Nimrin نمرين | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: well-watered[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Nimrin (click the buttons) | |
  Nimrin Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°48′15″N35°25′24″E / 32.80417°N 35.42333°E /32.80417; 35.42333 | |
| Palestine grid | 190/245 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Tiberias |
| Date of depopulation | 16-17 July 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 12,019dunams (12.019 km2; 4.641 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 320[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
| Secondary cause | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Achuzzat Naftali, IDF ammunition depot |
Nimrin was aPalestinian Arab town of 320 that was captured and depopulated byIsrael during the1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Nimrin stood on the site of Kfar Nimra whenPalestine was ruled by theRoman Empire.[5] Its inhabitants wereJews whenSaint Peter andSaint James visited the town in 30 CE.[6]
Nimrin was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in the early sixteenth century CE, and by the 1596tax records the village was under the administration of thenahiya ("subdistrict") ofTiberias, part ofSafad Sanjak. It had a population of 20 households, an estimated 110 persons, allMuslim. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on agricultural products, such as on wheat barley, wheat, olives, beehives, and goats; a total of 3,920akçe. 1/3 of the revenue went to awaqf.[7][8]
A map fromNapoleon's invasion of 1799 byPierre Jacotin showed the place, named asNemen.[9]
In the nineteenth century, Nimrin grew to become a stone-built village of 250Muslim people. It was described as being built on the slope of a hill, surrounded by arable land.[10] The Ottomans founded an elementary school in the village.[5]
A population list from about 1887 showed Nimrin to have about 300 inhabitants; all Muslims.[11]
In 1922, Nimrin became a part of theBritish Mandate of Palestine and in the1922 census of Palestine,Nemrin had a population of 273; all Muslims,[12] increasing in the1931 census to 316, still all Muslims, in a total of 71 houses.[13]
The main economic sectors were farming and livestock, with grain being the most important crop, followed by vegetables. The Ottoman school was closed down during this period.[5]
In the1945 statistics the population consisted of 320 Muslims,[2] and the total land area was 12,019 dunams.[3] Of this, Arabs used 7,905 dunams for cereals, 335 for plantations and irrigable land,[14] while 64 dunams were classified as built-up (urban) area.[15]
During the1948 Arab-Israeli War, Nimrin fell intoIsraeli hands on July 17, 1948, after nearbyLubya was captured at the end ofOperation Dekel. Its entire population of 320 (1945) fled for unclear reasons. According toWalid Khalidi, "the site and a major part of the lands are surrounded by a fence."[5]
