Dayr Ayyub دير أيوب | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: the monastery of Job[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Dayr Ayyub (click the buttons) | |
  Dayr Ayyub Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°49′38″N35°01′06.45″E / 31.82722°N 35.0184583°E /31.82722; 35.0184583 | |
| Palestine grid | 151/137 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Date of depopulation | April, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,500dunams (4.5 km2; 1.7 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 320[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Canada Park |
Dayr Ayyub (Arabic:دير أيوب) was aPalestinian Arab village in theRamle Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on March 6, 1948 by the Givati and Sheva' brigades ofOperation Nachshon. It was located 17.5 km southeast ofRamla, situated close toBab al-Wad. On attack, the village was defended by theJordanian Army but was mostly destroyed with the exception of a few houses and the village cemetery.
To the northwest of the village site is an area which, according to village belief, contained the tomb of the prophet Ayyub, theBiblicalJob.[5] Archaeological remains, which attest to major agricultural activity have been found, dating from the LateHellenistic and the beginning of the EarlyRoman periods (first century BCE–first century CE).[6]
A census by theOttomans in 1596 registered the village as belonging to thenahiya (subdistrict) ofRamla, part ofGaza Sanjak, and with a recorded population of 17Muslim households, an estimated 94 persons. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on agricultural products, includingwheat,barley, and fruits, as well as on other types of produce and property, such asgoats,beehives, and vineyards, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 4,400akçe. 1/12 of the revenue went to aWaqf.[7]
In 1838, it was noted as aMuslim village,Deir Eyub, in theIbn Humar area in the District ofEr-Ramleh.[8]
Victor Guérin visited in 1863,[9] while an Ottoman village list from about 1870 found that the village had a population of 36, in a total of 9 houses, though the population count included men only.[10][11]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described Dayr Ayyub as being a small hamlet situated on a hillside.[12]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Dayr Ayyub had a population of 215, all Muslim,[13] increasing slightly in the1931 census to 229, still all Muslim, in a total of 66 houses.[14]
In 1941, the village was transferred from theJerusalem sub-district to the Ramle sub-district.[15]
In the1945 statistics, the village had a population of 320 Muslims.[2][3] In the 1944/45 growing season, a total of 2,769dunums of village land was planted in cereals; 127 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards, 10 of which were olive groves,[5][16] while 26 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.[17]
An elementary school was founded in 1947 in the village, and had an enrollment of 51 students.[5]
Dayr Ayyub was first attacked by the predecessors to theIsrael Defense Forces on the 21 December 1947, by 25 men, according to the villagemukhtar. Three houses in the village were bombed, but there were no reports of casualties.[18] On 7 February 1948, British troops moved into the village and demolished two houses. The Palestinian newspaperFilastin quoted a British communique which said that the houses had been used to fire on Jewish convoys driving by the village.[19]
During and followingOperation Nachshon, the village changed hands several times; "The History of theHaganah" indicates that the village was occupied three times in this period.[5]
Benny Morris writes that Dayr Ayyub was depopulated in April, 1948, after military assault byYishuv forces,[4] however, he also writes that Israeli intelligence noted that the women and children of Dayr Ayyub were sent inland in late August, 1948.[20][21]
In the1949 Armistice Agreements with Jordan, Dayr Ayyub lay in theLatrun salient no man's land.[22] However, the Israeli forces used force to prevent the Palestinian population from re-entering their own homes and claimed the territory following the war. Despite this being a demilitarized zone according to the 1949 agreements, on November 2, 1950, three Palestinian children were shot, two fatally byIDF troops near Dayr Ayyub in theLatrun salient. Ali Muhammad Ali Alyyan (12) his sister Fakhriyeh Muhammad Ali Alyyan (10) and their cousin Khadijeh Abd al Fattah Muhammad Ali (8) all fromYalo village, "The two children [Ali and Fakhriyeh] were stood in awadi bed and the soldiers opened fire at them. According to both [adult] witnesses only one man fired at them with a sten-gun but none of the detachment attempted to interfere".[23]
The settlement ofMevo Choron, founded in 1970, is north of the village site; there are no Israeli settlements on village land.[5]
The site of Dayr Ayyub lies in theCanada Park reserve.[5] Walid Khalidi described the site in 1992: "[It] is strewn with debris, including parts of walls connected to iron rafters. The remains of houses can be seen on a high hill to the south, opposite the village. The cemetery, located on this hill, to the southeast, contains the remains of a tombstone with the inscription: "AI-Hajj Muhammad 'Ulayyan Taha, died on 14 Muharram 1355 Hijra." [Islamic calendar: equvivalent of 6 April 1936]." Largecypress,eucalyptus,carob, andfig trees dominate the site, mixed with recently plantedfirs. The valleys are used by Israelis for fig cultivation. A spring at the southeastern edge of the village site is surrounded by a cow pen, and the entire area is fenced in.[5]
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