Biriyya
Encyclopedia
Biriyya was a Palestinian
Arab
village in the District of Safad
. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
on May 2, 1948 by The Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach
. It was located 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) northeast of Safad. Today the Israeli moshav of Birya
lies in its place, built in 1971.
Biriyya is believed to have been built on the site of the Roman village of Beral or Bin, which was also a Jewish town during the first century A.D. In 1596, Biriyya was a village in the nahiya of Jira (liwa’ of Safad) with a Muslim population of 38 families and 3 bachelors, and a Jewish population of 16 families and 1 bachelor. The 1596 census revealed they paid taxes on crops such as wheat
, barley
, and olive
s and other types of produce and owned beehives, vineyards, and a press that was used for processing olives.
By the late nineteenth century, Biriyya has declined in population somewhat into a farming village of around 100 to 150 Muslim
s. According to a 1945 British survey, it had a population of 240 Muslims and a total of 328 dunums llocated to cereals and 53 dunums for irrigation for use in the orchards. The villagers sold their products at the market in nearby Safad.
Birya Fortress
was built in 1945 during the British Mandate. In addition to its civilian purpose, the settlement was intended to serve as a base for the defense of Jews
in nearby Safad, which at the time had an Arab
majority, and as a waystation for Jewish immigrants arriving from Syria
. In 1946 the Birya affair
took place here, when on February 28, 1946, the residents were arrested after the discovery of an arms cache in the village. Shortly thereafter the British
decided to prohibit Jewish residence at the site. However, after a series of large protests and attempts at resettlement of the site, the British relented and agreed to the permanent kibbutz
of 20 people at the site. This was seen as a large victory in the struggle for Jewish settlement of the land.
.
was established, about two kilometers to the southwest of the original site. In the same year, the fortress was turned into a museum explaining the history of the area. It is now surrounded by Birya Forest. Today about fifteen houses remain of the old village and are inhabited by residents of the new Israeli settlement which has expanded over the old village site. Four of the old houses are today used for storage.
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 Safad
District of Safad
The District of Safad was an administrative district, situated in the British Mandate of Palestine around the city of Safad. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the district disintegrated.-Depopulated settlements:...
. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
1947–1948 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 2, 1948 by The Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach was an offensive of the Israeli Haganah between 28 April and 29 May 1948 aimed at capturing the eastern Galilee. The central objectives were the capture of Safed and the securing of the Lebanese and Syrian borders before the British Mandate ended on 14 May 1948...
. It was located 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) northeast of Safad. Today the Israeli moshav of Birya
Birya
Birya , also Biriya, is an agricultural village adjacent to Safed, Israel, under the jurisdiction of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council in the Upper Galilee....
lies in its place, built in 1971.
History
The village stood on the southern slope of a high hill that overlooked the city of Safad, 1.5 kilometres to the southwest, and faced Mount al-Jarmaq, to the west. At the bottom of the slope ran a deep wadi and between Biryya and Safad lay agricultural land that was crossed by a highway linking to the main city and nearby towns and villages.Biriyya is believed to have been built on the site of the Roman village of Beral or Bin, which was also a Jewish town during the first century A.D. In 1596, Biriyya was a village in the nahiya of Jira (liwa’ of Safad) with a Muslim population of 38 families and 3 bachelors, and a Jewish population of 16 families and 1 bachelor. The 1596 census revealed they paid taxes on crops such as wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, and olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s and other types of produce and owned beehives, vineyards, and a press that was used for processing olives.
By the late nineteenth century, Biriyya has declined in population somewhat into a farming village of around 100 to 150 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...
s. According to a 1945 British survey, it had a population of 240 Muslims and a total of 328 dunums llocated to cereals and 53 dunums for irrigation for use in the orchards. The villagers sold their products at the market in nearby Safad.
Birya Fortress
Birya Fortress
Birya Fortress is a fortress built during the British Mandate, near the modern town of Birya. In 1946 the Birya affair took place here, and now it is a museum.Birya was founded by the Palmach on January 8, 1945 and the fortress built thereafter...
was built in 1945 during the British Mandate. In addition to its civilian purpose, the settlement was intended to serve as a base for the defense of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in nearby Safad, which at the time had an 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...
majority, and as a waystation for Jewish immigrants arriving from Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. In 1946 the Birya affair
Birya affair
The Birya affair was an attempt by the British army to take over the Jewish settlement Birya, in Palestine in the time of the British Mandate....
took place here, when on February 28, 1946, the residents were arrested after the discovery of an arms cache in the village. Shortly thereafter the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
decided to prohibit Jewish residence at the site. However, after a series of large protests and attempts at resettlement of the site, the British relented and agreed to the permanent kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
of 20 people at the site. This was seen as a large victory in the struggle for Jewish settlement of the land.
1948 war and depopulation
On April 7, 1948 it was reported that 20 Arabs had been killed near Mount Canaan, outside Safad. On May 1, 1948, the Palmach's First Battalion captured Biriyya, while another force took the adjacent village of Ayn al-Zaytun. According to a New York Times report, the villagers began to evacuate the city by themselves following its capture. The occupation of Safad and eastern Galilee was completed in May 1948 during Operation YiftachOperation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach was an offensive of the Israeli Haganah between 28 April and 29 May 1948 aimed at capturing the eastern Galilee. The central objectives were the capture of Safed and the securing of the Lebanese and Syrian borders before the British Mandate ended on 14 May 1948...
.
Modern history
In 1971 the modern Israeli community of BiryaBirya
Birya , also Biriya, is an agricultural village adjacent to Safed, Israel, under the jurisdiction of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council in the Upper Galilee....
was established, about two kilometers to the southwest of the original site. In the same year, the fortress was turned into a museum explaining the history of the area. It is now surrounded by Birya Forest. Today about fifteen houses remain of the old village and are inhabited by residents of the new Israeli settlement which has expanded over the old village site. Four of the old houses are today used for storage.
See also
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War
- BiryaBiryaBirya , also Biriya, is an agricultural village adjacent to Safed, Israel, under the jurisdiction of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council in the Upper Galilee....
- Birya FortressBirya FortressBirya Fortress is a fortress built during the British Mandate, near the modern town of Birya. In 1946 the Birya affair took place here, and now it is a museum.Birya was founded by the Palmach on January 8, 1945 and the fortress built thereafter...
- Birya affairBirya affairThe Birya affair was an attempt by the British army to take over the Jewish settlement Birya, in Palestine in the time of the British Mandate....
External links
- Welcome To Biriyya
- Biriyya, 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...
- Biriyya, Dr. Khalil Rizk.