Balad ash-Sheikh
Encyclopedia
Balad al-Sheikh or Balad ash-Shaykh is a former Palestinian
village located just north of Mount Carmel
, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) southeast of Haifa
. Currently the town's land is located within the jurisdiction of the Israel
i city, Nesher
.
.
In 1816, British traveller James Silk Buckingham
passed by "Belled-el-Sheikh". In 1875, the village was estimated at having a population of 500, and with olive, palm
trees and springs near it.
At the time of the 1931 census
, the town had 144 occupied houses and a population of 747 Muslims, including Bedouin tribes that lived nearby.
According to the British Population Survey - Village statistics 1945, the town had a total land area of 9,849 turkish dunam
s, although only 5,844 dunams were privately owned by Arab
s; most of the remainder was public property. In 1945, the town had a population of 4,120 Arab inhabitants making it one of the larger localities in the area.
The Jezreel Valley railway
line passed about 0.5 kilometre (0.310686368324903 mi) east of the village.
residents of Haifa, was established near the village and in 1935 Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
was buried there, making the area a source of tension between Jews and Arabs. The grave was vandalized in 1999.
During the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine there were many attacks on Jewish passenger buses by Arabs near Balad al-Sheikh. On May 1936, a police station was opened in Balad al-Sheikh at the expense of the village to try and prevent frequent attacks, including arson, against Jewish buses and property. On May 21 1936, a Jewish bus was shot when it was passing the village In October 1936, an engagement
between militants and the military, supported by aircraft took place near the village. On February 22, 1937, two policemen were attacked in the village, one was killed. It was stated that he was killed because he took part in the investigations of the murder of three Jews at Yagur
in 1931.
Additional attacks on Jewish buses occurred from July to October 1938.
On July 13, 1938, two buses were shot; one of them was set on fire. On July, 24 1938, 30 shots were fired at two buses. On August, 10 1938, two bombs were thrown at a Jewish bus. On October 3, 1938 three Jewish buses were fired and a bomb was thrown. On March 4, 1939, three armed Arabs fired at a Jewish bus. On April 18, 1939, a wide military and police search was conducted in Balad ash-Sheikh looking for the suspects of the killings in Haifa. A large number of Arabs were interrogated and ten were arrested.
On May 26, 1939, Mordechai Shechtman a train driver was shot in the head by two Arabs who ambushed him at the railroad switch
stop near Balad ash-Sheikh, he died soon thereafter.
resolution for the Partition Plan for Palestine several attacks occurred in the village against Jews. On December 2, 1947, a bus which brought workers from the Nesher Cement factory was shot at when it passed by the village. On December 8, 1947, residents of Balad ash-Sheikh killed 2 Jews driving near the village. On December 10, 1947 a patrol of Jewish Settlement Police
that was escorting Jewish buses on the road, fired on number of Arabs that blocked the road near the village. Several families left the village.
Following the attacks, the Jewish transportation stopped for a while, to travel through the village. The transportation from Haifa to Nesher, Yagur
and Jezreel Valley
traveled through Check Post junction, Krayot
, Kfar Hasidim
and Yagur.
On December 31, 1947, as a response to an attack a day earlier by Arabs on the oil refinery in Haifa
, Haganah troops entered the town disguised as Arabs and killed 14 residents, 10 of whom were women and children. According to Israeli historian Aryeh Yitzhaki
, the attack took place on January 30 when a coalition of Palmach
and Haganah
forces entered the town and fought mostly inside the houses. Because of this, most of the sixty residents that were killed were non-combatants. In this action, three members of the Haganah Were also killed. Following the attack, On January 7, 1948, left part of the residents of the village and were replaced by Arab volunteers who came from Haifa to defend the village. On January 15, 1948 a visitor in Nesher
went for a walk to Balad al-Sheikh. She was found later stabbed to death.
In Early April 1948, a unit of the Arab Legion
that had garrisoned the village left the area. This led the villagers to abandon the houses in the southeastern part of the village, near the Legion camp and move to the village center.
On April 22, after the Battle of Haifa, the vast majority of haifa's citizens abandoned it. At the same time many of Balad ash-Sheikh's residents left the village, including women and children.
On April 24, 1948, the Carmeli Brigade a unit of the Haganah
surrounded the village, asking the residents to hand over
all their weapons. They handed them 22 old and useless rifles and asked for Ceasefire. The Haganah replied that they should hand over all their weapons. The residents did not reply, instead they asked the British Army
for help. On April 25, At 05:00 AM the Haganah fired several shells
from three-inch mortars
. Many adults male fled and left the women and children behind. A British army unit that came at 06:00 reported that there was almost no return fire from the village. The British advised the villagers to leave the village and they did it with British escort.
