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Yatta, Hebron

Coordinates:31°26′52″N35°05′24″E/ 31.44778°N 35.09000°E/31.44778; 35.09000
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Yatta
Municipality type A (City)
Arabic transcription(s)
•Arabicيطّا
•LatinYattah (official)
Yatta is located in State of Palestine
Yatta
Yatta
Location of Yatta withinPalestine
Coordinates:31°26′52″N35°05′24″E/ 31.44778°N 35.09000°E/31.44778; 35.09000
Palestine grid163/094
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateHebron
Government
• TypeCity
• Head of MunicipalityAbu Issa
Area
• Total133,080dunams(133.0 km2or 51.4 sq mi)
Population
(2011)[1]
• Total63,511
• Density480/km2(1,200/sq mi)
Name meaningfromJuttah[2]
Websiteyatta-munc.org

Yatta(Arabic:يطّا), also known asYattahorYutta,is aPalestiniancity located in theHebron Governorateof theState of Palestine,in theWest Bank,approximately 8 km south of the city ofHebron.[3]

Perched atop a hill with a history dating back to ancient times,[4]Yatta is identified with thebiblicaltown ofJuttah.In the 4th century it was described as a largeJewishvillage,[5]a description supported by archaeological discoveries, including a second-century Jewish tomb, reliefs featuringmenorahs,and evidence suggesting the presence of asynagogue.[6][7]TheMakhamra clan,which constitutes around half of the town’s population, is known for its traditions of Jewish ancestry.[8][9]Yatta's cultural heritage also includestraditional costumes[10]and various religious shrines.[11]

During the earlyOttomanperiod, Yatta was a small village. By the advent of the late 19th century, it transformed into a larger village marked by agricultural and pastoral economy, includingsheep herding.The succession of governance over Yatta during the 20th century—spanningBritish,Jordanian,andIsraelicontrol—saw a demographic expansion. Since 1995, the town has been governed by the PNA as part ofArea A of the West Bank.[12]According to thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics,it had a population of 63,511 in 2017.[1]

History

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Antiquity

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Located on a large, ancient hilltop,[4]Yatta has been identified with the site of the Biblical town ofJuttah(Hebrew:יוטה).[13]In 1931, a Jewish burial complex dating to the 2nd century CE was found in the town.[7][14][15]In the 4th century CE,Eusebiuswrote that Yatta was "a very large village of Jews eighteen miles south ofBeit Gubrin."[7][5]

It is possible that the localMakhamra clan,who claim Jewish ancestry,[16]may have origins in this ancient Jewish population.[17][18][8]However, theiroral traditiontraces their origins to the Jews ofKhaybar,who were expelled from theArabian Peninsulaand settled in the area at a later time.[16][19][20]

In the late 1980s, researchers Zvi Ilan and David Amit discovered here a lintel adorned withmenorahreliefs and arosette.Excavations in the 1990s uncovered a significant structure dating toRoman-Byzantinetimes withfrescoesand another menorah relief, possibly asynagogue.[6][21][22]

Also discovered in Yatta is aGreekinscription, featuring a biblical verse and aMaltese crosson a lintel. Locals said it originated from the nearby ruins ofal-Karmil,the ancientCarmel.[23][24]

Also within the borders of modern Yatta isKhirbet el-Uzeiz(157/093), a ruin identified with the ancient Jewish village ofKefar Aziz(Hebrew:כפר עזיז), hometown ofRabbi Ishmael.Remains of a synagogue has been discovered at the site.[25]

Ottoman era

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Yatta, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into theOttoman Empirein 1517, and in thecensusof 1596 the village appeared to be in theNahiyaofKhalilof theLiwaofQuds.It had a population of 127 families, allMuslim,and paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, goats and bee-hives; a total of 9,872akçe.5/6 of the revenue went to aWaqf.[26]

In 1838,Edward Robinsonand notedYuttaas a Muslim village, located southwest ofel-Khulil.[27]He further noted that it had the "appearance of a large modern Mohammedan town, on low eminence, with trees around."[28]

In July 1863Victor GuérinvisitedYouttha.He described it as a village of 2,000 inhabitants, but at least half were living in tents, scattered in the all over, partly to finish the harvest, partly to avoid themilitary recruitersactive in the area.[29]An Ottoman village list from about 1870 found thatJattahad a population of 226, in 66 houses, though the population count only included men.[30][31]

