Allar علار | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Allar, Jerusalem (click the buttons) | |
  Allar Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°43′23″N35°03′41″E / 31.72306°N 35.06139°E /31.72306; 35.06139 | |
| Palestine grid | 155/125 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Jerusalem |
| Date of depopulation | October 22, 1948[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 12,356dunams (12.356 km2; 4.771 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 440[1] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Mata,[3]Bar Giora[3] |
Allar (Arabic:علار) or 'Allar el-Fawqa ("Upper Allar"), also known as 'Allar el Busl,[4] was aPalestinian Arab village located southwest of theOld City of Jerusalem nearWadi Surar ("Valley of Pebbles"), alongWadi Tannur. The name was shared by the twin village of Allar al-Sifla ("Lower Allar") orKhirbat al-Tannur, with official imperial ledgers often listing them both under the single entry of Allar.[5]
Habitation in the village spanned centuries and is attested in architectural remains and documents from the Crusader, Mamluk, Ottoman and Mandate Palestine periods. Allar was depopulated during the1948 Arab–Israeli War and the area was incorporated into theState of Israel, with themoshavs ofMata andBar Giora established on its former lands.
The older of the two villages appears to have beenLower Allar. Remains of aCrusader-era church and cloister made up of five other vaulted buildings attest to habitation there in the 12th century. One of these buildings is thought to be aCistercian house, a sister house ofBelmont built in 1161, known asSaluatio.[6]
From the 13th to 16th centuries, the villages were ruled by theMamluk Sultanate based inCairo and appear together in a document dating to circa 1264 that lists land grants made inPalestine by thesultanBaybars to hisemirs.[5]
Toward the beginning of four centuries of rule over the area by theOttoman Empire, in August 1553, two leaders of Allar were held accountable for the village failure to pay taxes and were arrested by the imperial authorities.[7] The imperialtax register of 1596 lists Allar as part of thenahiya ("subdistrict") of Jerusalem with 37 households, an estimated 204 inhabitants, allMuslims. The villagers paid a fixed 33,3% tax−rate on various agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, olive trees, molasses, goats, and beehives; a total of 11,400akçe. All of the revenue went to awaqf.[8][9]
Thewaqf custodian of themosque in Allar (and that ofBayt Nuba) in 1810 was appointed by the Ottoman authorities, and hailed from the Jerusalem family of notables, the Dajanis.[10] Also in the village was a shrine dedicated to al-Shaykh Ibrahim ("Abraham theSheikh").[9]
Western travellers who wrote of the village includeEdward Robinson, who travelled throughout Palestine andSyria in 1838 andVictor Guérin, whose travels spanned many years in the latter half of the 19th century. Both describe Lower and Upper Allar as two distinct villages located in a valley. Robinson calls it er-Rumanywadi ("Pomegranate Valley"), while Guérin calls itOued el-Limoun ("Valley of the Lemons/Limes"), so named because of the abundant presence of a variety of citrus tree there known to the Arabs aslimoun. Both note the presence of a large, ancient, ruined church inLower Allar. Robinson describes a fine fountain further up the valley that irrigated fruit trees and gardens below, noting the abundance of olive trees. Guérin describesA'llar es-Sifla ou et-Tahta as an oasis covered in grape vines, citrus, pomengranate and fig trees, irrigated by an ancient canal and a second inexhaustible water source.[11][12]
In 1856 the village was namedAllar el Foka onKiepert's map of Palestine published that year,[13] while an Ottoman village list from about 1870 counted 56 houses and a population of 176, though the population count included men only.[14][15]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) describedEllar as "A small village on the slope of a ridge, with awell to the south. On the north are rock-cut tombs.[16]
The inhabitants of Upper Allar moved to Lower Allar at the end of the 19th century.[17]
In 1896 the population of Allar was estimated to be about 243 persons.[18]
While Upper Allar was repopulated during the period of British rule inMandatory Palestine and housed a primary school, it is listed in British censuses from the time as amazra'a ("farm").[17]
In the1945 statistics, Allar had a population of 440Muslims,[1] and the total land area was 12,356dunams.[19] 353 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards, 2,234 dunams were for cereals,[20] while 12 dunams were built-up (urban) Arab land.[21]
During the1948 Arab–Israeli War, Allar was depopulated as a result of a military assault by Israeli forces on 22 October 1948.[2] It was one of a series of villages occupied duringOperation Ha-Har, an offensive launched byHarel Brigade andEtzioni Brigade to widen theJerusalem corridor.[22]Refugees who camped in the nearby gullies and caves were driven out in subsequent raids.[22]
After the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, the ruin of Allar remained under Israeli control under the terms of the1949 Armistice Agreement between Israel andJordan.[23][24]
Two Israeli sites were founded on Allar land in 1950:Mata andBar Giora.[3]
Refugees from Allar and other Palestinian villages who are old enough to remember life there express nostalgia for the natural abundance of the land lost. One Umm Jamal recalls eggplants, pomegranates, cucumbers and green beans as among the many products grown on the village lands which were fed by springs known to locals as Umm al-Hasan ("Mother of Goodness"), Umm al-Sa'd ("Mother of Happiness"), Umm Nuh ("Mother of Noah"), al-'Uyun ("The Eyes"), and Umm al-'Uyun ("Mother of the Eyes").[25]
In 1992 it was described: "Stone rubble, concrete blocks and slabs, and steel bars litter the site, together with the remains of stone terraces and walls. One domed stone structure, the former school building, still stands. On the slopes overlooking the site, almond and cypress trees and cactuses grow along the terraces."[26]
In 1863Victor Guérin described amaqam north east of the village, calledKhirbet Cheikh Houbin. He noticed it contained ancient fragments used in the building.[27]
In 1883 SWP called itKhurbet Hubin,The ruin of Hubin, from personal name,[28] and gave the description: "Foundations of a small ruined village with aKubbeh."[29]
