Barqa برقة Burqa
Maqam (shrine) of Neby Burk, in 1898[1]
Etymology: sandy ground covered with flint[2]
1870s map 1940s map modern map 1940s with modern overlay map A series of historical maps of the area around Barqa, Gaza (click the buttons)
Barqa Location withinMandatory Palestine
Coordinates:31°46′35″N34°42′5″E / 31.77639°N 34.70139°E /31.77639; 34.70139
Palestine grid	121/131
Geopolitical entity	Mandatory Palestine
Subdistrict	Gaza
Date of depopulation	May 13, 1948[5]
Area [4]
• Total	5,206 dunams (5.206 km2 or 2.010 sq mi)
Population  (1945)
• Total	890[3][4]
Cause(s) of depopulation	Military assault byYishuv forces
Current Localities	Gan Yavne

Barqa (Arabic:برقة) was aPalestinianArab village located 37 km north ofGaza near the modern-dayIsraeli city ofAshdod. It was referred to asBarka by theGreeks andBareca by theRomans during their rule over the ancientPhilistine city. In 1945, the village had a population of 890 and total land area of 5,206dunums.

It was occupied and depopulated on May 13, 1948 duringOperation Barak, aYishuv offensive in southernPalestine just prior to the outbreak of the1948 Arab-Israeli War. The ruins of the village were later incorporated into the Israeli town ofGan Yavne.

It is likely that Barqa was built on the site of the Greek town of Barka, which the Romans called Baraca. The villagers were Muslim, and around the village mosque were a number of tombs that they referred to as the tombs of Shaykh Muhammad, Shaykh Zarruq, and the prophet (al-nabi) Barq.^[6]

A burial chamber with fourarcosolia have been uncovered at Barqa. It contained three pottery lamps, dated to the late Roman orByzantine era, and two Byzantine glass vessels, dated to fifth century CE.^[7] The village was a major centre in the Byzantine era. In 511 CE a richly decoratedbasilica church was built, with amosaic floor. It was in use until the seventh century.^[8]

Barqa, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517, and in thecensus of 1596, the village was located in thenahiya ofGazza in theliwa ofGazza. It had a population of 12 households, allMuslim. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, fruit trees and sesame; the taxes totalled 2,100akçe.^[9]

In 1838,Robinson notedBurka as a Muslim village located in the Gaza district.^[10]

In 1863Victor Guérin visited and noted, lying beside awell, several trunks of greyish marble. Akubbeh was here, dedicated toNeby Barak, and surrounded by tombs.^[11] An Ottoman village list from about 1870 showed thatBurka had a population of 202, with a total of 80 houses, though the population count included men, only.^[12][13]

In 1882 thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described Barqa as an "ordinary" village, with the tomb ofNeby Burk.^[14]

In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Burqa had a population of 448 inhabitants, allMuslims,^[15] which had increased in the1931 census to 600, 593 Muslim, 6 Jews and 1 Christian, in a total of in 123 houses.^[16]

In the1945 statistics the population of Barqa consisted of 890, all Muslims,^[3] and the land area was 5,206dunams, according to an official land and population survey.^[4] Of this, 667 dunams were designated for citrus and bananas, 47 for plantations and irrigable land, 4,031 for cereals,^[17] while 26 dunams were built-up areas.^[18]

Barqa became depopulated on May 13, 1948, after a military assault by theYishuv'sGiv'ati forces.^[5][19][20] The area was subsequently incorporated into theState of Israel. In 1992, the village remaining structures on the village land were described:

"Two houses remain standing on the site. One serves as a warehouse; it is made of concrete and has a covered portico on two sides. The other, a stone house with rectangular doors and windows and a flat roof, stands deserted in the midst of wild vegetation. The site is overgrown with weeds interspersed with cactuses and eucalyptus and palm trees. Israelis cultivate the land around the site."^[21]

• Barqa, at Palestine Remembered
• Barqa,Zochrot
• Survey of Western Palestine, Map 16:IAA,Wikimedia commons
• Tomb of the Neby Burk (Barq)
• Barqa from theKhalil Sakakini Cultural Center

• District of Gaza
• Arab villages depopulated prior to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War

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