In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestinedescribed Yatta as being a "large village standing high on a ridge. It is largely built of stone. The water supply is fromcisterns.On the south there are rock-cut tombs, and rock wine-presses are found all round the village. The neighborhood is extremely stony; south of the village are scattered olives, which are conspicuous objects; on the west, a little lower under a cliff, is a small olive yard in which the camp of the Survey party was pitched in 1874; to the south-west of camp were a few figs. The inhabitants are very rich in flocks; the village owned, it was said, 17,000 sheep, beside goats, cows, camels, horses, and donkeys. The Sheikh alone had 250 sheep. "[32]South of the village are several tombs; one has a shallow semicircular arch cut above a small square entrance. West of the village and ofel Muturrifis a very fine rock-cut wine-press. A second occurs north of the village. "[33]

British Mandate era

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In the1922 census of Palestineconducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Yatta had a population 3,179 inhabitants, all Muslims,[34]increasing in the1931 censusto 4,034, in 767 inhabited houses, still all Muslims.[35]

In the1945 statisticsthe population of Yatta was 5,260, all Muslims,[36]and the land area was 174,172dunamsaccording to an official land and population survey.[37]3,254 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 67,498 used for cereals,[38]while 216 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[39]

Jordanian era

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In the wake of the1948 Arab-Israeli War,and after the1949 Armistice Agreements,Yatta came underJordanian rule.

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 6,326 inhabitants in Yatta.[40]

Post-1967

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Elderly men in Yatta, 2012
Mosque in Yatta

Since the1967 Arab–Israeli War,Yatta, like the rest of the West Bankhas been occupiedbyIsrael;since 1995, it has been governed by the PNA as part ofArea A of the West Bank.[12]

The population in the 1967 census conducted by the Israeli authorities several months after theSix-Day Warwas 7,281.[41]

On 17 September 2001, aJewish terroristgroup, theBat AyinUnderground, planted two bombs in the schoolyard at Yatta: One was timed to explode during the recess, and a second bomb several minutes later, in the expectation that teachers and students would be drawn to examine the damage. A malfunction caused the first bomb to explode earlier, and Israeli sappers managed to defuse the second bomb in time.[42]

At least seven Palestinians were killed in Yatta during theSecond Intifadain different incidents from 2002 to 2004.[43]On March 8, 2012 Israeli soldiers shot dead 20-year-old Zakariya Abu Eram and injured two others during a raid in the town with the intent of arresting Abu Eram's uncle, Khaled Mahamra.[44]Khaled Mahamra is aHamasmember responsible for theJune 2016 Tel Aviv shooting,who was sentenced to life in prison and released as part of theexchange dealto free captive IDF soldierGilad Shalit.[45]The Israelis stated they fired at the men only after one of them stabbed a soldier during the arrest attempt.[44]

In June 2016, two assailants from Yatta were apprehended after firing upon Israelis dining in a Tel-Aviv café, after which they were charged with killing four people and injuring 16 others.[46]

In June 2019, the mayor of Yatta announced that he decided to change the name of Bahrain Street in his municipality toMarzouq al-GhanimStreet as an act of protest against Bahrain's hosting of a US-led economic workshop.[47]

Archaeology

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In the late 1980s, Zvi Ilan and David Amit conducted a survey that unveiled a lintel at the entrance of an old house, adorned withreliefsdepicting two seven-branchedmenorahsflanking arosette.Nearby, another menorah relief was found on a stone near the remains of a monumental ancient wall. Subsequently, in the 1990s, part of the ancient site at the city's center was converted into a cemetery, prompting a salvage excavation in 1994. This excavation uncovered a significant public structure dating back to theRomanandByzantineperiod. Among its remnants werefrescoes,a chalkpedestalsupporting the base for an attic-style column, and another menorah relief. While the excavation of the building remains incomplete and its architectural plans are still unclear, the discoveries, coupled with Eusebius' description of Yatta as a large village ofJews,suggest the possibility that it may have functioned as asynagogue.[6][21][22]

AJewish burial cave,dating back to the second and third centuries CE, was discovered in Yatta in 1931. It contained six ossuaries of the Late style, used by Jews during theLate Roman period.[7][14][15]

Additional discoveries from Yatta include aGreekinscription, featuring the verse "This is the gate to the Lord; the righteous shall enter it" (Psalm 118), which was carved onto alintelalongside aMaltese cross.Initially published in 1885 and again following a 1980s survey, this inscription likely adorned aChristianstructure. Conversations with Yatta residents revealed that, similar to otherrepurposedartifacts and stones in the village, this specific lintel originated from the ruins of ancient Carmel, todayal-Karmil,located near Yatta.[23][24]

