Al-Dawayima
Encyclopedia
Al-Dawayima was a Palestinian
town, located 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) northwest of the city of Hebron
. It is identified with the Old Testament
town of Bosqat. According to a 1945 census, the town's population was 3,710, and the village lands comprised a total land area of 60,585 dunum
s of which nearly half was cultivable. The population figures for this town also included the populations of nearby khirbats, or ancient villages.
conquest and settlement of Palestine in the seventh century.
In the late nineteenth century, al-Dawayima was described as a village on a high stony ridge that had olive
groves beneath it. On a higher ridge to the west stood a shrine that was topped by a white stone.
The people of al-Dawayima were Muslim
s. They maintained several religious shrines, chief among them the shrine of Shaykh ´Ali. This shrine had a large courtyard, a number of rooms, and one large hall for prayers, and was surrounded by fig and carob trees and cactuses. It attracted visitors from the neighboring villages. A mosque was located in the village center, it was maintained by the followers of al-tariqa
al-khalwatiyya, a Sufi mystic order founded by Shaykh Umar al-Khalwati (d.1397) The villagers expanded and renovated the mosque in the 1930s, and added a tall minaret.
By 1944/45 21,191 dunums of village land were allotted to cereals, while 1,206 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
's Eighty Ninth Battalion (commanded by Dov Chesis) of the 8th Armored Brigade led by the founder of the Palmach
, Yitzhak Sadeh
, after Operation Yoav
on 29 October 1948. Five days after the start of the truce. It was the site of the al-Dawayima massacre
in which 80-100 people were killed including women and children.
The massacre was cited by Yigal Allon as the reason for the halting of the creeping annexation that included Bayt Jibrin
, Qubeiba
and Tel Maresha.
The Jewish town of Amatzya is located on lands belonging to Al-Dawayima.
According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
:
(MOIFA) collection at Santa Fe
. The dress is of hand-woven blue indigo
linen
. The embroidery is in predominantly red silk cross-stitch, with touches of violet, orange, yellow, white, green and black. The upper half of the qabbeh (the square chest panel) is embroidered with alternating columns of diamonds, (a pattern known as el-ferraneh), and eight-pointed stars, (called qamr ("moons")). The lower half of the qabbeh is in the qelayed ("necklaces") pattern. The side-panels of the skirt are completely covered with embroidered columns. Among the patterns used here are: nakhleh ("palm") motif, ward-wil-aleq ("rose-and-leech") and khem-el-basha ("the pashas tent"). Each column is topped with various trees. There is no embroidery on the long, pointed sleeves.
Families =
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...
town, located 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) northwest of the city of Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
. It is identified with the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
town of Bosqat. According to a 1945 census, the town's population was 3,710, and the village lands comprised a total land area of 60,585 dunum
Dunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
s of which nearly half was cultivable. The population figures for this town also included the populations of nearby khirbats, or ancient villages.
History
The "core clan" of Al-Dawayima were the Ahdibs, who traced their origin to the MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
conquest and settlement of Palestine in the seventh century.
In the late nineteenth century, al-Dawayima was described as a village on a high stony ridge that had olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
groves beneath it. On a higher ridge to the west stood a shrine that was topped by a white stone.
The people of al-Dawayima were Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s. They maintained several religious shrines, chief among them the shrine of Shaykh ´Ali. This shrine had a large courtyard, a number of rooms, and one large hall for prayers, and was surrounded by fig and carob trees and cactuses. It attracted visitors from the neighboring villages. A mosque was located in the village center, it was maintained by the followers of al-tariqa
Tariqah
A tariqa is an Islamic religious order. In Sufism one starts with Islamic law, the exoteric or mundane practice of Islam and then is initiated onto the mystical path of a tariqa. Through spiritual practices and guidance of a tariqa the aspirant seeks ḥaqīqah - ultimate truth.-Meaning:A tariqa is a...
al-khalwatiyya, a Sufi mystic order founded by Shaykh Umar al-Khalwati (d.1397) The villagers expanded and renovated the mosque in the 1930s, and added a tall minaret.
By 1944/45 21,191 dunums of village land were allotted to cereals, while 1,206 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
1948 War and aftermath
Al-Dawaymima was captured by IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's Eighty Ninth Battalion (commanded by Dov Chesis) of the 8th Armored Brigade led by the founder 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...
, Yitzhak Sadeh
Yitzhak Sadeh
Yitzhak Sadeh , was the commander of the Palmach, one of the founders of the Israel Defense Forces at the time of the establishment of the State of Israel and a cousin of British philosopher Isaiah Berlin.-Biography:...
