Tulkarm
Encyclopedia
Tulkarem or Tulkarm is a Palestinian
city in the northern Samarian mountain range in the Tulkarm Governorate
in the extreme northwestern West Bank
adjacent to the Netanya
and Haifa
districts to the west, the Nablus
and Jenin
Districts to the east. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
, Tulkarem city and the adjacent refugee camp had a population of approximately 58,962 inhabitants at mid-year 2006. Its land area consists of 28,793 dunam
with Israeli settlements, Israeli only roads, Israeli factories, and the West Bank Separation Barrier covering about 6,500 dunam
of this land area .
ites in 3000 BCE. The Roman
s also established the trading post at the Samaritan village of Berat Soreqa on top of the Samarian mountains.. After the Muslim conquest of Palestine in the 7th century CE, it received its current name "Tulkarem" which means "the bountiful mountain." The Arabic
name is derived from the Aramaic
words "Toor Karma," meaning "mount of vineyards." The modern locality was established by the Mamluk
s in the 13th century and it became a strategic center in western Palestine.
In 1596, Tulkarem appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Qaqun of the Liwa
of Nablus. Tulkarem later became a caza of Haifa, It had a population of 176 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, summercrops, olives, goats or beehives and a press for olives or grapes.
Tulkarem gained more importance when the Ottoman
s—who ruled the area since 1517—granted the small town the status of a township and gained its own caza in 1886, giving it precedence over the nearby villages, during this time Qalqilya was also part of the district of Tulkarem. In addition, Tulkarem gained an Ottoman governor, bringing the residents who numbered only a few thousand and were mostly fellahin, closer to the government. In 1908, the Ottomans turned Tulkarem into a major rail junction on the Hejaz railway line running up from Egypt
and southern Palestine to Haifa
and Akka
in the northwest, Jerusalem, Nablus
and Ramallah
to the south, Lebanon
to the north, and Syria
and Transjordan
to the east. The local Burqawi family controlled the area around the city in the 19th century. The Ottoman Army used Tulkarem as a one of their main bases during the World War I
Sinai and Palestine campaign
, but in 1918, the city was captured by British forces
.
At the time of the 1931 census
, Tulkarm had 804 occupied houses and a population of 4540 Muslims, 1555 Christians, 300 Jews, 100 Samaritans, and 75 Druze. There is still at least one operational church in Tulkarm and it is one of the oldest churches in the world. The census also listed "Tul Karm Suburbs" as having 516 Muslims, 15 Jews and 10 Christians.
n mountains about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of Nablus
and Jenin
and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of the Israeli coastal towns of Netanya
and Haifa
. It is bordered by the 1948 cease-fire line
, the Center, and Haifa
Districts in the west, Qalqiliya and Ramle Districts to the south.. Its central location between a plain and a mountain has made it commercially and strategically significant and has had a great effect on its growth. In the past, Tulkarem was a caravan station and a trading center for products from the city's surrounding villages and farms, as well as a point from which armies crossed to Egypt
and the Levant (al-Sham)
.
Tulkarem is at the crossroads of three historically important arteries: A road which runs north from the Latrun
area along the edge of the plain to Mount Carmel, Mount Tabor
, Mount Gilboa Nazareth
and the Galilee
and the Golan Heights, a road which winds northward along the outer tier of hills from the Ajalon
valley to the Jezreel Valley
, and a road that rises from the Mediterranean Sea
at modern-day Netanya east to Nablus. In the past it was a junction of the coastal railroad from north of Haifa
to Cairo
and a branch of the narrow gauge Hejaz railway to Damascus
.
Archaeological findings reveal that an agglomeration has existed here at least since the Roman
Period. In the past, Tulkarem has assumed the form of a small village, but it has expanded since the beginning of the 20th century due to an increase in the traffic passing through. This development came to a halt in the 1930s with the construction of the Petah Tikva
-Hadera
highway, which bypasses the town in the west. Despite the fact that the Israel
-Jordan
armistice border of 1949 encircled Tulkarem in the southwest, west and north-west, the city's population has increased considerably and it has become an administrative and agricultural center. The town has an agricultural school that was established during the British Mandate period with a monetary contribution by the philanthropist J.S. Kadoorie. In modern times, the school is recognized as a prominent community college in agriculture and teacher training.
and gravel to Tulkarem's lands in seasons of heavy rain and floods, thus creating fertile soil. In addition, an aquifer
feeds numerous wells and springs in the area. Due to Tulkarm's proximity to the Mediterranean sea, palm trees are also very common.
