Deir al-Dubban
Encyclopedia
Deir al Dubban was a small Palestinian
village 26 kilometres (16.2 mi) northwest of Hebron
, near the modern village of Luzit, between Jerusalem, and Ashqelon (Ascalon 'Asqalan). The village is now completely disappeared.
ite deity in the region. In 1596, while under Ottoman
rule, the village was administered by the nahiya of Jerusalem, part of Sanjak Jerusalem. Its population of 396 paid taxes on wheat, barley, olive trees, fruit trees, vineyards, goats and beehives.
The American Biblical scholar E. Robinson
reports passing Deir al-Dubban in 1838, on his way to examine caverns nearby.
During the British Mandate period, Deir al-Dubban's main economic activities were rainfed agriculture and animal husbandry. As a customary practice, farmland was divided into eastern and western sections; one section was planted on during a particular season, while the other remained a fallow. Adjacent to the farmland were fig orchards and grape vineyards. In 1945, Deir al-Dubban had a population of 730 and a land area of 5,358 dunam
s.
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, on October 24, Israeli forces belonging to the Givati Brigade
captured Deir ad-Dubban in a northward push in Operation Yoav
. Most of the inhabitants fled the village before the arrival of Israeli forces. The Jewish settlement of Luzit was established on the village's northeastern lands in 1955. According to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
, "the village's old roads are easily identifiable. There are also remnants of stone terraces and a cave."
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 26 kilometres (16.2 mi) northwest 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...
, near the modern village of Luzit, between Jerusalem, and Ashqelon (Ascalon 'Asqalan). The village is now completely disappeared.
History
A possible reason behind Deir al-Dubban's name is that its ancient inhabitants worshiped Ba'l Zabub ("Lord of the Flies"), a chief CanaanCanaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
ite deity in the region. In 1596, while under Ottoman
Ottoman 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...
rule, the village was administered by the nahiya of Jerusalem, part of Sanjak Jerusalem. Its population of 396 paid taxes on wheat, barley, olive trees, fruit trees, vineyards, goats and beehives.
The American Biblical scholar E. Robinson
Edward Robinson (scholar)
Edward Robinson was an American biblical scholar, known as the “Father of Biblical Geography.” He has been referred to as the “founder of modern Palestinology.” -Biography:...
reports passing Deir al-Dubban in 1838, on his way to examine caverns nearby.
During the British Mandate period, Deir al-Dubban's main economic activities were rainfed agriculture and animal husbandry. As a customary practice, farmland was divided into eastern and western sections; one section was planted on during a particular season, while the other remained a fallow. Adjacent to the farmland were fig orchards and grape vineyards. In 1945, Deir al-Dubban had a population of 730 and a land area of 5,358 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.
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...
, on October 24, Israeli forces belonging to the Givati Brigade
Givati Brigade
The Givati Brigade is an infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, and serves as its amphibious force. Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets...
captured Deir ad-Dubban in a northward push in Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Egyptian forces along the coast and the Beersheba–Hebron–Jerusalem road and ultimately to conquer the whole Negev...
. Most of the inhabitants fled the village before the arrival of Israeli forces. The Jewish settlement of Luzit was established on the village's northeastern lands in 1955. According to 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...
, "the village's old roads are easily identifiable. There are also remnants of stone terraces and a cave."