Bayt Jiz
Encyclopedia
Bayt Jiz was a Palestinian
Arab
village situated on undulating land in the western foothills of the Jerusalem heights, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southwest of Ramla
. In 1945, it had a population of 550. It was captured by Israel
i forces in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, and its inhabitants fled the village.
and has been linked to the Crusader
settlement of Gith, although the latter association was dubbed as doubtful by some historians. Gith was one of five villages within the Lydda
diocese, in which the canons
of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
were permitted by the village bishop to have or build a church and control half the village's tithes.
Bayt Jiz is not recorded in early Arab
ic sources. The Survey of Western Palestine, taken in 1881, mentions that Khirbet Bayt Jiz had "Traces of ruins and a sacred maqam... There are foundations and cisterns among the ruins." According to local legend, the maqam ("sacred Muslim tomb") was built in 1334 to house the sarcophagus of Shaykh Zayd, a local sage. A stone with Arabic inscriptions was found near the maqam, attributing the building of the structure to a Mamluk
commander named Sayf ad-Din Aqul. It is the only evidence of early Islam
ic activity in the village thus far.
The modern village of Bayt Jiz was founded in the early 20th century. It had a rectangular plan, narrow streets, and houses constructed of mud and stone (there were 67 houses in 1931). The village center included a mosque
, some shops, and a school built in 1947, shared with nearby Bayt Susin
. Bayt Jiz's economy was based on agriculture, with the main crops being grains, figs, vegetables, almonds, and olives. A part of the surrounding land was grassland, enabling the villagers to raise sheep and goats.
i historian Benny Morris
, the residents of Bayt Jiz fled their village following an Israeli military assault against it on April 20, 1948. Nevertheless, Palestinian historian Aref al-Aref
points out that the village had not been evacuated for the first assault of the Battle of Latrun that took place on May 22. He points out that the Israeli attack partly failed because the Israeli forces had received mistaken reports that the village had been evacuated. Consequently, they were surprised to encounter fierce resistance from the local militia as well as from Jordan
ian regulars in the Latrun
sector who sent troops to the village.
Bayt Jiz was occupied by the Sheva Brigade of the Haganah
in the interval between the first and second assaults on Latrun in late May 1948
. A New York Times correspondent reported that the unsuccessful Israeli assault on Latrun spread to Bayt Jiz on May 25. He noted the battle around the village was the "biggest, single clash of the war to date". An Israeli army official announced the capture of Bayt Jiz on May 27, but al-Aref puts it at May 30.
A few days after, the Burma Road
that crossed the village of Bayt Jiz was built by Israeli to counter the Latrun sector and to supply Jerusalem.
Three Jewish settlements were built on village lands, including Har'el
in 1948, Tzelafon
in 1950, and Gizo
in 1986. Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
described the remains of Bayt Jiz in 1992:
Petersen, inspecting the place in 1996, found that the most distinctive extant building was the Maqam of Shayk Zaid. It was a tall, square building, covered with a domical vault. On the north wall there is a low doorway on the eastern side. Directly opposite the entrance (on the southern wall), is a shallow (0.35 m deep) mihrab
. There is a small window (0.4m wide) in the middle of the east wall, while the west wall has collapsed.
, and in a 1922 survey, they amounted to 203. In the 1931 British Mandate census there were 370 inhabitants and by 1945, Sami Hadawi
recorded a population of 550. The projected population in 1948 was 638. According to Salman Abu-Sitta
, Palestinian refugee
s from Bayt Jiz and their descendants numbered 3,918 in 1998.
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 situated on undulating land in the western foothills of the Jerusalem heights, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) 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...
. In 1945, it had a population of 550. It was captured 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 forces in 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...
, and its inhabitants fled the village.
History
Nearby Khirbet Bayt Jiz has been claimed as the site of the Biblical GizoGizo
Gizo is the capital of the Western Province in the Solomon Islands. With a population of 6,154 , it is the second largest town in the country. It is situated on Ghizo Island approximately 380 kilometers west-northwest of the capital, Honiara, and is just southwest of the larger island of Kolombangara...
and has been linked to the Crusader
Crusades
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...
settlement of Gith, although the latter association was dubbed as doubtful by some historians. Gith was one of five villages within the Lydda
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
diocese, in which the canons
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It is a few steps away from the Muristan....
were permitted by the village bishop to have or build a church and control half the village's tithes.
Bayt Jiz is not recorded in early 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...
ic sources. The Survey of Western Palestine, taken in 1881, mentions that Khirbet Bayt Jiz had "Traces of ruins and a sacred maqam... There are foundations and cisterns among the ruins." According to local legend, the maqam ("sacred Muslim tomb") was built in 1334 to house the sarcophagus of Shaykh Zayd, a local sage. A stone with Arabic inscriptions was found near the maqam, attributing the building of the structure to a 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...
commander named Sayf ad-Din Aqul. It is the only evidence of early Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic activity in the village thus far.