Most of the fleeing or exiled residents of Balad ash-Sheikh are internally displaced Palestinians
and presently reside in various Arab neighborhoods in Haifa or Acre
.
Walid Khalidi
- a prominent Palestinian historian, described the town 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...
village located just north of Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) southeast of Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. Currently the town's land is located within the jurisdiction of the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i city, Nesher
Nesher
Nesher is a city in the Haifa District of Israel. In 2011, Nesher had a population of 23,000. The mayor of Nesher is David Amar.-Etymology:...
.
History
The town is named after Sheikh Abdullah as-Sahli, a renowned Sufi, who was granted the taxes collected from the village by Sultan Salim II. The village contains a maqam ("shrine") dedicated to him. His grave is located in the Balad al-Sheikh cemetery on Mount CarmelMount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
.
In 1816, British traveller James Silk Buckingham
James Silk Buckingham
James Silk Buckingham was an English author, journalist and traveller.He was born at Flushing near Falmouth, the son of a farmer, and had a limited education. His youth was spent at sea, and in 1797 he was captured by the French and held as a prisoner of war at Corunna...
passed by "Belled-el-Sheikh". In 1875, the village was estimated at having a population of 500, and with olive, palm
Date Palm
The date palm is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf. It is a medium-sized plant, 15–25 m tall, growing singly or forming a clump with...
trees and springs near it.
At the time of the 1931 census
1931 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...
, the town had 144 occupied houses and a population of 747 Muslims, including Bedouin tribes that lived nearby.
According to the British Population Survey - Village statistics 1945, the town had a total land area of 9,849 turkish 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, although only 5,844 dunams were privately owned by 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...
s; most of the remainder was public property. In 1945, the town had a population of 4,120 Arab inhabitants making it one of the larger localities in the area.
The Jezreel Valley railway
Jezreel Valley railway
The Jezreel Valley railway, or simply the Valley railway refers to a historical railroad in Ottoman and British Palestine, which was part of the larger Hejaz railway and ran along the Jezreel Valley....
line passed about 0.5 kilometre (0.310686368324903 mi) east of the village.
Arab-Jewish confrontations
The village was the source of attacks on Jews as early as 1929 when its residents attacked the local cement factory and burned down a women's farm. In 1934, a new cemetery for 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...
residents of Haifa, was established near the village and in 1935 Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Sheikh Muhammad Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was a Tijani Sufi who led militant activities against British, French, and Zionist organizations in the Levant in the 1920's and 1930's.-Early life:...
was buried there, making the area a source of tension between Jews and Arabs. The grave was vandalized in 1999.
During the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine there were many attacks on Jewish passenger buses by Arabs near Balad al-Sheikh. On May 1936, a police station was opened in Balad al-Sheikh at the expense of the village to try and prevent frequent attacks, including arson, against Jewish buses and property. On May 21 1936, a Jewish bus was shot when it was passing the village In October 1936, an engagement
Engagement (military)
A military engagement is a combat between two forces, neither larger than a division and not smaller than a company, in which each has an assigned or perceived mission...
between militants and the military, supported by aircraft took place near the village. On February 22, 1937, two policemen were attacked in the village, one was killed. It was stated that he was killed because he took part in the investigations of the murder of three Jews at Yagur
Yagur
Yagur is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the slopes of Mount Carmel about 9 km southeast of Haifa, it is one of the two largest kibbutzim in the country, with a population of 1,124 in 2008. It falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council....
in 1931.
Additional attacks on Jewish buses occurred from July to October 1938.
On July 13, 1938, two buses were shot; one of them was set on fire. On July, 24 1938, 30 shots were fired at two buses. On August, 10 1938, two bombs were thrown at a Jewish bus. On October 3, 1938 three Jewish buses were fired and a bomb was thrown. On March 4, 1939, three armed Arabs fired at a Jewish bus. On April 18, 1939, a wide military and police search was conducted in Balad ash-Sheikh looking for the suspects of the killings in Haifa. A large number of Arabs were interrogated and ten were arrested.
On May 26, 1939, Mordechai Shechtman a train driver was shot in the head by two Arabs who ambushed him at the railroad switch
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
stop near Balad ash-Sheikh, he died soon thereafter.
