Amka
Encyclopedia
Amka or Amqa is a moshav
in the Matte Asher Regional Council of Israel's North District
, near Acre. The name Amka is thought to preserve that of Beth Ha-Emek, a city mentioned in . The location of the Jewish village roughly corresponds the former Palestinian Arab
village, depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. Yemenite Jews
, who fled from the southern Arab
country of Yemen
, founded the village's successor Amka in 1949.
. During the Roman period, the village located at the same site was called Kefar Amqa. In the Byzantine period the location was probably identified with the village of "Amico".
period, it was referred to as Amca. In 1283, it was mentioned as part of the domain of the Crusaders during the hudna
between the Crusaders based in Acre
and the Mamluk
sultan al-Mansur (Qalawun
).
under the liwa'
(district) of Safad, with a population of 215. It paid taxes on a number of crops, such as wheat
, barley
, olive
s, cotton
and fruit, and on other types of produce, such as goats and beehives.
In the early 18th century the village was under control of Shaykh Najm. He had an agreement to sell the cotton
from this and other villages under his control exclusively to the Dutch
trader Paul Maashook. In return, Maashook would pay the "miri" tax normally payable by the village shaykhs. The Arab traveller al-Bakri al-Siddiqi, who toured the area in the mid-18th century, said that he prayed in the village after visiting the citadel of Atlit. In 1776 the village was used as a base by Ahmad Jazzar Pasha to crush a revolt led by Ali, one of the sons of Zahir al-Umar.
In the late 19th century, the village was described as being built of stone, situated on a slight rise in a valley, surrounded by olive and fig trees, and arable land. There were an estimated 300 Druzes living there. Later, the residents were described as Muslim
s who maintained a village mosque
. In 1887, the Ottoman authorities built a school in ´Amqa.
, Amqa had 212 occupied houses and a population of 895 Muslims. The population of Amka in 1945 was 1,240 people and the total land area of the village was over 6000 dunum.
Depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
, all that remains of the Arab village structures are an elementary school for boys, founded under Ottoman rule
in 1887 and one mosque
.
The majority of the surviving Arab buildings of Amka were completely destroyed by the Israeli army in the late 1950s on the orders of the Israeli government. The mosque and a schoolroom now used as a warehouse, are the only surviving buildings.
's 7th Brigade on July 16, 1948 during Operation Dekel
. It was largely destroyed, with the exception of its school and its mosque, and most of its inhabitants were expelled, with the exception of its former Druze
inhabitants who still live nearby. Some of the inhabitants remained in Israel as present absentees. In February 1950, the village was declared a closed area.
The modern Amka was re-established in 1949 by a group of Yemenite Jewish immigrants, who kept the name as Amka.
. During archaeological searches of the area remnants of a Byzantine church were discovered but due to the destruction of the village no foundations could be established.
The Amka mosque was inspected by Petersen in 1991. The date of the mosque construction is not known, but it bears a general similarity to the nearby mosque of Al-Ghabisiyya
, and is probably of a similar age, i.e. early 19th century.
Moshav
Moshav 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...
in the Matte Asher Regional Council of Israel's North District
North District (Israel)
The Northern District is one of Israel's six administrative districts. The Northern District has a land area of 4,478 km², which increases to 4,638 km² when both land and water are included...
, near Acre. The name Amka is thought to preserve that of Beth Ha-Emek, a city mentioned in . The location of the Jewish village roughly corresponds the former Palestinian Arab
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, 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...
. Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews are those Jews who live, or whose recent ancestors lived, in Yemen . Between June 1949 and September 1950, the overwhelming majority of Yemen's Jewish population was transported to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet...
, who fled from the southern 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...
country of Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, founded the village's successor Amka in 1949.
Ancient history
The name Amka is thought to preserve that of Beth Ha-Emek, a city mentioned in as part of the allotment of the Tribe of AsherTribe of Asher
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Asher! was one of the Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes...
. During the Roman period, the village located at the same site was called Kefar Amqa. In the Byzantine period the location was probably identified with the village of "Amico".