Tulkarem's arable land allows the city inhabitants to produce citrus
fruits, melons, olives, olive oil
, tomatoes, potatoes, wheat, sesame
, peanut, eggplant, pepper
s, green beans, guava
, and other products. Land designations in the West Bank
are defined by the recent "Oslo II" interim agreement, where Tulkarem proper is located in Area A, or under full Palestinian control, however the Tulkarm Governateis highly fragmented due to Israeli checkpoints and road blocks. The area around Tulkarm however has numerous Israeli settlements such as the Shomron regional council and Hermesh
, Tulkarm also has many Israeli
Factories in and around the city, including area A since 1984, these pose a great health hazard to the local Palestinian
population.
has on its climate because of its location on the Samarian mountains.. The average temperature doesn’t exceed 27 °C (81 °F) in August, while February's average temperature doesn’t fall below 13.5 °C (56 °F). Humidity is moderate in summer, about 40-70%, though it rises in winter to between 70-85%. Tulkarem receives in excess of 550 millimetres (21.7 in) of rain yearly, which is dispersed and intermittent, characteristic of the Mediterranean Basin
.
of women from Tulkarem were plain, dark-colored gowns with or without embroidery as most rural women from the north of Palestine. Today, embroidery is the main source of income for the women of the city. The most popular embroidered images are maps of historic Palestine. Musakhan
, the national dish of the Palestinian people originated in Tulkarem and the surrounding area. It roughly consists of taboon bread
garnished with sumac
and onion
s. Tulkarm shares many of its features including its dialect, which is very similar in most aspects to the Syrian dialect as Palestine was for a long period of time a integral part of Greater Syria. Tulkarm shares many of its cultural features with neighboring Haifa
, Jenin
, Nablus
, Qalqilia, and Jaffa
Swimming for children has always been a significant pastime of the Tulkarm area because it had a significant port and a large beach on the shores of the Mediterranean sea
which are now Netanya
and Ceaserea.
, and two colleges for An-Najah National University
. There are four high schools—two for girls (Al'adawiyya and Jamal Abd-Al-Naser) and two for boys (Alfadeleyya and Ihsan Samarah). There is also the renowned Birzeit university near Ramallah
and the University Of Haifa
in Haifa
and the Carmel
.
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...
city in the northern Samarian mountain range in the Tulkarm Governorate
Tulkarm Governorate
The Tulkarm Governorate is an administrative district and one of 16 Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority located in the northwestern West Bank. The governorate's land area is 268 square kilometers. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the governorate had a...
in the extreme northwestern 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...
adjacent to the Netanya
Netanya
Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...
and 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...
districts to the west, the 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 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...
Districts to the east. According to 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....
, Tulkarem city and the adjacent refugee camp had a population of approximately 58,962 inhabitants at mid-year 2006. Its land area consists of 28,793 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...
with Israeli settlements, Israeli only roads, Israeli factories, and the West Bank Separation Barrier covering about 6,500 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...
of this land area .
History
Tulkarem was founded and settled by the CanaanCanaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
ites in 3000 BCE. The Roman
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 also established the trading post at the Samaritan village of Berat Soreqa on top of the Samarian mountains.. After the Muslim conquest of Palestine in the 7th century CE, it received its current name "Tulkarem" which means "the bountiful mountain." 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...
name is derived from 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,...
words "Toor Karma," meaning "mount of vineyards." The modern locality was established by the Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
s in the 13th century and it became a strategic center in western Palestine.
In 1596, Tulkarem appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Qaqun of 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...
of Nablus. Tulkarem later became a caza of Haifa, It had a population of 176 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, summercrops, olives, goats or beehives and a press for olives or grapes.
