Ijnisinya
Encyclopedia
Ijnisinya is a Palestinian
village located twelve kilometers northwest of Nablus
in the Nablus Governorate
. Most of the working-age inhabitants live as farmers. It has a population of about 560. Ijnisinya is governed by a village council
. The village's history dates back to Byzantine
rule in Palestine
.
who temporarily resided in nearby Sebastiya (Sebastia) used to swim in the lake in Ijinsinya with her maids. The area at the time was a small lake surrounded by gardens. Men were forbidden from entering the area by Queen Helena in order to guarantee her and her maids privacy. The name Ijnisinya derives from Greek
, translating as "the Eden of women" reflecting the original use of the village site.
Ijinsinya's mosque
dates back to the days of Umar ibn al-Khattab and is currently part of the village school.
. The building is originally said to be a Roman monastery seven floors high. The remains of the monastery include stone closets, a prison, galleys, secret passageways, and several wells. Its name, Shu'leh is one of a number of Arabic
words meaning "fire". The building was named thus because the Ayyubid sultan Saladin
used it and similar buildings to transmit messages using fire.
The Romans used some of the village lands for a cemetery after Christianity
became the Roman Empire
's official religion. It is popular belief that these graves contain treasures. The graves are generally referred to as "Christian graves", or Khallet Issa.
, north of Zawata
. Ijnisinya has an elevation of 460 meters above sea level.
It has a total land area of 6,547 dunam
s, of which around two-thirds is cultivable. Its built-up area consists of only 30 dunams, olive trees cover 900 dunams, while cereals make-up the majority of the remaining cultivable land. On August 4, 2001, Israel
i forces burned over 200 olive trees belonging to Ijnisinya and Zawata.
recorded a population of 200. In a 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS), there were 418 inhabitants, of which 70 (16.7%) were refugee
s. The gender distribution was exactly even; 50% were males and 50% were females. According to the PCBS, Ijnisinya had a population of 505 inhabitants in 2007.
Previously, many of the village's residents were Christian
, but following disagreements with its Muslim
residents they emigrated to villages with large Christian populations, particularly Zababdeh
near Jenin
and Bir Zeit
near Ramallah
.
. The aqueduct is named after her, and it starts from Nablus through Ein Beit al-Ma'
, Ijnisinya, and then to Sebastiya.
In 2007, the village pump — constructed in 1977 — broke down and the village residents were without water, forced to travel to Asira al-Qibliya
to borrow water from that village's pump. A few months later, the Ijnisinya Village Council with the help of the American Near East Refugee Aid
, constructed a new pump.
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 located twelve kilometers northwest of Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
in the Nablus Governorate
Nablus Governorate
The Nablus Governorate is an administrative district of the Palestinian National Authoritylocated in the Central Highlands of the West Bank, 53km north of Jerusalem. It covers the area around the city of Nablus which serves as the muhfaza of the governorate...
. Most of the working-age inhabitants live as farmers. It has a population of about 560. Ijnisinya is governed by a village council
Village council (Palestinian Authority)
A Village council is a type of local government used in the Palestinian National Authority for Palestinian localities that usually number between 800-3,000+ inhabitants. The village council is also known D-level municipalities...
. The village's history dates back to Byzantine
Byzantine 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 in 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....
.
History
The Roman Empress Helena of ConstantinopleHelena of Constantinople
Saint Helena also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople was the consort of Emperor Constantius, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I...
who temporarily resided in nearby Sebastiya (Sebastia) used to swim in the lake in Ijinsinya with her maids. The area at the time was a small lake surrounded by gardens. Men were forbidden from entering the area by Queen Helena in order to guarantee her and her maids privacy. The name Ijnisinya derives from Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, translating as "the Eden of women" reflecting the original use of the village site.
Ijinsinya's 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...
dates back to the days of Umar ibn al-Khattab and is currently part of the village school.
Roman remains
There is an Ancient Roman building named Sheikh Shu'la lies atop of a hill overlooking three villages, including Ijnisinya as well as, Sebastiya, and an-NaquraAn-Naqura
An Naqura is a Palestinian village in the Nablus Governorate in northern West Bank, located ten kilometers northwest of Nablus and adjacent to Shavei Shomron. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics , the village had a population of 1,658 inhabitants in mid-year 2006....
