Sheikh Bureik, Lajjun
Encyclopedia
Sheikh Bureik, also called Sheikh Abreik or Sheikh Ibreik', was a Palestinian Arab
village located 10 miles (16.1 km) southeast of Haifa
. Situated at an ancient site that shows evidence of habitation as early as the Iron Age
, it was an important center of Jewish learning in the 2nd century, with habitation continuing during the Byzantine era
, Islamic era, and the Crusades
.
The village appears under the name Sheikh Bureik in 16th century Ottoman
archives. Named for a local Muslim saint to whom a shrine was dedicated that remains standing to this day, it was a small village whose inhabitants were primarily agriculturalists. Rendered tenant farmers in the late 19th century after the Ottoman authorities sold the village lands to the Sursuk family of Lebanon
, the village was depopulated in the 1920s after this family of absentee landlords in turn sold the lands to the Jewish National Fund
.
A new Jewish settlement of the same name was established there in 1925. Excavations at the site in 1936 revealed the ancient city, known in Greek as Besara and identified as Beth Shearim by Benjamin Mazar
. Now an archaeological site, it has come to form part of the Beth Shearim national park which is managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
, the 1st century Jewish historian under the name Besara. The Arab village was named for a Muslim saint (wali
) known as Sheikh Abreik for whom a two-domed shrine was erected which is still a site of pilgrimage (ziyara). The name translates from Arabic
into English as "the sheikh of the small pitcher". It has also been suggested that the name Abreik recalls the name of Barak
, the military general mentioned in the Bible
's Book of Judges
as the son of Abinoam
.
Following excavations in 1936 of an ancient city located within the hill upon which the village was located until its Arab inhabitants were evicted, Benjamin Mazar
identified the site as Beth Shearim, and this has been the official name of the site ever since.
. During the 2nd century, rabbinical literature mentions it as an important center of Jewish learning. Rabbi Judah I, the editor of the Mishna, was buried there, as were many other Jews from all over the country and from as far away as Phoenicia
. While it was originally thought that the town was destroyed during the Jewish revolt against Gallus in the mid-4th century, recent research has revealed the destruction to be far less extensive. An earthquake in 386 caused some damage, but the town recovered and enjoyed propsperity during the era of Byzantine rule
. Almost 300 inscriptions primarily in Greek
, but also in Hebrew
, Aramaic
, and Palmyrene were found on the walls of the catacombs containing numerous sarcophagi.
Excavations uncovered 75 lamps dating to the period of Umayyad
(7th-8th centuries) and Abassid (8th-13th centuries) rule over Palestine. During this period of Islamic rule, in the 9th century, the site was also a center for glassmaking
. There is also evidence of settlement during the Crusader era
(12th century).
written in Arabic
script typical of the 9-10th century was found in the nearby Magharat al-Jahannam ("Cave of Hell") during excavations conducted there in 1956. Written by Umm al-Qasim, a poetess, her name is given in acrostic
in the poem, which reads as follows:
Moshe Sharon, professor of early Islamic history at Hebrew University, speculates that this poem marks the beginning of the practice of treating this site as the sanctuary of Shaykh Abreik and suggests the site was used for burial at this time and possibly later as well. He further notes that the cave within which the inscription was found forms part of a vast area of ancient ruins which constituted a natural place for the emergence of a local shrine. Drawing on the work of Tawfiq Canaan
, the Palestinian physician and ethnographer, Sharon cites his observation that 32% of the sacred sites he visited in Palestine were located in the vicinity of ancient ruins. The tomb of Sheikh Abreik is located within a small building made up of two domes with an interior that is painted red.
Sheikh Abreik himself is described by Sharon as a local saint believed to have bestowed the nearby swamp of al-Matba'ah with healing properties that were said to be useful in treating rheutamism and nervous disorders. Canaan, who wrote about the shrine of Sheikh Abriek in 1927, noted that it was also a site frequented by women seeking to remedy infertility: "After a barren woman has taken a bath in el-Matba'ah she washes herself in Ein Ishaq ["Spring of Isaac"]; she goes then to ash-shekh Ibreik to offer a present."
, fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire
between the 16th and 20th centuries. In the imperial daftar for 1596, it is recorded as a village of 22 Muslim families located in the nahiya of Shafa in the liwa
of Lajjun
, whose inhabitants paid taxes on wheat, barley and summer crops. In 1859, the tillage
of the village was 16 feddan
s. In 1872, the Ottoman authorities sold Shayk Abreik (together with a total of 23 villages and some seventy square miles of land) for £20,000 to the Sursuk family of Lebanon. In 1881, "The Survey of Western Palestine" described Sheikh Abreik as a small village situated on a hill with a conspicuous Maqam
(Sanctuary) located to the south. The village houses were made mostly of mud
, and it belonged to the Sursuk family. The population at this time was estimated to be around 150. During World War I
, the "finest oaks" of Sheikh Bureik were "ruthlessly destroyed" by the Turkish Army for use as rail fuel.
, in October 1922, the population of Sheikh Bureik was recorded as 111 Muslims (51 male and 60 female). At some time during the early 1920s, the Sursuk family sold the lands of the village to the Jewish National Fund
, via Yehoshua Hankin
, a Zionist activist who was responsible for most of the major land purchases of the World Zionist Organization
in Ottoman Palestine. The Arab tenants were evicted and in 1925 an agricultural settlement also named Sheikh Abreik was established there by the Hapoel HaMizrachi
, a Zionist political party and settlement movement. By 1930, the new Jewish settlement had a population of 45 spanning an area of 1,089 dunams. In 1940, the High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine placed the village in Zone B for land transfers, meaning that transfer of land to a person other than a Palestinian Arab was permitted in certain specified circumstances.
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 10 miles (16.1 km) southeast of Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. Situated at an ancient site that shows evidence of habitation as early as the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, it was an important center of Jewish learning in the 2nd century, with habitation continuing during the Byzantine era
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...
, Islamic era, and the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
.
The village appears under the name Sheikh Bureik in 16th century 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...
archives. Named for a local Muslim saint to whom a shrine was dedicated that remains standing to this day, it was a small village whose inhabitants were primarily agriculturalists. Rendered tenant farmers in the late 19th century after the Ottoman authorities sold the village lands to the Sursuk family of 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...
, the village was depopulated in the 1920s after this family of absentee landlords in turn sold the lands to the Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
.
A new Jewish settlement of the same name was established there in 1925. Excavations at the site in 1936 revealed the ancient city, known in Greek as Besara and identified as Beth Shearim by Benjamin Mazar
Benjamin Mazar
Benjamin Mazar was a pioneering Israeli historian, recognized as the "dean" of biblical archaeologists. He shared the national passion for the archaeology of Israel that also attracts considerable international interest due to the region's biblical links...
. Now an archaeological site, it has come to form part of the Beth Shearim national park which is managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
Name
The site is first mentioned in the writings of JosephusJosephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, the 1st century Jewish historian under the name Besara. The Arab village was named for a Muslim saint (wali
Wali
Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...
) known as Sheikh Abreik for whom a two-domed shrine was erected which is still a site of pilgrimage (ziyara). The name translates from 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...
into English as "the sheikh of the small pitcher". It has also been suggested that the name Abreik recalls the name of Barak
Barak
Barak , Al-Burāq the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, was a military general in the Book of Judges in the Bible. He was the commander of the army of Deborah, the prophetess and heroine of the Hebrew Bible...
, the military general mentioned in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
's Book of Judges
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...
as the son of Abinoam
Abinoam
Abinoam , from Kedesh-naphtali, was the father of Barak who defeated Jabin's army, led by Sisera .*Meaning: father of beauty, father of kindness, father of pleasantness...
.
