Al-Hamra الحمرا | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: Name of local tribe | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Hamra, Baysan (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Hamra Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°25′40″N35°30′01″E / 32.42778°N 35.50028°E /32.42778; 35.50028 | |
| Palestine grid | 196/204 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Baysan |
| Date of depopulation | May 31, 1948 |
| Area | |
• Total | 11.5 km2 (4.4 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 730[1][2] |
Al-Hamra (Arabic:الحمرا), was aPalestinianArab village in theDistrict of Baysan. It was located 7.5 kilometres south ofBaysan. It was depopulated by theIsraeli Army during the1948 Arab-Israeli War. The village was named after theBedouin tribe who settled in the village lands centuries ago.[3] The population in 1945 was 730, expanding to 847 in 1948.
In 1945 the village's total land area was recorded as 11,511dunams, 8,623 of which was Arab owned while 2,153 duname were owned byJews with the remainder being public property. Al-Hamra was situated 175 meters below sea level.[3]
There are archaeological sites located just east of the village that are traced back to the era of theCanaanites, particularly thetells of Abu Kharaj and al-Shuqaf.
Al-Hamra receives its name from the al-Hamra clan, a branch of the al-Suqur ("the Falcons") tribe. According toWalid Khalidi, the al-Hamra clan settled in the area several centuries ago because of its abundant water supplies and fertile soil. The first reference to the village was in 1281 whenQalawun, theBahri Mamluk sultan, traveled through it on his way toEgypt fromSyria.[3] During the rule ofSanjar al-Jawli (Governor of Gaza and much ofPalestine from 1311-20 and 1329) he ordered the construction of Khan Salar, a caravansary named after his friend, the former viceroy of the sultanate EmirSalar.[4]
During the beginning of the 20th-century, al-Hamra's homes were widely scattered and were either permanent adobe brick structures or camel-hair tents. The village's main crops were grain, oranges, olives and vegetables.[3]
In the1945 statistics, in theBritish Mandate era, Al-Hamra had a population of 730Muslims[1] and the total land area was 11,511dunums.[2] Of this, Arabs used 32 dunams for irrigated areas and plantations, 8,427 was used for cereals,[5] while 733 dunams were uncultivable.[6]
No visible structures remained in the village since its depopulation by Israeli forces in 1948. Trees, including fig groves, cacti and grass covered the site when Khalidi visited in the early 1990s.[3]
