Aqir
Encyclopedia
Aqir was a Palestinian
Arab
village in the District of Ramle located 9 km southwest of Ramla
and 1 km north of Wadi al-Nasufiyya (today called Nahal Ekron).
, that has now been identified as Tel Mikne
, 9 km to the south. The error seems rooted in antiquity; The Romans referred to the village as Accaron.
In the 10th century CE, Al-Muqaddasi
writes of Aqir (Ekron) as "A large village with a fine mosque. Its inhabitants are much given to good works. The bread here is not to be surpassed for quality. The village lies on the high road from Ar-Ramlah
to Makka
."
Yakut
called it Al Akir, and said it belonged to Ar Ramlah.
In 1596, Aqir (Amir) appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Ramla of the Liwa
of Gaza. It had a population of 31 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, and other produce.
The scholar Edward Robinson
passed by the village in 1838, and described it as being surrounded by "well-tilled gardens and fields of the richest soil". The village itself was described as being of "considerable size", built of bricks or adobe
.
In the 1870s, Aqir was described as "a mud village on low rising ground, with cactus hedges surrounding its gardens, and a well to the north."
At the time of the 1922 census of Palestine, Aqir had a population of 1155 Muslims. This had increased to 1689 Muslims and 2 Christians by the census of 1931.
Between 1941 and 1948, the RAF Aqir air base was located nearby. As of 1945 the village had a population of 2,480 with two elementary schools: one for boys, founded in 1921 which had an enrollment of 391 boys in 1945 and a second for girls, which had an enrollment of 46 girls in 1945. There were two mosques in the village.
In 1944/45, the village had 1,300 dunums of land used for citrus and banana cultivation, while 8,968 dunums were used for cereals, and 914 dunums irrigated or used for orchards.
on May 6, 1948 during Operation Barak
by the Giv'ati Brigade. The remaining village houses was taken over by Kiryat Ekron
soon after.
According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land were in 1992:
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...
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...
village in the District of Ramle located 9 km southwest of Ramla
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
and 1 km north of Wadi al-Nasufiyya (today called Nahal Ekron).
History
Until the early 20th century, Aqir was thought to lie at the site of the ancient Philistine city of EkronEkron
The city of Ekron , was one of the five cities of the famed Philistine pentapolis, located in southwestern Canaan. Ekron lies 35 kilometers west of Jerusalem, and 18 kilometers north of ancient Gath, on the eastern edge of Israel's coastal plain.-History:...
, that has now been identified as Tel Mikne
Ekron
The city of Ekron , was one of the five cities of the famed Philistine pentapolis, located in southwestern Canaan. Ekron lies 35 kilometers west of Jerusalem, and 18 kilometers north of ancient Gath, on the eastern edge of Israel's coastal plain.-History:...
, 9 km to the south. The error seems rooted in antiquity; The Romans referred to the village as Accaron.
In the 10th century CE, Al-Muqaddasi
Al-Muqaddasi
Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din Al-Muqaddasi , also transliterated as Al-Maqdisi and el-Mukaddasi, was a medieval Arab geographer, author of Ahsan at-Taqasim fi Ma`rifat il-Aqalim .-Biography:Al-Muqaddasi, "the Hierosolomite" was born in Jerusalem in 946 AD...
writes of Aqir (Ekron) as "A large village with a fine mosque. Its inhabitants are much given to good works. The bread here is not to be surpassed for quality. The village lies on the high road from Ar-Ramlah
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
to Makka
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
."
Yakut
Yakut
Yakut may refer to:* Yakuts, the Turkic people associated with the Sakha Republic* Yakut language, a Turkic language also known as Sakha.* Ruby in Turkish language* Yakut , a breed from Russia*Yakut Pony, horse breed from Siberia, Russia...
called it Al Akir, and said it belonged to Ar Ramlah.
In 1596, Aqir (Amir) appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Ramla of 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...
of Gaza. It had a population of 31 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, and other produce.
The scholar Edward Robinson
Edward Robinson (scholar)
Edward Robinson was an American biblical scholar, known as the “Father of Biblical Geography.” He has been referred to as the “founder of modern Palestinology.” -Biography:...
passed by the village in 1838, and described it as being surrounded by "well-tilled gardens and fields of the richest soil". The village itself was described as being of "considerable size", built of bricks or adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
.
In the 1870s, Aqir was described as "a mud village on low rising ground, with cactus hedges surrounding its gardens, and a well to the north."
At the time of the 1922 census of Palestine, Aqir had a population of 1155 Muslims. This had increased to 1689 Muslims and 2 Christians by the census of 1931.
Between 1941 and 1948, the RAF Aqir air base was located nearby. As of 1945 the village had a population of 2,480 with two elementary schools: one for boys, founded in 1921 which had an enrollment of 391 boys in 1945 and a second for girls, which had an enrollment of 46 girls in 1945. There were two mosques in the village.
In 1944/45, the village had 1,300 dunums of land used for citrus and banana cultivation, while 8,968 dunums were used for cereals, and 914 dunums irrigated or used for orchards.
1949, and afterward
The village was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
The 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine lasted from 30 November 1947, the date of the United Nations vote in favour of the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the UN Partition Plan, to the termination of the British Mandate itself on 14 May 1948.This period constitutes the...
on May 6, 1948 during Operation Barak
Operation Barak
Operation Barak was a Haganah offensive launched just before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. It was part of Plan Dalet. Its objective was to capture villages North of Gaza in anticipation of the arrival of the Egyptian army...
by the Giv'ati Brigade. The remaining village houses was taken over by Kiryat Ekron
Kiryat Ekron
Kiryat Ekron or Qiryath Eqron is an Israeli town located on the coastal plain in the Central Region of Israel. Kiryat Ekron is named after the biblical Ekron, a major Philistine city that once existed at nearby Tel Mikne....
soon after.
According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land were in 1992:
A number of small houses remain, several of which are occupied by Jewish families. One is a cement house with a gabled roof and rectangular doors and windows, another is similar in its features, but its roof is flat. Cypresses, cycamores and cactuses grow on the site. The surrounding lands are cultivated by Israelis.
External links
- Welcome To 'Aqir
- 'Aqir, from the 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...