Following excavations in 1936 of an ancient city located within the hill upon which the village was located until its Arab inhabitants were evicted, Benjamin Mazar
Benjamin Mazar
Benjamin Mazar was a pioneering Israeli historian, recognized as the "dean" of biblical archaeologists. He shared the national passion for the archaeology of Israel that also attracts considerable international interest due to the region's biblical links...
identified the site as Beth Shearim, and this has been the official name of the site ever since.
History
Pottery shards discovered at the site indicate that settlement there dates back to the Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
. During the 2nd century, rabbinical literature mentions it as an important center of Jewish learning. Rabbi Judah I, the editor of the Mishna, was buried there, as were many other Jews from all over the country and from as far away as Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
. While it was originally thought that the town was destroyed during the Jewish revolt against Gallus in the mid-4th century, recent research has revealed the destruction to be far less extensive. An earthquake in 386 caused some damage, but the town recovered and enjoyed propsperity during the era of Byzantine rule
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...
. Almost 300 inscriptions primarily in 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;...
, but also in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, 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,...
, and Palmyrene were found on the walls of the catacombs containing numerous sarcophagi.
Excavations uncovered 75 lamps dating to the period of Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
(7th-8th centuries) and Abassid (8th-13th centuries) rule over Palestine. During this period of Islamic rule, in the 9th century, the site was also a center for glassmaking
Glass in Islamic culture
The influence of the Islamic world to the history of glass is reflected by its distribution around the world, from Europe to China, and from Russia to East Africa...
. There is also evidence of settlement during the Crusader era
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
(12th century).
Shrine
An elegyElegy
In literature, an elegy is a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.-History:The Greek term elegeia originally referred to any verse written in elegiac couplets and covering a wide range of subject matter, including epitaphs for tombs...
written in 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...
script typical of the 9-10th century was found in the nearby Magharat al-Jahannam ("Cave of Hell") during excavations conducted there in 1956. Written by Umm al-Qasim, a poetess, her name is given in acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
in the poem, which reads as follows:
-
-
I lament the defender (who passed away)
- While desire within his breast is still afire.
- His generosity was not very manifest to the eye,
- So that the envious ones neglect desiring him.
- Yearning (for him) has made his resting place
- (a site of) wakefulness and a shrine where people stay.
- The blessing of beauty he enjoyed. Can any thing equal them
- in the worlds? Nothing to match them can be found.
- Closer come the Ages, but distance they cause;
- for nearness they aspire, but friends they keep afar.
- Were Desire to cause blame (to a person), (still) it could not subdue (him);
- And if man's fortune does not ascend, he (too will) not rise.
- Ask about it, and the experienced ones will tell thee
- That Time combines both blame and praise:
- As long as limpid it remains, life is happy, blissful
-
-
-
-
- But once it turbid turns, miserable is life and painful
-
-
-
-
- And wrote Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Bishr b. Abu Dulaf al-Abdi, and in these verses is a name. Take from the beginning of each verse one letter and you should comprehend it. And it was written in the month of Rabi IIRabi' al-thaniRabī’ al-Thānī is the fourth month in the Islamic Calendar. It is also known as Rabī` al-Ākhir .-Timing:The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year,...
in the year 287 (or 289).
- And wrote Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Bishr b. Abu Dulaf al-Abdi, and in these verses is a name. Take from the beginning of each verse one letter and you should comprehend it. And it was written in the month of Rabi II
-
Moshe Sharon, professor of early Islamic history at Hebrew University, speculates that this poem marks the beginning of the practice of treating this site as the sanctuary of Shaykh Abreik and suggests the site was used for burial at this time and possibly later as well. He further notes that the cave within which the inscription was found forms part of a vast area of ancient ruins which constituted a natural place for the emergence of a local shrine. Drawing on the work of Tawfiq Canaan
Tawfiq Canaan
Tawfiq Canaan was a pioneering physician, medical researcher, ethnographer and Palestinian nationalist. Born in Beit Jala during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, he served as a medical officer in the Ottoman army during World War I...