The modern village of Bayt Jiz was founded in the early 20th century. It had a rectangular plan, narrow streets, and houses constructed of mud and stone (there were 67 houses in 1931). The village center included a 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...
, some shops, and a school built in 1947, shared with nearby Bayt Susin
Bayt Susin
Bayt Susin was a Palestinian Arab village in Mandatory Palestine, located southeast of Ramla. In 1945, it had 210 inhabitants. The village was depopulated during the 1948 war by the Israeli 7th Brigade.-Geography:...
. Bayt Jiz's economy was based on agriculture, with the main crops being grains, figs, vegetables, almonds, and olives. A part of the surrounding land was grassland, enabling the villagers to raise sheep and goats.
1948 War, and aftermath
According to IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i historian Benny Morris
Benny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
, the residents of Bayt Jiz fled their village following an Israeli military assault against it on April 20, 1948. Nevertheless, Palestinian historian Aref al-Aref
Aref al-Aref
Aref al-Aref was a Palestinian journalist, historian and politician who served as mayor of East Jerusalem in the 1950s.-Biography:...
points out that the village had not been evacuated for the first assault of the Battle of Latrun that took place on May 22. He points out that the Israeli attack partly failed because the Israeli forces had received mistaken reports that the village had been evacuated. Consequently, they were surprised to encounter fierce resistance from the local militia as well as from Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
ian regulars in the Latrun
Latrun
Latrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley in Israel overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
sector who sent troops to the village.
Bayt Jiz was occupied by the Sheva Brigade 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 :...
in the interval between the first and second assaults on Latrun in late May 1948
Battles of Latrun
The Battles of Latrun were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Jordanian Arab Legion on the outskirts of Latrun between 25 May and 18 July 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Latrun takes its name from the monastery close to the junction of two major...
. A New York Times correspondent reported that the unsuccessful Israeli assault on Latrun spread to Bayt Jiz on May 25. He noted the battle around the village was the "biggest, single clash of the war to date". An Israeli army official announced the capture of Bayt Jiz on May 27, but al-Aref puts it at May 30.
A few days after, the Burma Road
Burma Road (Israel)
The Israeli "Burma Road" was a makeshift bypass road between the general vicinity of kibbutz Hulda and Jerusalem. It was built by Israeli forces headed by general Mickey Marcus during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem...
that crossed the village of Bayt Jiz was built by Israeli to counter the Latrun sector and to supply Jerusalem.
Harel, Israel
Harel is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located near Latrun with an area of 12,000 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 149....
in 1948, Tzelafon
Tzelafon
Tzelafon is a moshav in central Israel. Located to the north of Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 571....
in 1950, and Gizo
Gizo, Israel
Gizo is a Jewish village in central Israel. Located to the north-west of Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 214....
in 1986. 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 remains of Bayt Jiz in 1992:
"The school is the only remaining landmark and is used as a recreation facility, although a fire observation tower has been added to it. A number of houses remain. Some are used for storage, others are deserted. One of the storage houses is a large, stone structure, with a flat roof and a three paneled, lancet-arched side window. Three of the deserted houses are two-story structures"
Petersen, inspecting the place in 1996, found that the most distinctive extant building was the Maqam of Shayk Zaid. It was a tall, square building, covered with a domical vault. On the north wall there is a low doorway on the eastern side. Directly opposite the entrance (on the southern wall), is a shallow (0.35 m deep) mihrab
Mihrab
A mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...
. There is a small window (0.4m wide) in the middle of the east wall, while the west wall has collapsed.
Demographics
The inhabitants of Bayt Jiz were entirely 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...
, and in a 1922 survey, they amounted to 203. In the 1931 British Mandate census there were 370 inhabitants and by 1945, Sami Hadawi
Sami Hadawi
Sami Hadawi was a Palestinian scholar and author. He is known for documenting the effects of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on the Arab population in Palestine and published statistics for individual villages prior to Israel's establishment. Hadawi worked as a land specialist until he was exiled from...
recorded a population of 550. The projected population in 1948 was 638. According to Salman Abu-Sitta
Salman Abu-Sitta
Salman H. Abu Sitta is a Palestinian researcher and writes about Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian right of return.-Biography:Abu-Sitta was born in Beersheba Salman H. Abu Sitta (Arabic سلمان ابو ستة)(born 1938) is a Palestinian researcher and writes about Palestinian refugees and the...
, Palestinian refugee
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...
s from Bayt Jiz and their descendants numbered 3,918 in 1998.
See also
- Meir TobianskiMeir TobianskiMeir Tobianski also Tubianski was an officer in the Israel Defense Forces who was executed as a traitor on circumstantial evidence on the orders of Isser Be'eri, the first director of the IDF's intelligence branch...
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
External links
- Welcome to Bayt Jiz Palestine Remembered