabbed and critically wounded outside his office.[42] In 1996, a 12-membermunicipal councilwas established by the Palestinian National Authority with Sheikh Jamal al-Tawil as mayor.[43]

Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate Health Directorate

In thePalestinian municipal elections in 2005,theHamas-backed Reform and Change List won 9 of the 15 seats, while independent lists won the remaining 6.[44]The current mayor isAzzam Esmail.

In 2010, a public square in al-Bireh was dedicated to the memory ofDalal Mughrabi,leader of an attack that killed 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, in 1978.[45]

Health and education

John Kerryvisiting Al-Bireh youth center

In 2010, the Jerusalem Fund, National Arab American Medical Association Foundation and Physicians for Peace dedicated the Palestine Diabetes Institute in al-Bireh.[46]Al-Quds Universitymaintains a campus in al-Bireh.

Sports

The 7,000-seat Majed Ass'ad or Al Bireh International Stadium was completed in 2010; originally constructed in 1996, it was upgraded to international standards from 2006 to 2010 at a cost of €3 million.[47]The work was funded by France, the German Development Bank, the UN Development Agency, and FIFA.[48]Construction was halted by the Israeli Supreme Planning Council on November 1, 2009, but resumed in late December.[49]In November 2009, the nearby settlement ofPsagotpetitioned theHigh Court of Justiceto have the stadium shut down, citing concerns that rowdy soccer fans might attack Psagot.[50]

Friends Stadium in Al-Bireh

Al Bireh Youth Foundation is the most prominent sports club in the city, mostly famous for its football teams and ancient scouts association.[51]

Twin towns – sister cities

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in the State of Palestine

Al-Bireh istwinnedwith:[52]

Notable people

References

  1. ^abPreliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017(PDF).Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics(PCBS) (Report).State of Palestine.February 2018. pp. 64–82.Retrieved2023-10-24.
  2. ^Palmer, 1881, p.292
  3. ^Al Bireh CityArchived2012-04-05 at theWayback Machine
  4. ^Wilson, c1881, vol 1, p.215
  5. ^abRobinson and Smith, 1841, pp.130- 133
  6. ^abcdFinkelstein et al., 1997, p. 510
  7. ^Avi-Yonah, Michael (1976)."Gazetteer of Roman Palestine".Qedem.5:35.ISSN0333-5844.JSTOR43587090.
  8. ^Conder, 1876, p.196
  9. ^abcPringle, 1993, pp.161- 165
  10. ^Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p.11
  11. ^de Roziére, 1849, p.263,cited in Röhricht, 1893, RRH, pp.16- 17, No 74
  12. ^de Roziére, 1849, pp.242-244, cited in Röhricht, 1893, RRH, pp.77- 78, No 302
  13. ^Pringle, 1997, p.35
  14. ^Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, pp.88-89
  15. ^Pringle, 2009, pp.259- 266
  16. ^Le Strange, 1890, p.423
  17. ^Sharon, 1999, pp.236-239
  18. ^Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 116
  19. ^Maundrell, 1703, p.63:March 25, 1697, cited in Wilson, c1881, vol 1, p.218
  20. ^Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 3, 2nd appendix, p.122
  21. ^Guérin, 1869, pp.7-13
  22. ^Socin, 1879, p.148
  23. ^Hartmann, 1883, p.127
  24. ^Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, pp.8-9
  25. ^Schick, 1896, p.121
  26. ^Barron, 1923, p.16
  27. ^Barron, 1923, Table XIV, p.45
  28. ^Mills, 1932, p.48
  29. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p.26
  30. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.64
  31. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.111
  32. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.161
  33. ^The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History, p.73
  34. ^Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p.15
  35. ^Al Bireh City ProfileARIJ, p. 17
  36. ^General view of al-BirehArchived2008-06-20 at theWayback MachineAl-Bireh Municipality.
  37. ^Al-Bira City City Profile,ARIJ, pp. 16−17
  38. ^Palestinian Population by Locality, Sex and Age Groups in YearsArchived2008-11-19 at theWayback MachinePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
  39. ^Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee StatusArchived2008-11-19 at theWayback MachinePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
  40. ^2007 PCBS Census.Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. p.114.
  41. ^Al Bireh City Profilep. 7
  42. ^Israeli-Selected Arab Mayor Is Stabbed,The New York Times
  43. ^History of City CouncilArchived2006-06-28 at theWayback Machine
  44. ^Local Elections (Round Four)- Successful lists by local authority and No. of votes obtained[permanent dead link]Central Elections Commission - Palestine.
  45. ^Palestinians Honor a Figure Reviled in Israel as a TerroristThe New York Times.
  46. ^The Jerusalem Fund Dedicates Palestine Diabetes Institute in Al-Bireh, Palestine
  47. ^Municipal Development & Lending Fund."MDLF has completed" Al Bireh International Stadium "project Funded by AFD".21 April 2010.Archived fromthe originalon 25 April 2012.Retrieved31 October2010.
  48. ^B'Tselem (25 November 2009)."Civil Administration chokes Palestinian construction".Archivedfrom the original on 3 December 2010.Retrieved31 October2010.
  49. ^"Al-Bireh stadium construction resumed under specter of halt".Ma'an News Agency.31 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 15 January 2014.Retrieved31 October2010.
  50. ^Hass, Amira (27 November 2009)."Settlers petition to tear down nearby Palestinian stadium".Ha'aretz.Archivedfrom the original on 21 November 2010.Retrieved31 October2010.
  51. ^They teach Al-Bireh residents how to get a kick out of life,The Jerusalem Post
  52. ^"Relations internationales".ville-gennevilliers.fr(in French). Gennevilliers.Retrieved2020-06-01.
  53. ^Barghouti, Ze'evi assassin among prisoners to be freed

Bibliography

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