Qaddita
Encyclopedia
Qaddita was a Palestinian
Arab
village of 240, located 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) northwest of Safad. It was captured and depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, with some of its inhabitants fleeing to nearby Akbara where they live as internally displaced Palestinians
and others to refugee camps in Lebanon
or Syria
.
corruption of the Aramaic
word kaddish
.
Qaddita was under the Ottoman Empire
in 1517, and by 1596 it was administrated by the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Jira, part of Sanjak Safad. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, vineyards, beehives, and goats. In the late 19th century, it was a small densely populated village consisting of ten houses built of stone and mud. The slope on which it was located was covered by gardens and fig trees.
The village was reported to be totally destroyed in the devastating Galilee earthquake of 1837
.
Under the rule of the British Mandate in Palestine in the first half of the 20th century, Qaddita expanded north and south, its houses clustered together, and built of stone. Its economy was based on animal husbandry and crop cultivation, mainly grains, figs, pomegranates, and grapes as well as olives which by 1943 covered 77 dunam
s.
villages in the eastern Galilee
, Qaddita was evacuated a day after Safad fell to the Israel
is during Operation Yiftach on May 10. Some villagers were evicted to the village of Akbara, south of Safad, where they, according to Walid Khalidi
, lived under harrowing circumstances. No Jewish towns were built on village lands. Khalidi describes the remains of the village being "tombs from the cemetery and stone rubble from the destroyed homes."
's land and population survey, Qaddita had 240 inhabitants in 1945. All the residents were Muslim
s.
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 of 240, located 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) northwest of Safad. It was captured and depopulated in 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...
, with some of its inhabitants fleeing to nearby Akbara where they live as internally displaced Palestinians
Internally displaced Palestinians
A present absentee is a Palestinian who fled or was expelled from his home in Palestine by Jewish or Israeli forces, before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, but who remained within the area that became the state of Israel. Present absentees are also referred to as internally displaced...
and others to refugee camps in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
or Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
History
It is possible that the name "Qaddita" is an ArabicArabic 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...
corruption of the Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
word kaddish
Kaddish
Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service...
.
Qaddita was under the Ottoman Empire
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...
in 1517, and by 1596 it was administrated by the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Jira, part of Sanjak Safad. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, vineyards, beehives, and goats. In the late 19th century, it was a small densely populated village consisting of ten houses built of stone and mud. The slope on which it was located was covered by gardens and fig trees.
The village was reported to be totally destroyed in the devastating Galilee earthquake of 1837
Galilee earthquake of 1837
The Galilee earthquake of 1837, often called the Safed earthquake, was a devastating earthquake that shook the Galilee on January 1, 1837.-Impact:...
.
Under the rule of the British Mandate in Palestine in the first half of the 20th century, Qaddita expanded north and south, its houses clustered together, and built of stone. Its economy was based on animal husbandry and crop cultivation, mainly grains, figs, pomegranates, and grapes as well as olives which by 1943 covered 77 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.
1948, and after
Like many other ArabArab
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...
villages in the eastern Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
, Qaddita was evacuated a day after Safad fell to the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
is during Operation Yiftach on May 10. Some villagers were evicted to the village of Akbara, south of Safad, where they, according to 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...
, lived under harrowing circumstances. No Jewish towns were built on village lands. Khalidi describes the remains of the village being "tombs from the cemetery and stone rubble from the destroyed homes."
Demographics
Qaddita had a population of 149 inhabitants in 1596, rising by only a third two centuries later in the late 19th century to roughly 200. In the British census of 1931 the population decreased, and there were 170 people living in the village. According to 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...
's land and population survey, Qaddita had 240 inhabitants in 1945. All the residents 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...
s.
See also
- HamaamHamaamHamaam , or Wadi Hamam, is a Bedouin village near the Sea of Galilee and Mount Arbel in northern Israel. It is the easternmost part of the al-Batuf Regional Council. It contains one fairly modern mosque and the trail head for the steep ascent of Mount Arbel. According to the Israel Central Bureau...
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
External links
- Welcome to Qaddita
- Qaddita, 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...
- Qaddita, Dr. Khalil Rizk