Danna
Encyclopedia
Danna was a Palestinian
village 13 kilometres north of Baysan that was captured by the Israel Defence Force during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
.
, nahiya (subdistrict) of Shafa under the liwa'
(district) of Lajjun
with a population of 5 Muslim families. It paid taxes to the Ottoman government on a number of crops, including wheat and barley, and other types of produce, such as goats and beehives.
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
, a Swiss traveler to Palestine
who passed through the area around 1817, mentioned the village without providing an description.
In the late nineteenth century, the village of Danna was situated on a slope, and was surrounded by farmland. There was a spring with a watering trough to the west. The village houses were built of stone and mud.
At the time of the 1931 census
, Danna had 28 occupied houses and a population of 149 Muslims.
The village was shaped like a rectangle whose longer sides were aligned in a north-south direction. During the British Mandate the village expanded and new houses, constructed of stone and adobe brick, were built along the road to the nearby village of Kafra
. It was classified in this period as a hamlet
in the Palestine Index Gazetteer. There were a few shops and a mosque
which contained the shrine of a Shaykh Daniyal. The village spring provided water for all the residents, who all were Muslim
. The villagers worked primarily in rainfed agriculture. In 1944/45 a total of 5,097 dunums was allotted to cereals; 14 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. Grass and leafy vegetation grew on the slopes and peaks of the neighboring mountains and were used for grazing.
, 1992, the remaining structures on the village land are:
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 13 kilometres north of Baysan that was captured by the Israel Defence Force during 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...
.
History
In 1596, Danna was part of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, nahiya (subdistrict) of Shafa under the liwa'
Liwa (arabic)
Liwa or Liwa is an Arabic term meaning district, banner, or flag, a type of administrative division. It was interchangeable with the Turkish term "Sanjak" in the time of the Ottoman Empire. After the fall of the empire, the term was used in the Arab countries formerly under Ottoman rule...
(district) of Lajjun
Lajjun
Lajjun was a Palestinian Arab village of nearly 1,300 people located northwest of Jenin. The village along with nearby Umm al-Fahm and seven hamlets, had a total land area of 77,242 dunams or , of which were built-up, while the rest was used for agricultural purposes...
with a population of 5 Muslim families. It paid taxes to the Ottoman government on a number of crops, including wheat and barley, and other types of produce, such as goats and beehives.
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt was a Swiss traveller and orientalist. He wrote his letters in French and signed Louis...
, a Swiss traveler to 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....
who passed through the area around 1817, mentioned the village without providing an description.
In the late nineteenth century, the village of Danna was situated on a slope, and was surrounded by farmland. There was a spring with a watering trough to the west. The village houses were built of stone and mud.
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...
, Danna had 28 occupied houses and a population of 149 Muslims.
The village was shaped like a rectangle whose longer sides were aligned in a north-south direction. During the British Mandate the village expanded and new houses, constructed of stone and adobe brick, were built along the road to the nearby village of Kafra
Kafra
Kafra was a Palestinian Arab village located 10.5 kilometres north of Baysan. Built along both sides of the Wadi Kafra, the village had been known by this name since at least the time of the Crusades. The population of the village in 1922 was 273, rising to an estimated 499 in 1948...
. It was classified in this period as a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the Palestine Index Gazetteer. There were a few shops and 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...
which contained the shrine of a Shaykh Daniyal. The village spring provided water for all the residents, who all were 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...
. The villagers worked primarily in rainfed agriculture. In 1944/45 a total of 5,097 dunums was allotted to cereals; 14 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. Grass and leafy vegetation grew on the slopes and peaks of the neighboring mountains and were used for grazing.
The village today
According to the Palestinian historian Walid KhalidiWalid 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...
, 1992, the remaining structures on the village land are:
"Bushes, cactus plants, thorns, and grass now grow around piles of rubble on the village site. Thick weeds grow in the wadi and near the springs. The lands in the area are cultivated by Israeli farmers."
External links
- Welcome To Danna
- Danna, 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...