, after Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Egyptian forces along the coast and the Beersheba–Hebron–Jerusalem road and ultimately to conquer the whole Negev...
on 29 October 1948. Five days after the start of the truce. It was the site of the al-Dawayima massacre
Al-Dawayima massacre
On October 28, 1948, the Arab town al-Dawayima was conquered by the IDF's 89th Commando Battalion during the Operation Yoav. The Battalion, whose first commander was Moshe Dayan, was composed of former Irgun and Lehi forces...
in which 80-100 people were killed including women and children.
The massacre was cited by Yigal Allon as the reason for the halting of the creeping annexation that included Bayt Jibrin
Bayt Jibrin
Bayt Jibrin was a Palestinian Arab village located northwest of the city of Hebron. The village had a total land area of 56,185 dunams or , of which were built-up while the rest remained farmland.The early inhabitants of Bayt Jibrin are the Canaanites...
, Qubeiba
Al-Qubayba
al-Qubayba was a Palestinian village, located 24 kilometers northwest of Hebron.-History:Known in Crusader times as Deirelcobebe, the ruins of the ancient Canaanite city of Lachish lay adjacent to the village, which was subject to extensive archaeological excavations by the British Mandatory...
and Tel Maresha.
The Jewish town of Amatzya is located on lands belonging to Al-Dawayima.
According to the 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...
:
"The site has been fenced in. A cowshed, a chicken coop, and granaries have been built at its center (which has been leveled). The southern side of the site contains stone terraces and the remnants of a house. The eastern side is occupied by the residential area of the moshavMoshavMoshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
."
Culture
A woman's thob (loose fitting robe with sleeves) dated to about 1910 that was produced in Al-Dawayima is part of the Museum of International Folk ArtMuseum of International Folk Art
The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs...
(MOIFA) collection at Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
. The dress is of hand-woven blue indigo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
. The embroidery is in predominantly red silk cross-stitch, with touches of violet, orange, yellow, white, green and black. The upper half of the qabbeh (the square chest panel) is embroidered with alternating columns of diamonds, (a pattern known as el-ferraneh), and eight-pointed stars, (called qamr ("moons")). The lower half of the qabbeh is in the qelayed ("necklaces") pattern. The side-panels of the skirt are completely covered with embroidered columns. Among the patterns used here are: nakhleh ("palm") motif, ward-wil-aleq ("rose-and-leech") and khem-el-basha ("the pashas tent"). Each column is topped with various trees. There is no embroidery on the long, pointed sleeves.
In popular culture
- In the 2008 film Salt of this SeaSalt of this SeaSalt of this Sea is a 2008 Palestinian film directed by Annemarie Jacir. It is Palestine's submission to the 81st Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film-Awards:* FIPRESCI PRIZE - INTERNATIONAL CRITICS AWARD...
, Al-Dawayima is the village which Emad, the male protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, hails from. The village ruins serve as the temporary residence of the main characters, Emad and Soraya. The film is dedicated to the memory of the Al-Dawayima massacreAl-Dawayima massacreOn October 28, 1948, the Arab town al-Dawayima was conquered by the IDF's 89th Commando Battalion during the Operation Yoav. The Battalion, whose first commander was Moshe Dayan, was composed of former Irgun and Lehi forces...
.
Families =
- Al-Adarbeh(العداربة)
- Al-Mallad (الملاد)
- Al-Khodour (الخضور)
- Al-Hijouj (الحجوج)
- Al-Ababeed (العبابيد)
- Basbous (بصبوص)
- Hamdan (حمدان)
- Abu Matr (أبو مطر)
- Shahin (شاهين)
- ابورحمة
- الأطرش
- أبو صقير
- هديب
- مسعد
- العيسه
- عبد الدين
- نشوان
- عفانه
- النجار
- El-Ghawanmeh الغوانمه
- أبو غليون
- أبو حلتم
- المناصرة
- صندوقه
- حرب
- أبومعيلش
- أبو صفية
- أبو ريان
- غانم
- العبسي
- أبوحليمة
- الجمرة
- عيد
- الترك
- زبن
- الجواودة
- أبو خضرة
- أبوغالية
- حنيف
- سعادة
- الخطيب
- أبوصبيح
- السباتين
- عشا
- ابوفروه
- القطيشات
- القيسيه
See also
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
- List of villages depopulated during the Arab-Israeli conflict
- al-Dawayima massacreAl-Dawayima massacreOn October 28, 1948, the Arab town al-Dawayima was conquered by the IDF's 89th Commando Battalion during the Operation Yoav. The Battalion, whose first commander was Moshe Dayan, was composed of former Irgun and Lehi forces...
- Palestinian costumesPalestinian costumesPalestinian costumes are the traditional clothing worn by Palestinians. Foreign travelers to Palestine in the 19th and early 20th centuries often commented on the rich variety of the costumes worn, particularly by the fellaheen or village women...
External links
- Welcome to al-Dawayima
- al-Dawayima 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...