Dura al-Qar'
Encyclopedia
Dura al-Qar' is a Palestinian
town in the central West Bank
, part of the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
, located four kilometers north of Ramallah
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
, Dura al-Qar' had a population of 2,897 inhabitants in 2007.
The town's total land area is 4,016 dunam
s, of which 2,891 dunams have been appropriated by Israel
mostly for the purpose of building a by-pass road. According to Dura al-Qar's village council, 142 families have been directly affected by the confiscations and 58% of the town's population depend on those lands as main sources of income. Nearby towns include Jifna
to the north and Ein Yabrud
to the east and Beitin
to the south, and ((yabrud))to the eastern north.
Dura al-Qar's archaeological history dates back to the Roman Empire
, due to excavations of Roman pools, canals and burial tombs. Several restorations have been carried out to protect these sites as conservation areas. The village has a traditional irrigation system and receives water from seven springs and eight irrigation pools.
On August 14, 1995, a Kheir Abdel Hafid Qassem, a 24-year-old Palestinian man was shot dead by an Israeli settler, and many of peoplehave arrested, while he and about a 100 other residents of Dura al-Qar' were attempting to drive away settlers by tearing down Israeli canvas shelters and cinder-block buildings outside of the village.
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 in the central West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, part of the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
The Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate is one of 16 Governorates of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It covers a large part of the central West Bank, on the northern border of the Jerusalem Governorate. Its district capital or muhfaza is the city of al-Bireh.According to the Palestinian Central...
, located four kilometers north of Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is the statistical organization under the umbrella of the Palestinian Cabinet of the Palestinian National Authority....
, Dura al-Qar' had a population of 2,897 inhabitants in 2007.
The town's total land area is 4,016 dunam
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 2,891 dunams have been appropriated by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
mostly for the purpose of building a by-pass road. According to Dura al-Qar's village council, 142 families have been directly affected by the confiscations and 58% of the town's population depend on those lands as main sources of income. Nearby towns include Jifna
Jifna
Jifna is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank, Palestinian Territories, located north of Ramallah and north of Jerusalem. A village of about 1,400 people, Jifna has retained a Christian majority since the 6th century CE...
to the north and Ein Yabrud
Ein Yabrud
Ein Yabrud is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank. It is located approximately 7 km northeast of the city of Ramallah and its elevation is 800 m. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics the town had a population of 3,000...
to the east and Beitin
Beitin
Beitin is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank, located northeast of Ramallah along the Ramallah-Nablus road...
to the south, and ((yabrud))to the eastern north.
Dura al-Qar's archaeological history dates back to the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, due to excavations of Roman pools, canals and burial tombs. Several restorations have been carried out to protect these sites as conservation areas. The village has a traditional irrigation system and receives water from seven springs and eight irrigation pools.
On August 14, 1995, a Kheir Abdel Hafid Qassem, a 24-year-old Palestinian man was shot dead by an Israeli settler, and many of peoplehave arrested, while he and about a 100 other residents of Dura al-Qar' were attempting to drive away settlers by tearing down Israeli canvas shelters and cinder-block buildings outside of the village.