Bardala
Encyclopedia
Bardala is a Palestinian
village of 1,600 inhabitants in the Tubas Governorate
, located thirteen kilometers northeast of Tubas
and 28 kilometers northeast of Nablus.
s from nearby Tubas who were looking for more cultivable and grazing land.
to the west of the town, just south of the Jezreel Valley
and the border with Israel
. Its elevation is 71 meters below sea level. Nearby towns and villages include Tubas
to the northeast and Ein al-Beida
to the east. Bardala's jurisdiction was over 20,000 dunam
s, making up 4% of the Tubas Governorate's land. The built-up area of the town is 480 dunams, while 10,000 dunams are classified as agricultural land and 400 dunams have been confiscated by Israel
i authorities.
Warm climate is characteristic of the town, with hot and dry summers and cold and dry winters. The average rainfall is 293 millimeters and the average annual temperature was 21 to 22 degrees Celsius. The average humidity rate is 55%.
According to a 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS), the town's residents numbered 1,148, of which 566 were males and 582 were females. The age distribution was 49.3% between infancy and 14, 30.4% between the ages of 15 and 29, 22.8% between the ages of 30-64 and 2.8% were above the age of 65. The PCBS projected that Bardala had a population of 1,577.
Over 90% of its inhabitants belong to the town's original inhabitants, the Swafta family. The remaining 10% are refugees
from towns near Baysan in present-day Israel and Bedouin
s.
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 1,600 inhabitants in the Tubas Governorate
Tubas Governorate
The Tubas Governorate is an administrative district of the Palestinian National Authority in the northeastern West Bank. It district capital or muhfaza is the city of Tubas. In 2007, the population was 50,267.-Village councils:*Bardala*Ein al-Beida...
, located thirteen kilometers northeast of Tubas
Tubas
Tubas or Toubas is a small Palestinian city in the northeastern West Bank, located northeast of Nablus, a few kilometers west of the Jordan River. A city of over 16,000 inhabitants, it serves as the economic and administrative center of the Tubas Governorate. Its urban area consists of 2,271 dunams...
and 28 kilometers northeast of Nablus.
History
Bardala's history dates back to 1500 BCE. The word Bardala derives from Bardaweel — the name of a prince who ruled the area in ancient times. In the town lies a palace named after him. Archaeologists discovered that Bardala's wells are the oldest in the Jordan Valley. Other archealogocial sites include graves and coffins from various civilizations and al-Khader shrine. Most of the current residents of Bardala are ArabArab
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 from nearby Tubas who were looking for more cultivable and grazing land.
Geography and climate
Bardala is located is on the eastern foothill of the Jordan ValleyJordan Valley (Middle East)
The Jordan Valley forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. It is 120 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide, where it runs from Lake Tiberias in the north to northern Dead Sea in the south. It runs for an additional 155 kilometer south of the Dead Sea to Aqaba, an area also known as Wadi...
to the west of the town, just south of the 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...
and the border with Israel
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
. Its elevation is 71 meters below sea level. Nearby towns and villages include Tubas
Tubas
Tubas or Toubas is a small Palestinian city in the northeastern West Bank, located northeast of Nablus, a few kilometers west of the Jordan River. A city of over 16,000 inhabitants, it serves as the economic and administrative center of the Tubas Governorate. Its urban area consists of 2,271 dunams...
to the northeast and Ein al-Beida
Ein al-Beida
Ein al-Beida is a Palestinian village of in the Tubas Governorate in the northeastern West Bank. It has a population of about 1,050.-History:...
to the east. Bardala's jurisdiction was over 20,000 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, making up 4% of the Tubas Governorate's land. The built-up area of the town is 480 dunams, while 10,000 dunams are classified as agricultural land and 400 dunams have been confiscated by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i authorities.
Warm climate is characteristic of the town, with hot and dry summers and cold and dry winters. The average rainfall is 293 millimeters and the average annual temperature was 21 to 22 degrees Celsius. The average humidity rate is 55%.
Demographics
In 1961, Bardala had a population of 367 inhabitants which decreased to 271 in 1982 due to emigration. The population nearly doubled to 457 five years later. The entire population of Bardala comprises 3.3% of the governorate's population.According to a 1997 census 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), the town's residents numbered 1,148, of which 566 were males and 582 were females. The age distribution was 49.3% between infancy and 14, 30.4% between the ages of 15 and 29, 22.8% between the ages of 30-64 and 2.8% were above the age of 65. The PCBS projected that Bardala had a population of 1,577.
Over 90% of its inhabitants belong to the town's original inhabitants, the Swafta family. The remaining 10% are refugees
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...
from towns near Baysan in present-day Israel and Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
s.
External links
- Bardala (Fact Sheet), The Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem. February, 2006