Al-Nabi Yusha'
Encyclopedia
Al-Nabi Yusha'
Al-Nabi Yusha' ( was a small Lebanese
village in the Galilee
situated 17 kilometers to the northeast of Safad, with an elevation of 375 meters above sea level. It became part of the Palestine Mandate under British control from 1923 until 1948, when it was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. The village is surrounded by forest land overlooking the Hula Valley.
The population of the village was Shi'a Muslim. At the end of World War I it was under French control, and the 1920 boundary agreement
between Britain and French placed it in Lebanon. At the time of the census conducted by the French in 1921, the villagers were granted Lebanese citizenship. However the Boundary Commission established by the 1920 agreement shifted the border, leaving the village in Palestine. Transfer of control to the British authorities was not complete until 1924.
During the Mandate period, the British built a police station
in the village. The people of al-Nabi Yusha’, all of whom were Shia Muslims, held an annual mawsim, or pilgrimage and festival on the fifteenth of the month Sha'aban
(the eighth month of the Islamic calendar
). The Mawsim was similar to that of the Al-Nabi Rubin, Ramla, festival.
The village was home to 52 residents in 1931 (12 households), growing to 70 in 1945, and 81 (18 households) by 1948 when it was depopulated. The village occupied an area of 3,617 dunams, all private except for a 1 dunam public land. In 1944/45 the village had 640 dunams of land used for cereals.
under Operation Yiftach
led by Israeli army officer Yigal Allon
who later became a key Zionist figure. Most of its residents ended up in refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria. In 1998, the decedents of Al-Nabi Yusha' refugees were estimated at 499.
The Israeli moshav Ramot Naftali
was established in 1945 south of the village, and since 1948 includes Al-Nabi Yusha' land. It is located close to the border between Al-Nabi Yusha' and the lands of Mallaha
.
The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
described the village remains in 1992 as: "The site has been fenced in with barbed wire and is buried under rubble, making access difficult. However, some evidence of the village remains: fragments of houses, tombs in the village's cemetery, and the shrine of al-Nabi Yusha'. The two domes and arched entrance of the main part of the shrine are still intact, but the thick stone walls of the rooms attached to it are broken and the entire complex of buildings is neglected; weeds sprouts from the roof. The village site is surrounded by fig trees and cactuses,. The flat lands around the site are planted by Israeli farmers with apple trees, while the sloping parts are wooded or used as pasture."
The shrine was surveyed by the British School of Archaelology in 1994, who described it as rectangular structure formed around a courtyard
, aligned north-south, which was entered through a gateway on the north end. The principal rooms were at the south end of the courtyard, with two major dome
d chambers, of which the west chamber was found to be the oldest in the whole shrine complex.
Al-Nabi Yusha' ( was a small Lebanese
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
village 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...
situated 17 kilometers to the northeast of Safad, with an elevation of 375 meters above sea level. It became part of the Palestine Mandate under British control from 1923 until 1948, when it was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. The village is surrounded by forest land overlooking the Hula Valley.
History
During the late eighteenth century, a family known as al-GhuI established the shrine for Nabi Yusha’ ("Prophet Joshua"), which included a mosque and a building for visitors, as an act of devotion. This family, also called the "servants of the shrine," numbered about fifty and were the first to settle the site; they cultivated the surrounding land, and the place subsequently evolved into a village.The population of the village was Shi'a Muslim. At the end of World War I it was under French control, and the 1920 boundary agreement
Franco-British Boundary Agreement (1920)
The Franco-British Boundary Agreement of 1920, properly called the Franco-British Convention on Certain Points Connected with the Mandates for Syria and the Lebanon, Palestine and Mesopotamia, was an agreement signed between the British and French governments in Paris, on 23 December 1920...
between Britain and French placed it in Lebanon. At the time of the census conducted by the French in 1921, the villagers were granted Lebanese citizenship. However the Boundary Commission established by the 1920 agreement shifted the border, leaving the village in Palestine. Transfer of control to the British authorities was not complete until 1924.
During the Mandate period, the British built a police station
Metzudat Koach
The Metzudat Koach Memorial commemorates 28 soldiers who died during the 1948 conquest of a strategically important fort. The fort and observation point is located in the Upper Galilee, close to the tomb of Nabi Yusha...
in the village. The people of al-Nabi Yusha’, all of whom were Shia Muslims, held an annual mawsim, or pilgrimage and festival on the fifteenth of the month Sha'aban
Sha'aban
Sha'aban is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar.This is the month of ‘separation’, so called because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water...
(the eighth month of the Islamic calendar
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
). The Mawsim was similar to that of the Al-Nabi Rubin, Ramla, festival.
The village was home to 52 residents in 1931 (12 households), growing to 70 in 1945, and 81 (18 households) by 1948 when it was depopulated. The village occupied an area of 3,617 dunams, all private except for a 1 dunam public land. In 1944/45 the village had 640 dunams of land used for cereals.
1948 war, and aftermath
Al-Nabi Yusha' was depopulated on May 16, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
under Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach was an offensive of the Israeli Haganah between 28 April and 29 May 1948 aimed at capturing the eastern Galilee. The central objectives were the capture of Safed and the securing of the Lebanese and Syrian borders before the British Mandate ended on 14 May 1948...
led by Israeli army officer 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...
who later became a key Zionist figure. Most of its residents ended up in refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria. In 1998, the decedents of Al-Nabi Yusha' refugees were estimated at 499.
The Israeli moshav Ramot Naftali
Ramot Naftali
Ramot Naftali is a moshav in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, near Israel's border with Lebanon. It belongs to Mevo'ot HaHermon Regional Council....
was established in 1945 south of the village, and since 1948 includes Al-Nabi Yusha' land. It is located close to the border between Al-Nabi Yusha' and the lands of Mallaha
Mallaha
Mallaha was a Palestinian Arab village, located northeast of Safed, on the highway between the latter and Tiberias. 'Ain Mallaha is the local Arabic name for a spring that served as the water source for the village inhabitants throughout the ages...
.
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...
described the village remains in 1992 as: "The site has been fenced in with barbed wire and is buried under rubble, making access difficult. However, some evidence of the village remains: fragments of houses, tombs in the village's cemetery, and the shrine of al-Nabi Yusha'. The two domes and arched entrance of the main part of the shrine are still intact, but the thick stone walls of the rooms attached to it are broken and the entire complex of buildings is neglected; weeds sprouts from the roof. The village site is surrounded by fig trees and cactuses,. The flat lands around the site are planted by Israeli farmers with apple trees, while the sloping parts are wooded or used as pasture."
The shrine was surveyed by the British School of Archaelology in 1994, who described it as rectangular structure formed around a courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
, aligned north-south, which was entered through a gateway on the north end. The principal rooms were at the south end of the courtyard, with two major dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
d chambers, of which the west chamber was found to be the oldest in the whole shrine complex.
See also
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
- Metzudat KoachMetzudat KoachThe Metzudat Koach Memorial commemorates 28 soldiers who died during the 1948 conquest of a strategically important fort. The fort and observation point is located in the Upper Galilee, close to the tomb of Nabi Yusha...
- 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 al-Nabi Yusha', Palestine Remembered
- al-Nabi Yusha', 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...
- Al-Nabi Yusha’, Dr. Khalil Rizk.
- UN map of the 1947 plan
- The Destroyed Palestinian Villages on Google Earth
