Al-Burj البرج | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: The tower[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Burj, Ramle (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Burj Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°54′07″N35°01′14″E / 31.90194°N 35.02056°E /31.90194; 35.02056 | |
| Palestine grid | 152/145 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Date of depopulation | July 15–16, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,708dunams (4.708 km2; 1.818 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 480[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Kfar Rut[5] |
Al-Burj (Arabic:البرج) was aPalestinian Arab village 14 km east ofRamle close to the highway toRamallah, which was depopulated in 1948. Its name, "the tower", is believed to be derived from the crusader castle, Castle Arnold, built on the site. Victorian visitors in the 19th century recorded seeing crusader ruins close to the village.[6]
The name "al-Burj" is ofArabicorigin, and means "The tower". The names refers to the site's Crusader keep.[7]
AByzantinelintel was found in the village in the 1870s, with "a Greek cross inscribed in a circle, and having its four arms ornamented with curious facet-work."[8]
Charles Clearmont Ganneau suggested al-Burj as the site of the Castellum Arnoldi, nearBeit Nuba, 'in primes auspices campestrum,' built in 1131 A.D. by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, to protect the approach to that city (William of Tyre).[9]
Just west of Al-Burj isKŭlảt et Tantûrah, "the castle of the peak."[10] It is the remains of a tower, with 5-meter thick walls, and a door to the east. It is possible theCrusader castle calledTharenta, under Muslim rule since 1187.[11]
While nearbyBayt Jiz often has been identified as the Crusader village ofGith, some scholars (Schmitt, 1980; Fischer, Isaac and Roll, 1996) have suggested thatGith was actually atKŭlảt et Tantûrah.[12]
In 1838el-Burj was noted as aMuslim village, in theIbn Humar area in the District ofEr-Ramleh.[13] It was also noted as a being small, "situated on an isolated hill surrounded by open vallies and plains." It was further noted that "there are here evident traces of an ancient site, apparently once fortified."[14]
In 1863Victor Guérin found the village to have no more than 200 inhabitants, and noted that the Crusader fortress was in ruins.[15]
AnOttoman village list from about 1870 showed that Al-Burj had a population of 139 in a total of 31 houses, though that population count included men, only. It was further noted that it was located one hour fromBeit Ur al-Tahta.[16][17]
In 1873–74Clermont-Ganneau noted that the village was closely connected withBir Ma'in.[8]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Al-Burj as "a small village on a hill-top, with open ground beneath on all sides. There are remains of a Crusading fortress (Kulat et Tanturah), and the position is a strong one, near the main road to Lydda".[9]
By the beginning of the 20th century, former Bedouins from the'Arab al-Jaramina tribe settled the in the village in and neighboringBir Ma'in.[18]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Al Burj had a population of 344; allMuslims,[19] increasing in the1931 census to 370, still all Muslims, in a total of 92 houses.[20]
In the1945 statistics, the village had a population of 480 Muslims,[2] with a total land area of 4,708dunams.[3] 6 dunams were either irrigated or used for orchards, 2,631 were used for cereals,[21] while 12 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.[22]
An elementary school for boys was completed in 1947 with around 35 pupils.[5]
Al-Burj was occupied by the Israeli Army on July 15, 1948, during the second phase ofOperation Dani. TheArab Legion counterattacked the following day with two infantry platoons and ten armoured cars but were forced to retreat. According to theHaganah 30 Arabs were killed and four armoured vehicles captured with 3 Israelis killed.Aref al-Aref records around 13 Legionaires killed.[4][5]Two elderly women and men remained. On the 23 July, one, a military cook, was sent out to pick vegetables. In his absence the other three were led to a house which, when an antitank shell missed, was blown up with six grenades. Two died: the surviving woman was then executed, and their bodies torched. The cook, on returning, didn't believe the story that they had been sent to a hospital in Ramallah, and some time later was executed with four bullets.[23] In 1992 the village site was described: "Only one crumbled house remains on the hilltop. Cactuses and wild plants grow on the site. The nearby settlements uses the village for hothouse agriculture."[24]
In 2002 a woman, Kawthar al-Amir, published a 64 page long book about Al-Burj. According to Rochelle Davis, the book is "innovatively styled for children, the descendants of the village who do not know about the village," and it is a "question and answer format, as a conversation between her and her granddaughter Bahiyya."[25]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