. The building is originally said to be a Roman monastery seven floors high. The remains of the monastery include stone closets, a prison, galleys, secret passageways, and several wells. Its name, Shu'leh is one of a number of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
words meaning "fire". The building was named thus because the Ayyubid sultan Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
used it and similar buildings to transmit messages using fire.
The Romans used some of the village lands for a cemetery after Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
became the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
's official religion. It is popular belief that these graves contain treasures. The graves are generally referred to as "Christian graves", or Khallet Issa.
Geography
Ijnisinya is located twelve kilometers northwest of Nablus. It is adjacently east of Sebastiya, northeast of an-Naqura, south of Beit ImrinBeit Imrin
Beit Imrin is a Palestinian village in the Nablus Governorate in northern West Bank, located 18 kilometers northwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics , the village had a population of 2,821 inhabitants in 2007....
, north of Zawata
Zawata
Zawata is a Palestinian town in the Nablus Governorate in northern West Bank, located 6 kilometers Northwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics , the town had a population of 1,900 inhabitants in mid-year 2006....
. Ijnisinya has an elevation of 460 meters above sea level.
It has a total land area of 6,547 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 around two-thirds is cultivable. Its built-up area consists of only 30 dunams, olive trees cover 900 dunams, while cereals make-up the majority of the remaining cultivable land. On August 4, 2001, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i forces burned over 200 olive trees belonging to Ijnisinya and Zawata.
Demographics
In the British Mandate census in 1922, Ijnisinya had only 119 residents. The population slowly grew in 1945, when a land and population survey by Sami HadawiSami Hadawi
Sami Hadawi was a Palestinian scholar and author. He is known for documenting the effects of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on the Arab population in Palestine and published statistics for individual villages prior to Israel's establishment. Hadawi worked as a land specialist until he was exiled from...
recorded a population of 200. In a 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), there were 418 inhabitants, of which 70 (16.7%) were 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. The gender distribution was exactly even; 50% were males and 50% were females. According to the PCBS, Ijnisinya had a population of 505 inhabitants in 2007.
Previously, many of the village's residents were Christian
Palestinian Christian
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
, but following disagreements with its 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...
residents they emigrated to villages with large Christian populations, particularly Zababdeh
Zababdeh
Zababdeh or Zababida is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank located 15 km southeast of Jenin and 2 km from the Arab American University - Jenin. Its jurisdiction consists of 5,719 dunams, three-fifths being covered with olive and fig groves...
near Jenin
Jenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
and Bir Zeit
Bir Zeit
Birzeit is a Palestinian town near Ramallah in the central West Bank. Its population in the 2007 census was 4529...
near Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
.
Water supply
Underneath the village mosque is a wide Roman reservoir for underground water which, until recently, was still used by the residents of the village as a water source. Queen Helena built an aqueduct to carry water from Ijnisinya to Sebastiya but it fell into ruin during a drought in PalestinePalestine
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....
. The aqueduct is named after her, and it starts from Nablus through Ein Beit al-Ma'
Ein Beit al-Ma'
Ein Beit el Ma , also known as Camp No. 1 , is a Palestinian refugee camp established in the northern West Bank in 1950, adjacent to the city of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics , 'Ein Beit el Ma Camp had a population of approximately 5,036 inhabitants in mid-year...
, Ijnisinya, and then to Sebastiya.
In 2007, the village pump — constructed in 1977 — broke down and the village residents were without water, forced to travel to Asira al-Qibliya
Asira al-Qibliya
’Asira al-Qibliya is a Palestinian town in the Nablus Governorate in the eastern West Bank, located southwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics , the town had a population of 2,336 inhabitants in 2007....
to borrow water from that village's pump. A few months later, the Ijnisinya Village Council with the help of the American Near East Refugee Aid
American Near East Refugee Aid
The American Near East Refugee Aid is an American 5013 non-governmental organization that provides humanitarian and development aid to the Middle East, specifically, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Jordan...
, constructed a new pump.