Bayt Tima بيت طيما Beit Tima Batima | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: The house of Tima[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Bayt Tima (click the buttons) | |
  Bayt Tima Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°37′24″N34°38′21″E / 31.62333°N 34.63917°E /31.62333; 34.63917 | |
| Palestine grid | 115/114 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Gaza |
| Date of depopulation | October 18–19, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 11,032dunams (11.032 km2; 4.259 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 1,060[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | No settlements on village lands |
Bayt Tima (Arabic:بيت طيما) was aPalestinian Arab village in theGaza Subdistrict, located 21 kilometers (13 mi) northeast ofGaza and some 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) from the coastline. It was situated in flat terrain on the southern coastal plain ofPalestine. Bayt Tima was depopulated during the1948 Arab-Israeli War. Its population in 1945 was 1,060.[5]
During theMandate period the village was inspected by theDepartment of Antiquities, and a number of ancient remains were noted, in addition to two Arabic inscriptions built into the mosque.[6] In the cemetery located just south of Bayt Tima lies a worn mosaic pavement, suggesting anAncient Roman orByzantine presence at the site.[5]
A 14th-centuryMamluk-eramosque existed on the site dedicated to a certain prophet or local saint named "Nabi Tima". In the courtyard of the mosque and near it are imitations ofCorinthiancapitals and columns of gray stone. The remainder of the building was built in localkurkar stone. There is no mention of Bayt Tima in earlyArabic sources and the inscription on the mosque is the only Mamluk association to it.[7]
Bayt Tima came underOttoman rule in the early 16th century, and in the 1596tax records it was under the administration of thenahiya of Gaza, part of theLiwa of Gaza, with a population of 126Muslim households, an estimated 693 persons. The inhabitants paid a fixed tax rate of 33,3% on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, fruit, almonds, sesame, beehives, and goats; a total of 21,200akçe.[8]
Marom andTaxel have shown that during the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, nomadic economic and security pressures led to settlement abandonment around Majdal ‘Asqalān, and the southern coastal plain in general. The population of abandoned villages moved to surviving settlements, while the lands of abandoned settlements continued to be cultivated by neighboring villages. Thus, Bayt Tima absorbed the lands of Sama, Bayt Sam'an and Irza, mentioned separately as inhabited villages in the Ottoman tax registers of the 16th century.[9]
In 1838,Beit Tima was noted as a Muslim village in the Gaza area.[10]
The Ottomans constructed additions to the mosque, and theEgyptians underMuhammad Ali of Egypt reconstructed it in the 1830s.In 1863 the French explorerVictor Guérin visited Bayt Tima, noting that it had a population of 400 and mentioning the Mamluk mosque.[11][7]
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 indicated 49 houses and a population of 159, though the population count included men, only.[12][13]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described it as being of moderate-size, with two pools and shrines, and two small patches of garden nearby.[14]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Bait Tima had a population of 606 Muslims,[15] increasing by the1931 census to 762, still all Muslim, in 157 houses.[16]
In the1945 statistics the population of Beit Tima consisted of 1060, all Muslims,[2] and the land area was 11,032dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[3] Of this, 197 dunams were designated for plantations and irrigable land, 10,444 for cereals,[17] while 60 dunams were built-up areas.[18]
During theBritish Mandate period, Bayt Tima had its own shops, the 14th-century mosque, and an elementary school built in 1946. It shared the school with nearbyHulayqat andKawkaba. Itsadobe houses—which amounted to 157—were grouped together in blocks, separated by streets or open space; the largest block was at the center of the village. Most residents worked inrainfed agriculture, cultivating grain, vegetables, and fruits, especially figs, apricots, and almonds.[5]
According to theJaffa-based newspaperFilastin, a "Zionist attempt" to infiltrate Bayt Tima was recorded as early as February 1948, preceding the outbreak of the1948 Arab-Israeli War. Their forces were driven back by a "hail of bullets" from the local militiamen which lasted for half an hour.[19]
On 30/31 May theNegev Brigade reported that they had conquered Bayt Tima, killing some 20 Arabs and destroying thewell and a granary.[20]Morris notes that it was later reconquered by the Egyptian army, to finally falling to the Israelis in October.[21]
Israeli sources had told theAssociated Press that they had occupied Bayt Tima at the beginning of June. They claimed it was captured while "slashing behind anEgyptian coastal spearhead" on June 1. But the occupation was short-lived, since Israeli forces also threatened Bayt Tima a month later, according toEgyptian writer Muhammad Abd al-Munim. He writes that at the end of the first truce, in early July, the village was held by Palestinian militiamen and Israeli forces encroached on Bayt Tima, occupying the hills overlooking it. Its defenders were reinforced by aSaudi Arabian company fighting on the southern front and Bayt Tima supposedly remained inArab hands throughout the second truce.[5]
An aerial and artillery bombardment against the village in mid-October 1948 led to the flight of a large number ofrefugees from Bayt Tima. It was occupied on October 18–19 in the early stages ofOperation Yoav by theGivati Brigade.The New York Times quoted anIsraeli communique on October 20 which said that Bayt Tima had fallen, along with Hulayqat and Kawkaba.[5][22]
Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel, but the village's land remained undeveloped. According to Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi, "Sycamore and carob trees grow around the rubble on the site. The land is used for agriculture."[5]
