Jahula
Encyclopedia
Jahula was a Palestinian
Arab
village in the District of Safad
. It was depopulated during the 1948 War
on May 1, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach
. It was located 11 km northeast of Safad.
In 1945, the village had a population of 420. The village had one mosque and a shrine for a local sage known as al-Shaykh Salih.
Jahula was recorded in the Ottoman
census of 1596 as belonging to the nahiya (subdistrict) of Jira under the liwa'
(district) of Safad, and at the time it had a small population of 28 inhabitants. They paid taxes on crops such as wheat
and barley
, and reared goat
s, bee
s, and water buffalo
s.
The villagers of Jahula were predominantly Muslim
and worshipped at a local mosque
, situated approximately 1 km north of the village site. A shrine there was dedicated to Shaykh Salih, a local religious preacher. The houses in the village were made of masonry
.
Most villagers were engaged in agriculture, and a spring located on the north side of the village supplied the people of Jahula with drinking water. In 1944/45, some 1,626 dunum
s out of a total of 3,869 dunums was allocated to grain farming. Some villagers were also employed in the stone quarries north of the village.
on May 1, 1948 by the Palmach
's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach
. Benny Morris
writes that the cause of depopulation is unknown, while the British Historian R. Esber gives as depopuation cause: "Direct mortar
attacks on civilians, siege, shooting at fleeing Arabs".
Presently, the Israeli settlement of Yiftach is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of the village site; there are no settlements on village lands.
Of the village site the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
wrote in 1992: "The only remains of the destroyed village are a few stone terraces. The site is enclosed by barbed wire, and cactuses and trees grow on it. The village spring is still in use by Israelis. Parts of the village land are planted in cotton
and watermelons, while other parts are wooded and hilly.
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 1948 War
1948 War
The term 1948 War can refer to any of the following events:* 1948 Palestine war with :** its civil war period : the 1947-1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine** the regular war between Israel and neighbouring Arab states : the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
on May 1, 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 11 km northeast of Safad.
In 1945, the village had a population of 420. The village had one mosque and a shrine for a local sage known as al-Shaykh Salih.
Location
Jahula was situated in the foothills of the Galilee Mountains overlooking the Hula Valley plain, by the Tiberias--al-Mutilla highway.History
The Jahula area had been occupied from the seventh through the third millennium B.C., according to archaeological excavations conducted in 1986.Jahula was recorded in the 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...
census of 1596 as belonging to the nahiya (subdistrict) of Jira 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 Safad, and at the time it had a small population of 28 inhabitants. 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...
and 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 reared goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s, and water buffalo
Water buffalo
The water buffalo is a domesticated bovid widely kept in Asia, Europe and South America.Water buffalo can also refer to:*Wild water buffalo , the wild ancestor of the domestic water buffalo...
s.
The villagers of Jahula were predominantly 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...
and worshipped at a local 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...
, situated approximately 1 km north of the village site. A shrine there was dedicated to Shaykh Salih, a local religious preacher. The houses in the village were made of masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
.
Most villagers were engaged in agriculture, and a spring located on the north side of the village supplied the people of Jahula with drinking water. In 1944/45, some 1,626 dunum
Dunum
Dunum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
s out of a total of 3,869 dunums was allocated to grain farming. Some villagers were also employed in the stone quarries north of the village.
1948, and aftermath
Jahula was depopulated during the 1948 War1948 War
The term 1948 War can refer to any of the following events:* 1948 Palestine war with :** its civil war period : the 1947-1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine** the regular war between Israel and neighbouring Arab states : the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
on May 1, 1948 by the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
'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...
. Benny Morris
Benny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
writes that the cause of depopulation is unknown, while the British Historian R. Esber gives as depopuation cause: "Direct mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
attacks on civilians, siege, shooting at fleeing Arabs".
Presently, the Israeli settlement of Yiftach is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of the village site; there are no settlements on village lands.
Of the village site the 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...
wrote in 1992: "The only remains of the destroyed village are a few stone terraces. The site is enclosed by barbed wire, and cactuses and trees grow on it. The village spring is still in use by Israelis. Parts of the village land are planted in cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and watermelons, while other parts are wooded and hilly.
External links
- Welcome To Jahula
- Jahula 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...
- Jahula, Dr. Khalil Rizk.