Al-Samiriyya
Al-Samiriyya (Arabic: السامرية), was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Baysan. It was depopulated by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on May 27, 1948, as part of Operation Gideon. It was located 7 km southeast of Baysan.
Al-Samiriyya السامرية Samiriya, al-[1] | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: Kh. es Sâmrîyeh, ruin of the Samaritans[2] | |
  Al-Samiriyya | |
| Coordinates: 32°26′15″N 35°29′14″E | |
| Palestine grid | 196/204 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Baysan |
| Date of depopulation | May 27, 1948[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,873 dunams (3.873 km2 or 1.495 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
| • Total | 250[3][4] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Sdei Trumot[5] |
History
The village had a mosque and three Khirbas: Khirbat al-Humra, Tulul al-Thawm, and Tall al-Khab.[5]
Ottoman era
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine found at Khurbet es Samriyeh: "Ruined walls and traces of ruins alone remain. The place has, however, the appearance of an ancient site, and is well supplied with water."[6] Of Khurbet el Humra they noted: "A few walls standing and a ruined mill. No indications of antiquity exist",[7] while of Tellûl eth Thŭm they noted: "Artificial mounds; a stream of water to the north."[8]
British Mandate era
In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the Mandatory Palestine authorities, Samriyeh had a population of 162; all Muslims,[9] increasing in the 1931 census to 181 Muslims, in a total of 41 houses.[10]
In the 1945 statistics the village had a population of 250; 240 Muslims and 10 Christians,[3] with a total of 3,873 dunums of land.[4] Of this, 11 dunums were irrigated or used for plantation, 2,801 were for cereals,[11] while 22 dunams were built-up land.[12]
1948, aftermath
The village became depopulated in May, 1948, after the Arab inhabitants of Baysan had been expelled.[1][13][14]
In 1951 Sdei Trumot was established on village land, just north of the village site.[5]
In 1992 the village site was described: "Only collapsed roofs remain, they are located on the western edge of the Sdei Trumot settlement."[5]
References
- Morris, 2004, p. xvii, village #129. Also gives cause of depopulation
- Palmer, 1881, p. 163
- Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 7
- Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 44
- Khalidi, 1992, p. 59
- Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 123
- Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 122
- Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 128
- Barron, 1923, Table IX, p. 31
- Mills, 1932, p. 80
- Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 85
- Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 135
- Morris, 2004, p. 228, note #484
- Morris, 2004, p. 291, note #484
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. 2. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Department of Statistics (1945). Village Statistics, April, 1945. Government of Palestine.
- Hadawi, S. (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center. Archived from the original on 2018-12-08. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
- Khalidi, W. (1992). All That Remains:The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
- Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
- Morris, B. (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. 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.
External links
- Welcome To al-Samiriyya
- al-Samiriyya, Zochrot
- Survey of Western Palestine, map 9: IAA, Wikimedia commons
