Tammun
Encyclopedia
Tammun is a Palestinian
town in the Tubas Governorate
, located 23 kilometers northeast of Nablus
and five kilometers south of Tubas
in the northeastern West Bank
. Tammun has a population of approximately 10,500 inhabitants.
.
Tammun's modern history dates from the 15th century. The town was founded by a group of Bedouin
s from the Arabian Peninsula
seeking to find a safe location in Palestine
with a view of other nearby localities. Over the past four centuries, Arab
s from the towns of Kafr Qaddum
and Halhul
have settled in the town. The town's name derives from the Arabic
word tammen, meaning "quiet".
, twenty-three kilometers northeast of Nablus
, and bordered by Far'a
and Wadi al-Far'a
to the west and an-Naseriya
to the south.
The town's total land area is about 81,000 dunam
s, accounting for more than 15% of the Tubas Governorate's jurisdiction. About 1,519 dunams are designated as 'built up' area, while 79,481 dunams are used for agricultural purposes, are covered by forests or are classified as closed-off areas controlled by the Israel Defense Forces
.
The average temperature in Tammun is 20 degrees Celsius. The town receives an average annual rainfall of 331 millimeters and the average humidity rate is 57%.
(PCBS), Tammun had a population of 7,640, of whom 3,771 were males and 3,869 were females. The age distribution of the town's inhabitants was 45% under the age of 15, 49.9% between the ages of 15 and 4.6% were above the age of 65.
According to the PCBS, Tammun had a population of 10,440 inhabitants in mid-year 2006. The growth of inhabitants from 1997 and 2005 was 32.1%. Its population constituted over 21% of the entire population of the Tubas Governorate, making it the second largest city after Tubas.
Tammun's residents generally are from two Arab families: Bani Odeh and Bsharat.
, Tammun's residents mostly relied on farming and raising livestock. Since 1967 to the First Intifada
, work has shifted to Israel
where many laborers were employed. The Palestinian National Authority
, which gained civil control over Tammun in 1995, has provided more job opportunities in the public sector and trade. After the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000, labor shifted once again to agriculture.
Currently, 50% work in agriculture, 35% work in the Israeli labor market, 10% in services, 2% in construction and 3% in trade. In 2006, there were 212 shops, eight restaurants, a wheat mill, a pickle factory and other industries such as cheese and jam production. In 1997, Tammun's labor force made up 67% of the town's population. However, 66.3% were non-economically active. Women constituted 34% of the labor force. Tammun's average income dropped from 1,500 NIS before 2000 to 600 NIS in 2004 — a decrease of 60%.
Tammun has a total of 25,000 dunams of cultivated land, of which 4,166 are grown with fruit orchards, 3,560 for field crops, 600 dunams for vegetables and 120 are used for greenhouse
s. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, Tammun produces five tonnes of olives, 3,500 tonnes of vegetables and 2,500 tonnes of field crops per annum. Around 10% of Tammun's residents own livestock which consists of 137 herds of cattle, 480 goats, 5,250 sheep, 37,000 poultry and 138 beehives for honey.
on November 13, 1995 and was originally governed by a village council. Since 1997, Tammun has been governed by a municipal council with fifteen elected members, including the mayor. The municipality is in charge of Tammun's administration, planning and development, social services, infrastructural maintenance, utilities, solid waste collection and issuing of building licenses. In the 2005 Palestinian municipal elections, Muhammad Ahmad Bsharat was elected mayor.
There are seven schools and six kindergartens in the town, all administered by the Education Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
. Of the seven schools, three were all-male schools, two were all women and two were co-ed. In 2004-05, 3,091 students were enrolled in these schools. There was a total of 395 children in Tammun's kindergartens.
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 Tubas Governorate
Tubas Governorate
The Tubas Governorate is an administrative district of the Palestinian National Authority in the northeastern West Bank. It district capital or muhfaza is the city of Tubas. In 2007, the population was 50,267.-Village councils:*Bardala*Ein al-Beida...
, located 23 kilometers northeast 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...
and five kilometers south of Tubas
Tubas
Tubas or Toubas is a small Palestinian city in the northeastern West Bank, located northeast of Nablus, a few kilometers west of the Jordan River. A city of over 16,000 inhabitants, it serves as the economic and administrative center of the Tubas Governorate. Its urban area consists of 2,271 dunams...
in the northeastern 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...
. Tammun has a population of approximately 10,500 inhabitants.
History
Tammun is commonly identified as the Biblical town of Tabbath in EphraimEphraim
Ephraim ; was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. Ephraim was born in Egypt before the arrival of the children of Israel from Canaan...
.
Tammun's modern history dates from the 15th century. The town was founded by a group of Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
s from the Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
seeking to find a safe location 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....
with a view of other nearby localities. Over the past four centuries, 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 from the towns of Kafr Qaddum
Kafr Qaddum
Kafr Qaddum is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, located 13 kilometers west of Nablus and 17 kilometers east of Qalqilya in the Qalqilya Governorate. Surrounding towns include Jit to the east and Hajjah to the south...
and Halhul
Halhul
Halhul is a Palestinian city located in the southern West Bank, north of Hebron in the Hebron Governorate. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 22,108 mostly Muslim inhabitants in 2007.- History :...
have settled in the town. The town's name derives from the 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...
word tammen, meaning "quiet".