1948 Arab–Israeli War
After the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
resolution for the Partition Plan for Palestine several attacks occurred in the village against Jews. On December 2, 1947, a bus which brought workers from the Nesher Cement factory was shot at when it passed by the village. On December 8, 1947, residents of Balad ash-Sheikh killed 2 Jews driving near the village. On December 10, 1947 a patrol of Jewish Settlement Police
Jewish Settlement Police
The Jewish Settlement Police were a division of the Notrim established in Mandatory Palestine in 1936, during the Arab Revolt.-History:...
that was escorting Jewish buses on the road, fired on number of Arabs that blocked the road near the village. Several families left the village.
Following the attacks, the Jewish transportation stopped for a while, to travel through the village. The transportation from Haifa to Nesher, Yagur
Yagur
Yagur is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the slopes of Mount Carmel about 9 km southeast of Haifa, it is one of the two largest kibbutzim in the country, with a population of 1,124 in 2008. It falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council....
and Jezreel Valley
Jezreel Valley
-Etymology:The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley, though some scholars think that the name of the city originates from the name of the clan which founded it, and whose existence is mentioned in...
traveled through Check Post junction, Krayot
, Kfar Hasidim
Kfar Hasidim
Kfar Hasidim , also known as Kfar Hasidim Alef to distinguish it from Kfar Hasidim Bet, is a moshav in northern Israel. Located near Kiryat Ata, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 572....
and Yagur.
On December 31, 1947, as a response to an attack a day earlier by Arabs on the oil refinery in Haifa
Haifa Oil Refinery massacre
The Haifa Oil Refinery massacre took place on 30 December 1947. After operatives of the Zionist paramilitary organisation, the Irgun, threw a number of grenades at a crowd of 100 Arab day-labourers who had gathered outside the main gate of the then British-owned Haifa Oil Refinery looking for work,...
, Haganah troops entered the town disguised as Arabs and killed 14 residents, 10 of whom were women and children. According to Israeli historian Aryeh Yitzhaki
Aryeh Yitzhaki
Aryeh Yitzhaki is an Israeli military historian who has served as a lecturer at the Bar Ilan University Ramat Gan and as a senior lecturer in the field of military history in IDF courses for officers.-References:...
, the attack took place on January 30 when a coalition of Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
and Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
forces entered the town and fought mostly inside the houses. Because of this, most of the sixty residents that were killed were non-combatants. In this action, three members of the Haganah Were also killed. Following the attack, On January 7, 1948, left part of the residents of the village and were replaced by Arab volunteers who came from Haifa to defend the village. On January 15, 1948 a visitor in Nesher
Nesher
Nesher is a city in the Haifa District of Israel. In 2011, Nesher had a population of 23,000. The mayor of Nesher is David Amar.-Etymology:...
went for a walk to Balad al-Sheikh. She was found later stabbed to death.
In Early April 1948, a unit of the Arab Legion
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
that had garrisoned the village left the area. This led the villagers to abandon the houses in the southeastern part of the village, near the Legion camp and move to the village center.
On April 22, after the Battle of Haifa, the vast majority of haifa's citizens abandoned it. At the same time many of Balad ash-Sheikh's residents left the village, including women and children.
On April 24, 1948, the Carmeli Brigade a unit of the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
surrounded the village, asking the residents to hand over
all their weapons. They handed them 22 old and useless rifles and asked for Ceasefire. The Haganah replied that they should hand over all their weapons. The residents did not reply, instead they asked the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
for help. On April 25, At 05:00 AM the Haganah fired several shells
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
from three-inch mortars
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
. Many adults male fled and left the women and children behind. A British army unit that came at 06:00 reported that there was almost no return fire from the village. The British advised the villagers to leave the village and they did it with British escort.
Most of the fleeing or exiled residents of Balad ash-Sheikh are internally displaced Palestinians
Internally displaced Palestinians
A present absentee is a Palestinian who fled or was expelled from his home in Palestine by Jewish or Israeli forces, before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, but who remained within the area that became the state of Israel. Present absentees are also referred to as internally displaced...
and presently reside in various Arab neighborhoods in Haifa or 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....
.
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...
- a prominent Palestinian historian, described the town in 1992:
Many of the Arab houses and shops are still standing and are occupied by the settlement's inhabitants. The cemetery is visible and is in a state of neglect.
External links
- Welcome to Balad-al-Shaykh
- Balad al-Shaykh, 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...