Tulkarem gained more importance when 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...
s—who ruled the area since 1517—granted the small town the status of a township and gained its own caza in 1886, giving it precedence over the nearby villages, during this time Qalqilya was also part of the district of Tulkarem. In addition, Tulkarem gained an Ottoman governor, bringing the residents who numbered only a few thousand and were mostly fellahin, closer to the government. In 1908, the Ottomans turned Tulkarem into a major rail junction on the Hejaz railway line running up from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and southern Palestine to 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...
and Akka
Akka
Akka is traditionally a female spirit in Sámi and Finnish mythology.In Sámi mythology, the first akka was Maderakka and her daughters were Sarakka, Uksakka and Juksakka. Some Sámi thought they lived under their kota tents....
in the northwest, Jerusalem, 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 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...
to the south, 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...
to the north, and 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....
and Transjordan
Transjordan
The Emirate of Transjordan was a former Ottoman territory in the Southern Levant that was part of the British Mandate of Palestine...
to the east. The local Burqawi family controlled the area around the city in the 19th century. The Ottoman Army used Tulkarem as a one of their main bases during the 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...
Sinai and Palestine campaign
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
, but in 1918, the city was captured by British forces
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
At the time of the 1931 census
1931 census of Palestine
The 1931 census of Palestine was the second census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine. It was carried out on 18 November 1931 under the direction of Major E. Mills. The first census had been conducted in 1922...
, Tulkarm had 804 occupied houses and a population of 4540 Muslims, 1555 Christians, 300 Jews, 100 Samaritans, and 75 Druze. There is still at least one operational church in Tulkarm and it is one of the oldest churches in the world. The census also listed "Tul Karm Suburbs" as having 516 Muslims, 15 Jews and 10 Christians.
Location
The city is situated on the western part of the northern West bank, on the Mediterranean in the foothills of the SamariaSamaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
n mountains about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west 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 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 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of the Israeli coastal towns of Netanya
Netanya
Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...
and 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...
. It is bordered by the 1948 cease-fire line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
, the Center, and 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...
Districts in the west, Qalqiliya and Ramle Districts to the south.. Its central location between a plain and a mountain has made it commercially and strategically significant and has had a great effect on its growth. In the past, Tulkarem was a caravan station and a trading center for products from the city's surrounding villages and farms, as well as a point from which armies crossed to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and the Levant (al-Sham)
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
.
Tulkarem is at the crossroads of three historically important arteries: A road which runs north from the Latrun
Latrun
Latrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley in Israel overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
area along the edge of the plain to Mount Carmel, Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor
-Places:*Mount Tabor, a hill in Israel near Nazareth believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of ChristIn the United States:*Mount Tabor, Indiana, an unincorporated community...
, Mount Gilboa Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
and the 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...
and the Golan Heights, a road which winds northward along the outer tier of hills from the Ajalon
Ajalon
Ajalon was a place in the lowland of Shephelah in the ancient Land of Israel, identified today as Yalo at the foot of the Bethoron pass, a Palestinian Arab village located southeast of Ramla in the West Bank. Its name is Hebrew for "place of gazelles".The place may have been the site of several...
valley to the Jezreel Valley
Jezreel Valley
-Etymology:The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley, though some scholars think that the name of the city originates from the name of the clan which founded it, and whose existence is mentioned in...
, and a road that rises from the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
at modern-day Netanya east to Nablus. In the past it was a junction of the coastal railroad from north 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...
to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and a branch of the narrow gauge Hejaz railway to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
.
Archaeological findings reveal that an agglomeration has existed here at least since the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Period. In the past, Tulkarem has assumed the form of a small village, but it has expanded since the beginning of the 20th century due to an increase in the traffic passing through. This development came to a halt in the 1930s with the construction of the Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
-Hadera
Hadera
Hadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...
highway, which bypasses the town in the west. Despite the fact that the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
-Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
armistice border of 1949 encircled Tulkarem in the southwest, west and north-west, the city's population has increased considerably and it has become an administrative and agricultural center. The town has an agricultural school that was established during the British Mandate period with a monetary contribution by the philanthropist J.S. Kadoorie. In modern times, the school is recognized as a prominent community college in agriculture and teacher training.
Land use
Tulkarem was built on the foothills of the Samarian mountain range over a higher area than that surrounding it. The land which was formed as a result of the new fourth epoch consists mostly of creeping sands from the west to the east. The mountainous valleys carry quantities of alluviumAlluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
and gravel to Tulkarem's lands in seasons of heavy rain and floods, thus creating fertile soil. In addition, an aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
feeds numerous wells and springs in the area. Due to Tulkarm's proximity to the Mediterranean sea, palm trees are also very common.