Furthermore, excavations in Yatta revealedcapitalsindicating a potential date after the 5th century, featuring Boss es adorned withrosettesand echinus displaying aGreek cross.[48]

Culture

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AJillayehdressfrom Yatta from around 1910 is part of theMuseum of International Folk Art(MOIFA) at Museum of New Mexico atSanta Fe.[10]

Maqam al-Khidr

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Maqam al-Khidr, a shrine located 3 km west of Yatta's center, was constructed 150 years ago by asheikhfrom Yatta. He claimed to have been instructed in a dream by Elijah, who revealed that he had visited and even slept at this site several times.Elijahdirected him to allocate funds for building a monument in his honor at a specified location. The site features a large stone pile measuring 6 by 5 meters. Despite suffering from looting and the theft of antiquities and building materials, it remains a place of prayer for local Yatta residents. They engage in practices such as placing stones, lighting lanterns and candles, and burning incense to honor the saint. Traditionally, on the second Thursday of every April, they gather to sacrifice a sheep and make vows.[11]

Demography

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See also:Makhamra family

The population of Yatta is primarily made up of several families, including theMakhamra clan,which is divided into the Alaya and Tahta branches, along with Al Da'ajnha, Harizat, and Houshiyeh.[49]

The Makhamra clan believes they descend from theJewish tribes of Arabia,specifically from the ancient Jewish kingdom ofKhaybarin the southwesternArabian Peninsula.[16][50]Research byYitzhak Ben Zviin 1928 also suggested that three out of the six hamulas (or extended families) in Yatta belonged to the Makhamra clan which possibly descended from a Jewish Arab tribe.[7]In 1938, Arab families from Yatta were reported to observe the Jewish holiday ofHanukkah,lighting candles purchased from the Jewish community in Hebron.[51]Subsequent reports and interviews add more information on the Makhamra's Jewish roots, their distinct identity within Yatta, and the preservation of Jewish customs, such asmezuzahslots in doorways.[17][18][8]Two members of the Makhamra family have embraced Judaism and are now citizens of Israel.[52]

Some residents ofMeithalun,FahmaandAnzah,villages in the northernWest Bank,have their origins in Yatta.[53]

