Beit Einun
Encyclopedia
Beit Einun or Bayt 'Anun is a Palestinian
village in the Hebron Governorate
, located five kilometers northeast of Hebron
in the southern West Bank
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
, the village had a population of 1,809 inhabitants in 2007.
rule of Palestine
. Three churches were built near the center of the town sometime between the 5th and 6th centuries. The wall construction indicates rebuilding of the church in the Crusader period. Excavations have revealed a mosaic floor in the main hall of the church from the Byzantine period. It's a part of a complex building in which living quarters and storage rooms, as well as water cisterns were found. Other remains from this time period include two water cisterns, two wine-presses and several tombs.
Beit 'Einun is mentioned in the Waqf
dedication given by the Islam
ic prophet Muhammad
to Tamim al-Dari
, a sahaba
("companion"). Many Muslim
-built stone structures are located in the village. During the Abbasid
era, Beit Einun was well-known in the Middle East
for producing high-quality raisins named Aynuni after the village's name (Bayt Aynun).
region, forming the beginning of a fertile plain cultivated with vines and grains. There are terraces on the higher slopes of the hill to prevent erosion. These small separate fields are planted with grape and tomato vines, plum and almond orchards. Beit Einun is located just five kilometers north of Hebron. Other nearby localities include, Sa'ir
and ash-Shuyukh
to the northeast, Halhul
to the northwest, Beit Kahil
to the west and Ras Abu Risha to the southeast.
in 1967, from 4,967 to just a few hundred residents. Most of the inhabitants left for Jordan
. In the 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS), Beit Einun had a population of 1,748. The gender make-up was 906 males and 842 females. Palestinian refugee
s constituted 15.6% of the village's inhabitants. In 2004, Beit Einun had a population of 2,277 inhabitants, rising to 2,439 in 2006 according to PCBS estimates. However, the PCBS 2007 census revealed that Beit Einun had 1,809 inhabitants.
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
village in the Hebron Governorate
Hebron Governorate
The Hebron Governorate is an administrative district of the Palestinian National Authority in the southern West Bank. It extends south to, and includes most of, the Dead Sea....
, located five kilometers northeast of Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
in the southern West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
. According to 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....
, the village had a population of 1,809 inhabitants in 2007.
History
Beit Einun is the modern site of the Biblical Beth-anoth. The site became populated during ByzantineByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
rule of Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. Three churches were built near the center of the town sometime between the 5th and 6th centuries. The wall construction indicates rebuilding of the church in the Crusader period. Excavations have revealed a mosaic floor in the main hall of the church from the Byzantine period. It's a part of a complex building in which living quarters and storage rooms, as well as water cisterns were found. Other remains from this time period include two water cisterns, two wine-presses and several tombs.
Beit 'Einun is mentioned in the Waqf
Waqf
A waqf also spelled wakf formally known as wakf-alal-aulad is an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law, typically denoting a building or plot of land for Muslim religious or charitable purposes. The donated assets are held by a charitable trust...
dedication given by the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
to Tamim al-Dari
Tamim al-Dari
Tamim bin Aws al-Dari was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.-Biography:Originally a priest Christian, al-Dari lived in southern Palestine and belonged to the Bani al-Dar—a clan of the Banu Lakhm tribal confederation. His first contact with Muhammad was in 628 CE when he led a delegation...
, a sahaba
Sahaba
In Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
("companion"). Many 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...
-built stone structures are located in the village. During the Abbasid
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
era, Beit Einun was well-known in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
for producing high-quality raisins named Aynuni after the village's name (Bayt Aynun).
Geography
Beit Einun is situated in the 'Anun Valley, at the bottom of a hill in the JudeaJudea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
region, forming the beginning of a fertile plain cultivated with vines and grains. There are terraces on the higher slopes of the hill to prevent erosion. These small separate fields are planted with grape and tomato vines, plum and almond orchards. Beit Einun is located just five kilometers north of Hebron. Other nearby localities include, Sa'ir
Sa'ir
Sa'ir is a Palestinian town located eight kilometers northeast of Hebron.The town is in the Hebron Governorate Southern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of over 18,045 in mid-year 2006....
and ash-Shuyukh
Ash-Shuyukh
Ash-Shuyukh or al-Shuyukh is a Palestinian town in the Hebron Governorate located 6km northeast of the city of Hebron. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Ash-Shuyukh had a population of over 8,811 in 2007....
to the northeast, Halhul
Halhul
Halhul is a Palestinian city located in the southern West Bank, north of Hebron in the Hebron Governorate. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 22,108 mostly Muslim inhabitants in 2007.- History :...
to the northwest, Beit Kahil
Beit Kahil
Beit Kahil is a Palestinian town in the Hebron Governorate in the southern West Bank, located seven kilometers northwest of Hebron. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Beit Kahil had a population of approximately 6,526 inhabitants in 2007. The population is made up of...
to the west and Ras Abu Risha to the southeast.
Demographics
Beit Einun's population drastically decreased after the Six-Day WarSix-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
in 1967, from 4,967 to just a few hundred residents. Most of the inhabitants left for 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...
. In the 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), Beit Einun had a population of 1,748. The gender make-up was 906 males and 842 females. 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 constituted 15.6% of the village's inhabitants. In 2004, Beit Einun had a population of 2,277 inhabitants, rising to 2,439 in 2006 according to PCBS estimates. However, the PCBS 2007 census revealed that Beit Einun had 1,809 inhabitants.