Tulkarem's arable land allows the city inhabitants to produce citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
fruits, melons, olives, olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
, tomatoes, potatoes, wheat, sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
, peanut, eggplant, pepper
Capsicum
Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...
s, green beans, guava
Guava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
, and other products. Land designations in the 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...
are defined by the recent "Oslo II" interim agreement, where Tulkarem proper is located in Area A, or under full Palestinian control, however the Tulkarm Governateis highly fragmented due to Israeli checkpoints and road blocks. The area around Tulkarm however has numerous Israeli settlements such as the Shomron regional council and Hermesh
Hermesh
Hermesh is a communal village and an Israeli settlement in the western Samarian hills of the West Bank. It falls under the jurisdiction of Shomron Regional Council...
, Tulkarm also has many Israeli
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
Factories in and around the city, including area A since 1984, these pose a great health hazard to the local Palestinian
Palestinian
Palestinian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Palestine, the Palestinian territories or the State of Palestine*A member of the Palestinian people, also rendered as Palestinian Arabs**Demographics of Palestine...
population.
Climate
The climate of Tulkarm is Mediterranean and subtropical as the area surrounding it, with rainfall limited to the winter. The average temperature in the winter ranges from 8 to 16 °C (46.4 to 60.8 F), while the average temperature in the summer ranges from 17 to 30 °C (62.6 to 86 F). Tulkarem is distinguished by the moderating effect the sea breezeSea breeze
A sea-breeze is a wind from the sea that develops over land near coasts. It is formed by increasing temperature differences between the land and water; these create a pressure minimum over the land due to its relative warmth, and forces higher pressure, cooler air from the sea to move inland...
has on its climate because of its location on the Samarian mountains.. The average temperature doesn’t exceed 27 °C (81 °F) in August, while February's average temperature doesn’t fall below 13.5 °C (56 °F). Humidity is moderate in summer, about 40-70%, though it rises in winter to between 70-85%. Tulkarem receives in excess of 550 millimetres (21.7 in) of rain yearly, which is dispersed and intermittent, characteristic of the Mediterranean Basin
Mediterranean Basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation...
.
Precipitation
The rainy season in the Tulkarem Governorate usually starts in October and continues through May. Between December and February, almost 70% of annual rainfall occurs, while 20% of annual rainfall occurs in October and November. Rain in June and September is rare and comes to negligible amounts. July and August have no rain at all, except for one rainfall of 1.5 millimetre (0.0590551181102362 in) on July 10, 1995 in Tulkarem City (Tulkarm Agricultural Department). The mean annual rainfall in the city of Tulkarem is 642 millimetres (25.3 in) for the period from 1952 to 1995 (Tulkarem Agricultural Department).Culture
The traditional costumesPalestinian costumes
Palestinian costumes are the traditional clothing worn by Palestinians. Foreign travelers to Palestine in the 19th and early 20th centuries often commented on the rich variety of the costumes worn, particularly by the fellaheen or village women...
of women from Tulkarem were plain, dark-colored gowns with or without embroidery as most rural women from the north of Palestine. Today, embroidery is the main source of income for the women of the city. The most popular embroidered images are maps of historic Palestine. Musakhan
Musakhan
Musakhan is a Palestinian dish. It is composed of roasted chicken baked with onions, sumac, allspice, saffron, and fried pine nuts atop one or more taboon breads.-Culture:...
, the national dish of the Palestinian people originated in Tulkarem and the surrounding area. It roughly consists of taboon bread
Taboon bread
Taboon bread ) is a flatbread wrap used in many cuisines. It is traditionally baked in a taboon oven and eaten with different fillings.Taboon bread is sold as street food, stuffed with hummus, falafel or shaved meat...
garnished with sumac
Sumac
Sumac is any one of approximately 250 species of flowering plants in the genus Rhus and related genera, in the family Anacardiaceae. Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in Africa and North America....
and onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s. Tulkarm shares many of its features including its dialect, which is very similar in most aspects to the Syrian dialect as Palestine was for a long period of time a integral part of Greater Syria. Tulkarm shares many of its cultural features with neighboring 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, Qalqilia, and Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
Swimming for children has always been a significant pastime of the Tulkarm area because it had a significant port and a large beach on the shores of the Mediterranean sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
which are now Netanya
Netanya
Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...
and Ceaserea.