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See also

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References

[edit]
  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.415
  3. ^"Columbia Encyclopedia: Juttah".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-09-30.Retrieved2007-05-25.
  4. ^abDauphin, 1998, p. 966
  5. ^abEusebius,Onomasticon - The Place Names of Divine Scripture,(ed.) R. Steven Notley &Ze'ev Safrai,Brill: Leiden 2005, p. 104 (§545)
  6. ^abcIlan, Z., & Amit, D. (1988). "Yatta." Archaeological News, 7, p. 59. [Hebrew]
  7. ^abcdeḤevrah la-haganat ha-ṭevaʻ (1990),Israel - land and nature,Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, p. 83,retrieved6 June2011
  8. ^abcSar-Avi, Doron (2019)."מניין באו הערבים 'היהודים'?".Segula Magazine.Retrieved2024-02-18.
  9. ^Lowin, Shari (2010-10-01). "Khaybar".Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World.Brill. pp. 148–150.doi:10.1163/1878-9781_ejiw_com_0012910.Retrieved2023-06-22– via brillonline.Khaybar's Jews appear in Arab folklore as well. [...] The Muḥamara family of the Arab village of Yutta, near Hebron, trace their descent to the Jews of Khaybar. Families in other nearby villages tell of similar lineages.
  10. ^abStillman, 1979, pp. 59 - 60
  11. ^abTal, Uri (2023).Muslim Shrines in Eretz Israel: History, Religion, Traditions, Folklore.Jerusalem: Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi. pp. 121–122.ISBN978-965-217-452-9.
  12. ^ab1995Oslo Interim Agreement.Text of the Accord
  13. ^Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 2, p.190
  14. ^abברוך, יובל; לנדס-נגר, אנט (2018). "מנהג ליקוט עצמות (Ossilegium) וקבורתן בגלוסקמות באזור דרומא לאחר ימי הבית השני: נקודת מבט ארכיאולוגית".מחקרי יהודה ושומרון.כז(1): 27.
  15. ^abאביגד, נחמן; Avigad, N. (1967)."Jewish Rock-Cut Tombs in Jerusalem and in the Judean Hill-Country / מערות-קברים יהודיות בירושלים ובהרי יהודה".Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies / ארץ-ישראל: מחקרים בידיעת הארץ ועתיקותיה.ח:137–138.ISSN0071-108X.JSTOR23616830.
  16. ^abcLowin, Shari (2010-10-01),"Khaybar",Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World,Brill, pp. 148–150,doi:10.1163/1878-9781_ejiw_com_0012910,retrieved2023-06-22,Khaybar's Jews appear in Arab folklore as well. [...] The Muḥamara family of the Arab village of Yutta, near Hebron, trace their descent to the Jews of Khaybar. Families in other nearby villages tell of similar lineages.
  17. ^abBen-Zvi, Itzhak(1967).שאר ישוב: מאמרים ופרקים בדברי ימי הישוב העברי בא "י ובחקר המולדת[She'ar Yeshuv] (in Hebrew). תל אביב תרפ "ז. pp. 407–413.
  18. ^ab"⁨פצצה גנטית ⁩ | ⁨מעריב⁩ | 8 ספטמבר 1989 | אוסף העיתונות | הספרייה הלאומית".nli.org.il(in Hebrew).Retrieved2024-02-09.
  19. ^"Yatta, Ancient and Modern".⁨⁨The Palestine Post⁩⁩.21 December 1938. p. 8.
  20. ^"The killers of Yatta".The Jerusalem Post.8 July 2016.Retrieved2022-02-16.
  21. ^abAmit, D. (1990). "Yatta – Survey." Archaeological News, 25, pp. 69-70. [Hebrew]
  22. ^abBaruch, Y. (1999). "Public Structure in the Village of Yatta in Southern Hebron Hills." Judea and Samaria Research, Volume 9, pp. 165-182. [Hebrew]
  23. ^abMarta J., 1885; “Inscription Grecque Christienne D’Yaththa”, RB, 4, pp. 66-68
  24. ^abברוך יובל, תשנ "ט," מבנה ציבור בכפר יטא שבדרום הר חברון ", מחקרי יהודה ושומרון, כרך תשיעי, עמ' 165-182
  25. ^Avi-Yonah, Michael (1976)."Gazetteer of Roman Palestine".Qedem.5:71.ISSN0333-5844.JSTOR43587090.
  26. ^Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 123
  27. ^Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p.116
  28. ^Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 2, p.628
  29. ^Guérin, 1869, pp.205-6
  30. ^Socin, 1879, p.155It was noted in the Hebron district
  31. ^Hartmann, 1883, p.142,noted 166 houses
  32. ^Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p.310
  33. ^Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p.380.
  34. ^Barron, 1923, Table V, Sub-district of Hebron, p.10
  35. ^Mills, 1932, p.34
  36. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p.23
  37. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.50
  38. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.94
  39. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.144
  40. ^Government of Jordan, 1964, p.13
  41. ^Perlmann, Joel (November 2011 – February 2012)."The 1967 Census of the West Bank and Gaza Strip: A Digitized Version"(PDF).Levy Economics Institute.Retrieved24 June2016.
  42. ^Ami Pedahzur, Arie Perliger,Jewish Terrorism in Israel,Columbia University Press, 2011, p.119
  43. ^Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces in the Occupied TerritoriesArchived2008-05-12 at theWayback MachineB'Tselem
  44. ^abPalestinian shot dead in West Bank.Al Jazeera English.2012-03-08.
  45. ^Yatta: A heritage of terrorism.Israel Hayom.2016-06-17.Archived2016-06-17 at theWayback Machine
  46. ^Paton, Callum (June 9, 2016)."Tel Aviv shooting: Israel pulls travel permits for 83,000 Palestinians in wake of cafe slayings".International Business Times.RetrievedJune 10,2016.
  47. ^Rasgon, Adam."West Bank mayor renames street to protest Bahrain hosting US-led economic summit".timesofisrael.Retrieved2019-07-01.
  48. ^Taxel, Itamar (2018-03-01)."Late Antique Ionic Column Capitals in the Countryside of Central Palestine between Provincial Trends and Classical Traditions".Studies in Late Antiquity.2(1): 84–125.doi:10.1525/sla.2018.2.1.84.ISSN2470-2048.
  49. ^Yatta Town Profile,ARIJ, p. 6
  50. ^A tragic misunderstanding,The Sunday Times,January 13, 2009.
  51. ^"Yatta, Ancient and Modern".⁨⁨The Palestine Post⁩⁩.21 December 1938. p. 8.
  52. ^"Who Are the Palestinians?".Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.Retrieved2024-02-18.
  53. ^Grossman, D. (1986). "Oscillations in the Rural Settlement of Samaria and Judaea in the Ottoman Period". inShomron studies.Dar, S., Safrai, S., (eds). Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House. p. 350-351

Bibliography

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