Ein Siniya
Encyclopedia
Ein Siniya is a small Palestinian
village of over 700 people in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Ramallah
, and a mile northeast from Jifna
. It is situated on the mountainous spine that runs north-south across the West Bank
at an elevation of 759 metres (2,490.2 ft) above sea level.
's rule by the Ottoman Empire
(16th-19th centuries), Ein Siniya was located in the sheikhdom of Bani Zeid
, in the District of Jerusalem. In 1556, it was the smallest village in the sheikhdom, having under ten households. The village was the property of a wealthy Arab native of Jerusalem who influenced authorities to build a carriage road next to Ein Siniya to benefit the village.
Moshe Sharet, who later became Israel
's second Prime Minister
lived in the village in his childhood, when his family attempted to live in the area.
, and in 1922 numbered 114. According to Sami Hadawi
's 1945 land and population survey, Ein Siniya had a population of 330 inhabitants and a total land area of 2,724 dunam
s, most of which was Arab
-owned. Its built-up area consisted of 21 dunams, while 2,404 dunams were cultivated. Unlike other Arab villages in the area, Ein Siniya grew mulberry and walnut trees in abundance instead of olive or fig groves.
Much of the population fled during the 1967 Six-Day War
and only by 1982 did the population reach roughly what it was in 1945, 333. It grew to 482 in 1987, and then 533 in the census carried out by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS) a decade later. The main cause of growth of Ein Siniya which was nearly empty after the 1967 war was an influx of Palestinian refugee
s, who by 1997 constituted over half of the population (52.3%). According to the PCBS, Ein Siniya had a population of 702 in 2004, rising to 753 in mid-year 2006. In the 2007 PCBS census, there were 711 people living in the town.
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...
village of over 700 people in 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...
, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) 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...
, and a mile northeast from 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...
. It is situated on the mountainous spine that runs north-south across the 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...
at an elevation of 759 metres (2,490.2 ft) above sea level.
History
During PalestinePalestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
's rule by 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...
(16th-19th centuries), Ein Siniya was located in the sheikhdom of Bani Zeid
Bani Zeid
Bani Zeid is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, located northwest of Ramallah in the north-central West Bank and about south-west of Salfit. A town of 5,515 inhabitants, Bani Zeid was created as a merger between the villages of Deir Ghassaneh and Beit Rima...
, in the District of Jerusalem. In 1556, it was the smallest village in the sheikhdom, having under ten households. The village was the property of a wealthy Arab native of Jerusalem who influenced authorities to build a carriage road next to Ein Siniya to benefit the village.
Moshe Sharet, who later became Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's second Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
lived in the village in his childhood, when his family attempted to live in the area.
Demographics and land
In 1907 the population was 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...
, and in 1922 numbered 114. According to Sami Hadawi
Sami 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 1945 land and population survey, Ein Siniya had a population of 330 inhabitants and a total land area of 2,724 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, most of which was 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...
-owned. Its built-up area consisted of 21 dunams, while 2,404 dunams were cultivated. Unlike other Arab villages in the area, Ein Siniya grew mulberry and walnut trees in abundance instead of olive or fig groves.
Much of the population fled during the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
and only by 1982 did the population reach roughly what it was in 1945, 333. It grew to 482 in 1987, and then 533 in the census carried out by 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....
(PCBS) a decade later. The main cause of growth of Ein Siniya which was nearly empty after the 1967 war was an influx of Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s, who by 1997 constituted over half of the population (52.3%). According to the PCBS, Ein Siniya had a population of 702 in 2004, rising to 753 in mid-year 2006. In the 2007 PCBS census, there were 711 people living in the town.