, the Palestinian physician and ethnographer, Sharon cites his observation that 32% of the sacred sites he visited in Palestine were located in the vicinity of ancient ruins. The tomb of Sheikh Abreik is located within a small building made up of two domes with an interior that is painted red.
Sheikh Abreik himself is described by Sharon as a local saint believed to have bestowed the nearby swamp of al-Matba'ah with healing properties that were said to be useful in treating rheutamism and nervous disorders. Canaan, who wrote about the shrine of Sheikh Abriek in 1927, noted that it was also a site frequented by women seeking to remedy infertility: "After a barren woman has taken a bath in el-Matba'ah she washes herself in Ein Ishaq ["Spring of Isaac"]; she goes then to ash-shekh Ibreik to offer a present."
Village under Ottoman rule
Sheik Bureik, like the rest of 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....
, fell under the rule of 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...
between the 16th and 20th centuries. In the imperial daftar for 1596, it is recorded as a village of 22 Muslim families located in the nahiya of Shafa in the liwa
Liwa
*Liwa "Liwa" means "standard" or "banner" in Arabic.*Liwa *Liwa geography*Chad**Liwa in Mamdi Department*Oman**Liwa, Oman**Liwa Province, Oman *United Arab Emirates**Liwa Oasis *Poland...
of Lajjun
Lajjun
Lajjun was a Palestinian Arab village of nearly 1,300 people located northwest of Jenin. The village along with nearby Umm al-Fahm and seven hamlets, had a total land area of 77,242 dunams or , of which were built-up, while the rest was used for agricultural purposes...
, whose inhabitants paid taxes on wheat, barley and summer crops. In 1859, the tillage
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
of the village was 16 feddan
Feddan
A feddan is a unit of area. It is used in Egypt, Sudan, and Syria. The feddan is not an SI unit and in Arabic, the word means 'a yoke of oxen': implying the area of ground that could be tilled by them in a certain time. In Egypt the feddan is the only non-metric unit which remained in use...
s. In 1872, the Ottoman authorities sold Shayk Abreik (together with a total of 23 villages and some seventy square miles of land) for £20,000 to the Sursuk family of Lebanon. In 1881, "The Survey of Western Palestine" described Sheikh Abreik as a small village situated on a hill with a conspicuous Maqam
Maqam
- Musical structures :* Arabic maqam, melodic modes* Mugam genre of Azeri-speaking cultures* Maqam al-iraqi genre of Iraq* Weekly Maqam prayer services of Sephardic Jewish culture* Makam, melody types of Turkey* Muqam, melody type of Uyghur culture...
(Sanctuary) located to the south. The village houses were made mostly of mud
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
, and it belonged to the Sursuk family. The population at this time was estimated to be around 150. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the "finest oaks" of Sheikh Bureik were "ruthlessly destroyed" by the Turkish Army for use as rail fuel.
Village under British Mandatory rule
During the period of Mandate PalestineMandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
, in October 1922, the population of Sheikh Bureik was recorded as 111 Muslims (51 male and 60 female). At some time during the early 1920s, the Sursuk family sold the lands of the village to the Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
, via Yehoshua Hankin
Yehoshua Hankin
Yehoshua Hankin was a Zionist activist who was responsible for most of the major land purchases of the World Zionist Organization in Ottoman Palestine....
, a Zionist activist who was responsible for most of the major land purchases of the World Zionist Organization
World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland...
in Ottoman Palestine. The Arab tenants were evicted and in 1925 an agricultural settlement also named Sheikh Abreik was established there by the Hapoel HaMizrachi
Hapoel HaMizrachi
Hapoel HaMizrachi |Mizrachi]] Workers) was a political party and settlement movement in Israel and is one of the predecessors of the National Religious Party.-History:...
, a Zionist political party and settlement movement. By 1930, the new Jewish settlement had a population of 45 spanning an area of 1,089 dunams. In 1940, the High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine placed the village in Zone B for land transfers, meaning that transfer of land to a person other than a Palestinian Arab was permitted in certain specified circumstances.