Idhna
Encyclopedia
Idhna is a Palestinian
town in the southern West Bank
, located in the Hebron Governorate
, 13 kilometers west of Hebron
and about one kilometer east of the Green Line
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
, the town had a population of approximately 19,012 inhabitants in 2007.
Idhna is physically divided into southern and northern parts by the Wadi al-Feranj. Idhna's primary source of income is agriculture and the town's total land area is 21,526 dunam
s, of which 2,809 dunams are built up area. Idhna is governed by a municipal council
of thirteen members and six departments.
ite times (the Bronze Age
), evident from ancient remains found in the town. The town is identified with the biblical city of Dannah, mentioned in Joshua
15:49. Hebrews, Byzantine
s and Arab
s succeeded in gaining control of the town and coins, statues, tombs and pottery dating from these various rulers were found in the town.
Edward Robinson
, who visited Idhna in 1838, recorded that the town's two parts were led by a sheikh
and the inhabitants of each part followed and backed their respectable sheikh in internal quarrels. Adjacent to Idhna are the ruins of the original village which is totally covered by cultivable fields. Marble tesserae (mosaic stones) were found on the site.
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...
town 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...
, located 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....
, 13 kilometers west 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...
and about one kilometer east of the Green Line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
. 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 town had a population of approximately 19,012 inhabitants in 2007.
Idhna is physically divided into southern and northern parts by the Wadi al-Feranj. Idhna's primary source of income is agriculture and the town's total land area is 21,526 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, of which 2,809 dunams are built up area. Idhna is governed by a municipal council
Municipality (Palestinian Authority)
In the territories administrated by the Palestinian Authority, a municipality is an administrative unit of local government similar to a city. They were established and decided after the creation of the Local Government Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority in 1994. All municipalities are...
of thirteen members and six departments.
History
Idhna's site was inhabited since CanaanCanaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
ite times (the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
), evident from ancient remains found in the town. The town is identified with the biblical city of Dannah, mentioned in Joshua
Joshua
Joshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...
15:49. Hebrews, Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
s and 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...
s succeeded in gaining control of the town and coins, statues, tombs and pottery dating from these various rulers were found in the town.
Edward 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:...
, who visited Idhna in 1838, recorded that the town's two parts were led by a sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
and the inhabitants of each part followed and backed their respectable sheikh in internal quarrels. Adjacent to Idhna are the ruins of the original village which is totally covered by cultivable fields. Marble tesserae (mosaic stones) were found on the site.
