Yatta, Hebron
Encyclopedia
Yatta or Yattah is a Palestinian
city located in the Hebron Governorate
on a high approximately 8 km south of the city of Hebron
in the West Bank
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
it had a population of 48,672 in 2007.
. A Jewish burial complex dating to the 2nd century CE was found in the town in 1931. Eusebius
(4th-cent.) wrote that Yatta was "a very large village of Jews eighteen miles south of Beit Guvrin
."
In 1596 it was recorded as having a population of 127 Muslim families, and paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, goats and bee-hives. In 1931 the population was counted as 4,034 Muslims. Today, some Palestinian-Arab residents believe they originate from the Jewish kingdom of Khaybar
in the south-western Arabian peninsula and are descended from the Jewish tribes of Arabia
. Research by Yitzhak Ben Zvi in 1928 also suggested that three out of the six extended families in Yatta belonged to the "Mehamra" group and possibly descended from an Arabian Jewish tribe.
The Survey of Western Palestine described the village in the 1870s as being a "large village standing high on a ridge. It is built of stone, but some of the inhabitants live in tents. The water supply is from cisterns. On the south there are rock-cut tombs, and rock wine-presses are found all round the village. The neighbourhood is extremely stony; south of the village are scattered olives, which are conspicuous objects; on the west, a little lower under a cliff, is a small olive yard in which the camp of the Survey party was pitched in 1874; to the south-west of camp were a few figs. The inhabitants are very rich in flocks; the village owned, it was said, 17,000 sheep, beside goats, cows, camels, horses, and donkeys. The Sheikh alone had 250 sheep. ... South of the village are several tombs; one has a shallow semicircular arch cut above a small square entrance. West of the village and of el Muturrif is a very fine rock-cut wine-press. A second occurs north of the village."
Seven Palestinians were killed in Yatta during the Second Intifada in different incidents from 2002-04.
from Yatta from around 1910 is part of the Museum of International Folk Art
(MOIFA) at Museum of New Mexico at Santa Fe
.
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...
city located in the Hebron Governorate
Hebron Governorate
The Hebron Governorate is an administrative district of the Palestinian National Authority in the southern West Bank. It extends south to, and includes most of, the Dead Sea....
on a high approximately 8 km south of the city of Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
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...
. 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....
it had a population of 48,672 in 2007.
History
Yatta is located on the site of the Biblical town of JuttahJuttah
Juttah was a town in ancient Israel. It is identified with modern day Yattah, which is located on a hill about 10 km south of Hebron.Juttah was a Levitical city in the mountains or hill-country of Judah . It is believed to have been the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of John the...
. A Jewish burial complex dating to the 2nd century CE was found in the town in 1931. Eusebius
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea also called Eusebius Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical canon...
(4th-cent.) wrote that Yatta was "a very large village of Jews eighteen miles south of Beit Guvrin
Beit Guvrin
Beit Guvrin may refer to:* The ancient city of Maresha, now an archaeological museum, in Israel* The adjacent Roman and Byzantine city of Eleutheropolis, referred to as Beit Guvrin in Jewish scripture.* Beit Guvrin, Israel, a Kibbutz founded in 1949....
."
In 1596 it was recorded as having a population of 127 Muslim families, and paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, goats and bee-hives. In 1931 the population was counted as 4,034 Muslims. Today, some Palestinian-Arab residents believe they originate from the Jewish kingdom of Khaybar
Khaybar
Khaybar is the name of an oasis some 153 km to the north of Medina , Saudi Arabia. It was inhabited by Jews before the rise of Islam, and was conquered by Muhammad in 629 AD.-Pre-Islamic Khaybar:...
in the south-western Arabian peninsula and are descended from the Jewish tribes of Arabia
Jewish tribes of Arabia
The Arab Jewish tribes are the Arab tribes professing the Jewish faith that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula before and during the advent of Islam. It is not always clear whether they were originally Israelite in ancestry, genealogically Arab tribes that converted to Judaism, or a mixture of both...
. Research by Yitzhak Ben Zvi in 1928 also suggested that three out of the six extended families in Yatta belonged to the "Mehamra" group and possibly descended from an Arabian Jewish tribe.
The Survey of Western Palestine described the village in the 1870s as being a "large village standing high on a ridge. It is built of stone, but some of the inhabitants live in tents. The water supply is from cisterns. On the south there are rock-cut tombs, and rock wine-presses are found all round the village. The neighbourhood is extremely stony; south of the village are scattered olives, which are conspicuous objects; on the west, a little lower under a cliff, is a small olive yard in which the camp of the Survey party was pitched in 1874; to the south-west of camp were a few figs. The inhabitants are very rich in flocks; the village owned, it was said, 17,000 sheep, beside goats, cows, camels, horses, and donkeys. The Sheikh alone had 250 sheep. ... South of the village are several tombs; one has a shallow semicircular arch cut above a small square entrance. West of the village and of el Muturrif is a very fine rock-cut wine-press. A second occurs north of the village."
Seven Palestinians were killed in Yatta during the Second Intifada in different incidents from 2002-04.
Culture
A Jillayeh dressPalestinian 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...
from Yatta from around 1910 is part of the Museum of International Folk Art
Museum of International Folk Art
The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs...
(MOIFA) at Museum of New Mexico at Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
.
