Attil | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | عتيل |
  Attil Location of Attil withinPalestine | |
| Coordinates:32°22′10″N35°04′18″E / 32.36944°N 35.07167°E /32.36944; 35.07167 | |
| Palestine grid | 156/197 |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Tulkarm |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,337 dunams (7.3 km2 or 2.8 sq mi) |
| Population (2017) | |
• Total | 10,367 |
| • Density | 1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi) |
| Name meaning | Attil, "severe"[1] |
Attil (Arabic:عتيل) is aPalestinian town in theTulkarm Governorate in the easternWest Bank, 12 km (7.5 mi) northeast ofTulkarm. Attil is the connection point between the other villages andTulkarm. It is bordered byIllar to the east;Baqa ash-Sharqiyya to the north; TheGreen Line to the west; andDeir al-Ghusun to the south. Mountains surrounding the town include the Nabhan, Aboora, Asad, and Shehadeh mountains. Attil has an elevation of 100 m (330 ft) aboveSea level, and an area of 7.337 km2.
According toPalmer, the name was a p.n.(="proper name"), meaning "severe",[1] while according toZertal the name 'Attil almost certainly has its origins in theHebrew form a-tl or ttl (tell), appearing in theHebrew Bible and even more commonly in theSamaria Ostraca as aprefix to place names.[2]
Attil is an ancient village site on a hill at the edge of the plains.[3] Pottery remain have been found here fromMiddle Bronze Age II,Iron Age I and IA II,Persian,Hellenistic, early and lateRoman,Byzantine, earlyMuslim and the Middle Ages have been found here.[4] Fragmentarymosaic floors andcolumn shafts from achurch have been found, together withcisterns dug into the rock, as well as caves.[3]
Atil is referenced inThe Continuation of the Samaritan Chronicle of Abu l-Fath, suggesting it was an importantSamaritan settlement during theearly Islamic period.[5] The text describes a battle at Attil, whereAbū Ḥarb al-Yamānī, who rebelled againstAbbasid rule in the 840s, was ultimately defeated. The intense bloodshed rendered the villageimpure to an extent that purification appeared unlikely. However, a Samaritan leader named Pinhas, who was a jurist, undertook the task of purifying the village due to its large size, since it was one of the largest villages, and eventually restored its purity.[6]
In 1179, it was mentioned inCrusader sources asAzatil.[7] In March 1265, when SultanBaibars awarded his officers lands, he gave Attil “To theAtabek Faris al-Din Uqtay al-Salihi“.[8]
Attil, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517, and in thecensus of 1596 it was a part of thenahiya ("subdistrict") of Jabal Sami which was under the administration of theliwa ("district") ofNablus. The village had a population of 59 households, allMuslim, and paid taxes on wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, occasional revenues, beehives and/or goats, an olive oil press, or press for grape syrup, and a poll tax; a total of 14,872akçe.[9]
In 1838 it was noted as a village, 'Attil, in the westernEsh-Sha'rawiyeh administrative region, north ofNablus.[10]
In the late Ottoman period, in 1852, the American scholarEdward Robinson described passing by the villages ofZeita andJatt on the way to 'Attil. Of 'Attil itself, he writes that it was "a considerable village," located on a hill with plains to the north and south. He further noted: ”It appears, that the land in the district of Nabulus including the plains, is generally freehold; and the taxes are mainly paid in the form of apoll tax.”[11]
In 1863, the French explorerVictor Guérin passed by and noted that the village was also calledDeir Attil.[12]
In 1870/1871 (1288AH), an Ottoman census listed the village in thenahiya (sub-district) of al-Sha'rawiyya al-Gharbiyya.[13]
In 1882 thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described the village as being of considerable size, situated on a hill on the edge of the plain, and surrounded by a small olive-grove, and supplied bycisterns.[14]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Attil had a population of 1,656, allMuslims.[15] At the time of the1931 census of Palestine, Attil, together withJalama,Al-Manshiyya andZalafa had a total of 2207 persons, all Muslim except 1 Druze, living in 473 houses.[16]
In the1945 statistics the population of Attil was 2,650, all Muslims,[17] who owned 7,337dunams of land according to an official land and population survey.[18] 4,011 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 2,527 used for cereals,[19] while 86 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[20]
In the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the1949 Armistice Agreements, Attil came underJordanian rule. It wasannexed by Jordan in 1950.
In 1961, the population was 4,087.[21]
Since theSix-Day War in 1967, Attil has been underIsraeli occupation.
Attil had a population of 9,038 in the 2007 census by thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.[22] The majority of its people are expatriates living inJordan, variousstates in the Persian Gulf, theUnited States,Europe, and other parts of the world. By 2017, the population had increased to 10,367.[23]
The village of Attil is the site of a tomb known asMazar ash-Sheikh Zreiq, situated near the town hall. This tomb belongs toAhmad Ibn Abi Zreiq a-Rifa'i al-Husseini, who, according to local tradition, was the supreme religious judge (qadi) ofSafed and died in Attil in 1440. Hailing from the prominent al-Attili family, he was considered one of the village's most distinguished individuals. The fence surrounding the tomb bears an inscription stating that it was constructed in 1779 by Abd al-Rahman, a descendant of the sheikh, indicating that the tomb itself predates this structure.[24]
It is said thatAhmad Ibn Abi Zreiq a-Rifa'i al-Husseini was the leader of a localSufi order known asTariqat al-Attil, which he inherited from his grandfather. He was renowned for performing miracles, including the ability to lie down in the village yard while horses would jump over him without causing any harm.[24]
Residents of the village originally came from many places, such asLebanon,Egypt,Khan Yunis (Gaza),Hajjah (West Bank) and more.[25]
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