Al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya السوافير الشرقية Suafir Abu Huwar; from an inhabitant who died in the 19th century[1] | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: The eastern nomads.[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-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°42′00″N34°42′45″E / 31.70000°N 34.71250°E /31.70000; 34.71250 | |
| Palestine grid | 122/123 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Gaza |
| Date of depopulation | May 18, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 13,831dunams (13.831 km2; 5.340 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 970[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
| Current Localities | Ein Tzurim,[5]Shafir,[5]Zrahia,[5]Nir Banim[5] |
Al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya was aPalestinian Arab village in theGaza Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the1948 War on May 18, 1948, as part of the second stage ofOperation Barak. The village was located 32 km northeast ofGaza. It is one of three namesake villages, alongsideAl-Sawafir al-Gharbiyya andAl-Sawafir al-Shamaliyya.
Remains from the lateRoman (third–fourth centuries CE),Byzantine (fifth–beginning of seventh centuries CE), andAbbasid eras have been found here.[6]Columns and fragments were noted near thewell.[7]
12 centuryCrusaderchurch endowments and land deeds mention Latin settlement in Zeophir/al-Sawāfīr. However, it is not clear which village of three Sawafirs these records pertain to.[8]
Al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya was like the rest of Palestine, incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517, and in thecensus of 1596, the village appeared asSawafir as-Sarqi under the administration of thenahiya of Gaza, part of theLiwa of Gaza. The place was noted ashali, that is empty, but taxes were paid on wheat, barley, summer crops, vineyards, fruit trees and cotton; a total of 9,000akçe.[9]
In 1838 the three Sawafir villages were noted located in the Gaza district. The western village (=Al-Sawafir al-Gharbiyya) was noted as "in ruins or deserted", while the two others were noted as being Muslim.[10][11]
In 1863Victor Guérin found it to be the largest of the three Sawafir villages.[12]
In 1882 thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described it as one of threeSuafiradobe villages. Each had small gardens andwells.[13]
According to the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya had a population of 588 inhabitants, all Muslims,[14] increasing in the1931 census to an all-Muslim population of 787 in 148 houses.[15]
In the1945 statistics, it had a population of 970 Muslims,[2] with a total of 13,831 dunams of land.[3] Of this, 585 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 386 for plantations or irrigable land, 11,821 dunums were for cereals,[16] while 40 dunams were classified as built-up, urban land.[17]
The village shared a school with the other two Sawafir villages, and it had an enrollment of about 280 in 1945. The village had its own mosque.
In early May 1948, the inhabitants of the three Al-Sawafir villages were ordered not to flee by theAl-Majdal National Committee.[18] As of 23 May 1948, Israeli reports say that at all three Al-Sawafir villages the inhabitants slept in the fields at night, but returned to work in the villages by day.[19] The village was destroyed as part of theNakba, specifically as a result ofOperation Barak.[20][21]
In 1992 the village site was described like so: "No houses remain on the site. New buildings stand on the spot where the Mosque used to be. Some traces of the former village are still present on the surrounding lands, however. There is a building for a water-pump in Isma'il al-Sawafiri's orchard, an old sycamore tree in the al-Buhaysi family's orchard, and an old cypress tree in an otherwise vacant field."[5]