Roads
Roads in this district are classified into three categories, the first type is the solid surfaced roads with two lanes which connect Tulkarem and Qalqilya cities with other districts. The second one is the one-lane solid surfaced roads which connect most of the rural communities. The third type is the unpaved roads in the rural areas. In Tulkarm as in most of the west bank there are many kilometers of Israeli Only roads, that are newer, better built, and safer but the Palestinians are barred from using these Israeli only roads. It should be mentioned here that most of the Palestinian Only roads in the Tulkarem district lack the basic safety requirements.Public transportation services
Transportation services available in the Tulkarem district comprise public buses both Egged Buses and Servees, taxis, and private vehicles. However, due to insufficiency of organized public transportation system, a high percentage of private vehicles are used by their owners to transport passengers between communities. This kind of transportation is considered dangerous due to lack of safety requirements and because drivers operating these vehicles are not qualified to work in public transportation. Added to this is the lack of insurance and licensing in most of these cars, which makes such transportation risky.Communications
Nearly 21% of the population in the Tulkarem district have access to a limited number of lever-turned telephones in rural areas and 27% of the population have access to automatic switchboards.Education
There is a two-year and a four-year college at Tulkarem called the Khodori Institute and Khodori University, Al-Quds Open UniversityAl-Quds Open University
Al-Quds Open University is an administratively, academically and financially independent public university. According to the university's website, it was established in Amman, Jordan, by a decree issued by the Palestinian Liberation Organization and started operating in the Palestinian territories...
, and two colleges for An-Najah National University
An-Najah National University
An-Najah National University is a Palestinian non-governmental public university governed by a board of Trustees. It is located in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. The university has over 16,500 students and 300 professors in 19 faculties...
. There are four high schools—two for girls (Al'adawiyya and Jamal Abd-Al-Naser) and two for boys (Alfadeleyya and Ihsan Samarah). There is also the renowned Birzeit university 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...
and the University Of Haifa
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa is a university in Haifa, Israel.The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
in 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...
and the Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
.
Sports
Tulkarem has 2 semi-professional soccer teams; Thaqafi Tulkarem and Markez Shabab Tulkarem. Both are in the Palestinian League Division One and both are usually at or near the top of the standings.People from Tulkarem
- Ekrem AkurgalEkrem AkurgalEkrem Akurgal was a Turkish archaeologist. During a career that spanned more than fifty years, he conducted definitive research in several sites along the western coast of Anatolia such as Phokaia , Pitane , Erythrai and old Smyrna Ekrem Akurgal (March 30, 1911 – November 1, 2002) was a ...
, Turkish archaeologist born in 1911 in Tulkarem - Khaled Abu ToamehKhaled Abu ToamehKhaled Abu Toameh is a Israeli Arab journalist and documentary filmmaker. Abu Toameh is the West Bank and Gaza correspondent for the Jerusalem Post and U.S. News and World Report, and has been the Palestinian affairs producer for NBC News since 1988...
, Palestinian Israeli-Arab Muslim journalist - Shakeeb DallalShakeeb DallalShakeeb Dallal was born in the city of Tulkarm, Palestine, the son of Jamil H. Dallal, who was active in the 1936 Arab Uprising against the British Mandate. He was one of the founders of Ba'ath party and was a member of the PLO and a member of its PNC, the Palestinian National Council...
- Rashad Qasas, Revered accountant
- Hasan KarmiHasan KarmiHasan Sa'id Karmi was a distinguished Palestinian linguist, broadcaster, and scholar.Hasan Karmi was born in Tulkarem, Palestine. The son of an eminent shari'a court judge, Sheikh Sa'id al-Karmi, Karmi studied in a local Qur'anic school and later attended English College in Jerusalem...
- Queen Rania of Jordan (born in KuwaitKuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
to parents from Tulkarem, family lives in Thnabeh Area in Tulkarem)