Mughallis مٌغلّس | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: Coming to water at the morning twilight, or making a raid at that time.[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Mughallis (click the buttons) | |
  Mughallis Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°43′45″N34°52′57″E / 31.72917°N 34.88250°E /31.72917; 34.88250 | |
| Palestine grid | 139/126 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Hebron |
| Date of depopulation | July 9–10, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 11,459dunams (11.459 km2; 4.424 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 540[2]][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Influence of nearby town's fall |
| Current Localities | Gefen[5] |
Mughallis (Arabic:مٌغلّس) was aPalestinianArab village located 30.5 kilometers (19.0 mi) northwest ofHebron. It was depopulated during the1948 Arab-Israeli War between July 9–10, 1948 as part ofOperation An-Far.
It was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517 with the rest ofPalestine, and by the 1596tax records it was located itnahiya (subdistrict) ofGaza, part ofGaza Sanjak, with a population of 77 household, an estimated 424 persons, allMuslims. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 10,350akçe. All of the revenue went to aWaqf.[6]
In May 1863Victor Guérin described it as ahamlet, still inhabited by a few families, and was designated to him by the name ofDeir al Mokhalles, which Guérin translated as theConvent of the Saviour. He noted that the name probably derived from a formerconvent, which formerly existed at the place.[7]
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed thatMeghallis had 27 houses and a population of 71, though the population count included men, only.[8][9]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) describedMughullis as: "A village of moderate size, approached by an ancient road, and principally consisting of stone houses."[10]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate for Palestine, the population was recorded as 311Muslims,[11] increasing in the1931 census to 447 Muslims, in 93 houses.[12]
In the1945 statistics it had a population of 540 Muslims,[2] with 11,459dunams of land.[3] 88 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 7,277 for cereals,[13] while 23 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[14]
Mughallis became depopulated on July 9–10, 1948.[4][15] On 16 July,Giv‘ati HQ informed General Staff\Operations that "our forces have entered the villages ofQazaza,Kheima,Jilya,‘Idnibba and Mughallis, expelled the inhabitants, [and] blown up and torched a number of houses. The area is at the moment clear of Arabs."[16]
TheIDF were instructed to prevent infiltration toSummeil,Barqusya,Bi‘lin,Masmiya al Saghira,al Tina,Kheima,Idnibba,Jilya,Qazaza, and Mughallis. The orders specifically were to "destroy" any "armed force" encountered and to "expel.....unarmed villagers".[17] During the following days, patrols expelled refugees nearTel as Safi,al Tina, and Mughallis, apparently killing three of those initially detained.[18] In mid August 1948, aGiv‘ati patrol re-visitedIdnibba, Mughallis,Jilya,Qazaza andSajd, killing "a handful of Arabs" in a number of clashes.[19]
In 1955Gefen was founded on village land, north of the village site.[5]
In 1992 the village site was described: "The site and surrounding area are fenced in. The debris from the houses have been levelled, and one can still see building components. Remnants of a house on the east side are ringed by stone markers that formerly identified the boundaries of a home garden. Numerous trees, including olive and carob trees, grow on all sides and cactuses are found on the northern and southern edges."[5]
