Abil al-Qamh
Encyclopedia
Abil al-Qamh was a Palestinian
Arab
village located 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) north of Safad and 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) south of the Lebanese-Israeli border. It was built in a hilly area north of the Hula Valley.
in 1468 BCE. During the Israelite
period, under the reign of David
, it was fortified, and later conquered by the Arameans. Then, it was incorporated into the Assyrian Empire in 734 BCE where it was known as Abel-Beth-Ma'aka.
Under Mamluk
rule in 1226 CE, Arab
geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi
mentions Abil al-Qamh as a village belonging to Banias
, between Damascus
and the Mediterranean Sea
. Its Arabic
name derives from its Aramaic
; The first part of its name abil means "meadow" and the latter part qamh means "wheat".
In 1517, Abil al-Qamh was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire
, and by 1596 it was under the administration of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Tibnin, part of Sanjak Safad. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, beehives, vineyards, and goats. In the late 19th century, the village was described as near a stream, and containing a church and ancient ruins.
It was a part of the French Mandate of Lebanon
until 1923 when it incorporated into the British Mandate in Palestine in the first half of the 20th century, Abil al-Qamh had a triangular outline that conformed to the hill on which it was built. Agriculture was the basis of its economy, and the village's abundant water supply earned it the local name of Abil al-Mayya meaning the "Meadow of Water". In 1944/45 the village had a total of 3,535 dunums allocated to cereals; while 299 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
Abil al-Qamh was captured and depopulated on May 10, 1948 by the First Battalion of the Palmach
commanded by Yigal Allon
in Operation Yifatch. There was no fighting in the village, but after the fall of Safad to Israel
and from a "whispering campaign" by local Jewish leaders to the heads of Arab villages (makhatir) warning them of massive Jewish reinforcements arriving in the Galilee
, the residents of Abil al-Qamh fled.
In 1952, Israel established the town of Yuval
on village lands, 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) from the village site. The site itself is "overgrown with grasses and weed. A grove of trees stands in the northeast corner, and stones from destroyed houses are strewn throughout the site...," according to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
. In recent years, Hezbollah has claimed that Abil al-Qamh and six other depopulated border villages belong to Lebanon
.
's land and population survey in 1945. The village had a mixed population of 230 Shia Muslims and 100 Arab Christians.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
village located 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) north of Safad and 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) south of the Lebanese-Israeli border. It was built in a hilly area north of the Hula Valley.
History
Abil al-Qamh was established on a site that had been inhabited since 2900 BCE and remained populated for over 2,000 years. It was captured by Thutmose IIIThutmose III
Thutmose III was the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. During the first twenty-two years of Thutmose's reign he was co-regent with his stepmother, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharaoh...
in 1468 BCE. During the Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
period, under the reign of David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
, it was fortified, and later conquered by the Arameans. Then, it was incorporated into the Assyrian Empire in 734 BCE where it was known as Abel-Beth-Ma'aka.
Under Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
rule in 1226 CE, Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi
Yaqut al-Hamawi
Yāqūt ibn-'Abdullah al-Rūmī al-Hamawī) was an Islamic biographer and geographer renowned for his encyclopedic writings on the Muslim world. "al-Rumi" refers to his Greek descent; "al-Hamawi" means that he is from Hama, Syria, and ibn-Abdullah is a reference to his father's name, Abdullah...
mentions Abil al-Qamh as a village belonging to Banias
Banias
Banias is an archaeological site by the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi, located at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights...
, between Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. Its Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
name derives from its Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
; The first part of its name abil means "meadow" and the latter part qamh means "wheat".
In 1517, Abil al-Qamh was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and by 1596 it was under the administration of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Tibnin, part of Sanjak Safad. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, beehives, vineyards, and goats. In the late 19th century, the village was described as near a stream, and containing a church and ancient ruins.
It was a part of the French Mandate of Lebanon
French Mandate of Lebanon
The state of Greater Lebanon, the predecessor of modern Lebanon, was created in 1920 as part of the French scheme of dividing the French Mandate of Syria into six states....
until 1923 when it incorporated into the British Mandate in Palestine in the first half of the 20th century, Abil al-Qamh had a triangular outline that conformed to the hill on which it was built. Agriculture was the basis of its economy, and the village's abundant water supply earned it the local name of Abil al-Mayya meaning the "Meadow of Water". In 1944/45 the village had a total of 3,535 dunums allocated to cereals; while 299 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
Abil al-Qamh was captured and depopulated on May 10, 1948 by the First Battalion of the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
commanded by Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon was an Israeli politician, a commander of the Palmach, and a general in the IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Israeli Labor party, and acting Prime Minister of Israel, and was a member of the Knesset and government minister from the 10th through the...
in Operation Yifatch. There was no fighting in the village, but after the fall of Safad to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and from a "whispering campaign" by local Jewish leaders to the heads of Arab villages (makhatir) warning them of massive Jewish reinforcements arriving in the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
, the residents of Abil al-Qamh fled.
In 1952, Israel established the town of Yuval
Yuval
Yuval is a Hebrew first name. It means stream, brook, or tributary. In Hebrew, Yuval , was the son of Lamech and Adah, a brother of Jabal, a descendant of Cain, according to the Bible. The ancestor of all who played the lyre and pipe .The name Yuval is a common name to give to both male and...
on village lands, 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) from the village site. The site itself is "overgrown with grasses and weed. A grove of trees stands in the northeast corner, and stones from destroyed houses are strewn throughout the site...," according to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi is an Oxford University-educated Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is General Secretary and co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an independent research and publishing center...
. In recent years, Hezbollah has claimed that Abil al-Qamh and six other depopulated border villages belong to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
Demographics
According to Ottoman records in 1596, Abil al-Qamh had a population of 143. In 1931, the British recorded a population 229. The population rose to 330 Arabs, according to Sami HadawiSami Hadawi
Sami Hadawi was a Palestinian scholar and author. He is known for documenting the effects of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on the Arab population in Palestine and published statistics for individual villages prior to Israel's establishment. Hadawi worked as a land specialist until he was exiled from...
's land and population survey in 1945. The village had a mixed population of 230 Shia Muslims and 100 Arab Christians.
See also
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
- Metawali
- Seven Lebanese VillagesSeven Lebanese VillagesThe Seven Lebanese Villages refers to the seven Lebanese villages of Tarbikha, Saliha, Malkiyeh, Nabi Yusha, Qadas, Hunin, and Abil al-Qamh located in what is today Northern Israel...
External links
- Welcome to Abil-al-Qamh
- Abil al-Qamh, at Khalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural Center is an organization established in 1996. It is located at 4 Raja Street, Ramallah in the West Bank. The traditional manor that houses the centre was the former family home of Khalil Salem Salah, the mayor of Ramallah between 1947/1951, is now owned by the Palestinian...
- Abil al-Qamh, Dr. Khalil Rizk.