Al-Burayj البريج' | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: The little 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-Burayj, Jerusalem (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Burayj Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°44′25″N34°55′52″E / 31.74028°N 34.93111°E /31.74028; 34.93111 | |
| Palestine grid | 143/127 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Jerusalem |
| Date of depopulation | Not known[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 19,080 dunams (19.08 km2 or 7.37 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 720[2][3] |
| Current Localities | Sdot Micha[5]Sdot Micha Airbase[5] |
Al-Burayj orBureij, lit. 'little tower',[6] was aPalestinian Arab village in theJerusalem Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the1948 Arab–Israeli War on October 19, 1948, during the first phase ofOperation Ha-Har. The village was located 28.5 km west ofJerusalem.
In 1838el-Bureij was noted as a Muslim village, located iner-Ramleh district.[7]
In 1863Victor Guérin noted it as a village of 200 inhabitants. TheSheikh's house was described as "fairly large and fairly constructed"; the others, less so. Tobacco plantations were spread around. He also noted large ancient blocks, which, it was said, originated from Kh[irbet]Tibneh, just to the north.[8]
Socin found from an officialOttoman village list from about 1870 thatburedsch had a population of 116 in a total of 41 houses, though that population count included men, only. It was further noted that it was located betweenMughallis andSaydun.[6]Hartmann found thatel-buredsch had 40 houses.[9]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) describedEl Bureij as: "A small village on high ground, having a high house or tower in the middle, from which it is named."[10]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Buraij had a population of 398; allMuslims,[11] increasing in the1931 census to 621; 7 Christians and 614 Muslims, in a total of 132 houses.[12]
In the1945 statistics, the village had a population of 720; 10 Christians and 710 Muslims,[2] with a total of 19,080dunums of land.[3] Of this, 31 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 77 were for irrigable land or plantations, 9,426 forcereals,[13] while 14 dunams were built-up (urban) Arab land.[14]
Al-Burayj's had a mosque named al-'Umari Mosque, and it was also home to a Greek Orthodox monastery.[15]
DuringOperation Ha-Har, between the 19 and 24 October 1948, theHarel Brigade captured several villages, among them Bureij. The villagers fled, or were expelled eastwards.[16]
Following the war, the area was incorporated into theState of Israel. In 1955 the moshav ofSdot Micha was established on land that had belonged to al-Burayj, south of the village site.[5]
Large part of the village land is now a military base calledSdot Micha Airbase, which is inaccessible to the public.[5]