Geography and climate
Tammun stands at an elevation of 332 meters above sea level. It is five kilometers south of TubasTubas
Tubas or Toubas is a small Palestinian city in the northeastern West Bank, located northeast of Nablus, a few kilometers west of the Jordan River. A city of over 16,000 inhabitants, it serves as the economic and administrative center of the Tubas Governorate. Its urban area consists of 2,271 dunams...
, twenty-three kilometers northeast 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...
, and bordered by Far'a
Far'a
Far'a or al-Fari'ah is a Palestinian refugee camp in the foothills of the Jordan Valley in the northwestern West Bank, located 12 kilometers south of Jenin and 2 kilometers south of Tubas , three kilometers northwest of Tammun and 17 kilometers northeast of Nablus...
and Wadi al-Far'a
Wadi al-Far'a
Wadi al-Far'a is a Palestinian village in the Tubas Governorate in the northeastern West Bank located five kilometers southwest of Tubas. It has a land area of 12,000 dunams, of which 337 is built-up and 10,500 are for agricultural purposes. It is under the complete control of the Palestinian...
to the west and an-Naseriya
An-Naseriya
an-Nassariya is a Palestinian town in the Nablus Governorate in the North central West Bank, located 14 kilometers East of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics , the village had a population of 1,354 inhabitants in mid-year 2006...
to the south.
The town's total land area is about 81,000 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, accounting for more than 15% of the Tubas Governorate's jurisdiction. About 1,519 dunams are designated as 'built up' area, while 79,481 dunams are used for agricultural purposes, are covered by forests or are classified as closed-off areas controlled by the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
.
The average temperature in Tammun is 20 degrees Celsius. The town receives an average annual rainfall of 331 millimeters and the average humidity rate is 57%.
Demographics
According to the 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of StatisticsPalestinian 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), Tammun had a population of 7,640, of whom 3,771 were males and 3,869 were females. The age distribution of the town's inhabitants was 45% under the age of 15, 49.9% between the ages of 15 and 4.6% were above the age of 65.
According to the PCBS, Tammun had a population of 10,440 inhabitants in mid-year 2006. The growth of inhabitants from 1997 and 2005 was 32.1%. Its population constituted over 21% of the entire population of the Tubas Governorate, making it the second largest city after Tubas.
Tammun's residents generally are from two Arab families: Bani Odeh and Bsharat.
Economy
Prior to the 1967 Six-Day WarSix-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, Tammun's residents mostly relied on farming and raising livestock. Since 1967 to the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
, work has shifted to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
where many laborers were employed. The Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
, which gained civil control over Tammun in 1995, has provided more job opportunities in the public sector and trade. After the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000, labor shifted once again to agriculture.
Currently, 50% work in agriculture, 35% work in the Israeli labor market, 10% in services, 2% in construction and 3% in trade. In 2006, there were 212 shops, eight restaurants, a wheat mill, a pickle factory and other industries such as cheese and jam production. In 1997, Tammun's labor force made up 67% of the town's population. However, 66.3% were non-economically active. Women constituted 34% of the labor force. Tammun's average income dropped from 1,500 NIS before 2000 to 600 NIS in 2004 — a decrease of 60%.
Tammun has a total of 25,000 dunams of cultivated land, of which 4,166 are grown with fruit orchards, 3,560 for field crops, 600 dunams for vegetables and 120 are used for greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, Tammun produces five tonnes of olives, 3,500 tonnes of vegetables and 2,500 tonnes of field crops per annum. Around 10% of Tammun's residents own livestock which consists of 137 herds of cattle, 480 goats, 5,250 sheep, 37,000 poultry and 138 beehives for honey.
Government
Tammun was transferred to the Palestinian National AuthorityPalestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
on November 13, 1995 and was originally governed by a village council. Since 1997, Tammun has been governed by a municipal council with fifteen elected members, including the mayor. The municipality is in charge of Tammun's administration, planning and development, social services, infrastructural maintenance, utilities, solid waste collection and issuing of building licenses. In the 2005 Palestinian municipal elections, Muhammad Ahmad Bsharat was elected mayor.
Education
In 1997, 84.3% of Tammun's population over the age of 10 was literate. Women made up 80% of the illiterate residents. About 17% of the population over the age of 18 had completed their secondary and high school education, 20% completed primary and secondary education and 27.2% completed just their primary education.There are seven schools and six kindergartens in the town, all administered by the Education Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
Education Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education of the Palestinian National Authority is the branch of the Palestinian government in charge of managing the education in the Palestinian territories. It was established in 1994 after the formation of the Palestinian National Authority...
. Of the seven schools, three were all-male schools, two were all women and two were co-ed. In 2004-05, 3,091 students were enrolled in these schools. There was a total of 395 children in Tammun's kindergartens.