During the Crusades
During the CrusaderCrusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
period, it was referred to as Amca. In 1283, it was mentioned as part of the domain of the Crusaders during the hudna
Hudna
Hudna is an Arabic term meaning a temporary "truce" or "armistice" as well as "calm" or "quiet", coming from a verbal root meaning "calm". It is sometimes translated as "cease-fire"...
between the Crusaders based in Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
and the 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...
sultan al-Mansur (Qalawun
Qalawun
Saif ad-Dīn Qalawun aṣ-Ṣāliḥī was the seventh Mamluk sultan of Egypt...
).
Ottoman period
In 1596, ´Amqa was a village in the Ottoman nahiya (subdistrict) of AkkaAkka
Akka is traditionally a female spirit in Sámi and Finnish mythology.In Sámi mythology, the first akka was Maderakka and her daughters were Sarakka, Uksakka and Juksakka. Some Sámi thought they lived under their kota tents....
under the liwa'
Liwa (arabic)
Liwa or Liwa is an Arabic term meaning district, banner, or flag, a type of administrative division. It was interchangeable with the Turkish term "Sanjak" in the time of the Ottoman Empire. After the fall of the empire, the term was used in the Arab countries formerly under Ottoman rule...
(district) of Safad, with a population of 215. It paid taxes on a number of crops, such as wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, 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...
s, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and fruit, and on other types of produce, such as goats and beehives.
In the early 18th century the village was under control of Shaykh Najm. He had an agreement to sell the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
from this and other villages under his control exclusively to the Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
trader Paul Maashook. In return, Maashook would pay the "miri" tax normally payable by the village shaykhs. The Arab traveller al-Bakri al-Siddiqi, who toured the area in the mid-18th century, said that he prayed in the village after visiting the citadel of Atlit. In 1776 the village was used as a base by Ahmad Jazzar Pasha to crush a revolt led by Ali, one of the sons of Zahir al-Umar.
In the late 19th century, the village was described as being built of stone, situated on a slight rise in a valley, surrounded by olive and fig trees, and arable land. There were an estimated 300 Druzes living there. Later, the residents were described as 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 who maintained a village mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
. In 1887, the Ottoman authorities built a school in ´Amqa.
During the British Mandate
At the time of the 1931 census1931 census of Palestine
The 1931 census of Palestine was the second census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine. It was carried out on 18 November 1931 under the direction of Major E. Mills. The first census had been conducted in 1922...
, Amqa had 212 occupied houses and a population of 895 Muslims. The population of Amka in 1945 was 1,240 people and the total land area of the village was over 6000 dunum.
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...
, all that remains of the Arab village structures are an elementary school for boys, founded under Ottoman rule
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...
in 1887 and one mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
.
The majority of the surviving Arab buildings of Amka were completely destroyed by the Israeli army in the late 1950s on the orders of the Israeli government. The mosque and a schoolroom now used as a warehouse, are the only surviving buildings.
Within Israel
The village 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 7th Brigade on July 16, 1948 during Operation Dekel
Operation Dekel
Operation Dekel , was the largest offensive in the north of Israel after the first truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was carried out by the 7th Armoured Brigade, a battalion from the Carmeli Brigade along with some elements from the Golani Brigade between 8–18 July. Its objective was to...
. It was largely destroyed, with the exception of its school and its mosque, and most of its inhabitants were expelled, with the exception of its former Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
inhabitants who still live nearby. Some of the inhabitants remained in Israel as present absentees. In February 1950, the village was declared a closed area.
The modern Amka was re-established in 1949 by a group of Yemenite Jewish immigrants, who kept the name as Amka.
Archeological sites
Three khirbats ("archaeological ruins") lay within Amka's vicinity and contain the foundations of buildings, well-chiseled building stones, presses, and a cisternCistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
. During archaeological searches of the area remnants of a Byzantine church were discovered but due to the destruction of the village no foundations could be established.
The Amka mosque was inspected by Petersen in 1991. The date of the mosque construction is not known, but it bears a general similarity to the nearby mosque of Al-Ghabisiyya
Al-Ghabisiyya
Al-Ghabisiyya was an Arab village in northern Palestine, 16 km north-east of Acre in present-day Israel. It was depopulated by the Israel Defence Forces during the 1948-1950 period and remains deserted.-History:...
, and is probably of a similar age, i.e. early 19th century.
External links and references
- 3amqa, Dr. Moslih Kanaaneh