Sarafand al-Kharab صرفند الخراب | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: Kh Surafend; the ruin of Surafend[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Sarafand al-Kharab (click the buttons) | |
  Sarafand al-Kharab Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°56′11″N34°48′20″E / 31.93639°N 34.80556°E /31.93639; 34.80556 | |
| Palestine grid | 131/149 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Date of depopulation | April 20, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,503dunams (5.503 km2; 2.125 sq mi) |
| —3,545 Arab-owned, 1,611 Jewish-owned, 347 public lands | |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 1,040[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
| Current Localities | Ness Ziona[6] |
Sarafand al-Kharab (Arabic:صرفند الخراب) was aPalestinian Arab village in theRamle Subdistrict, located 50 meters (160 ft) above sea level, 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) west ofRamla, in the area that is today northeast ofNess Ziona.[7]
Sarafand orSarafend (Ṣarafand / صرفند) is anArabic rendition of thePhoenicianplace-name *Ṣrpt. Al-Kharab means "the ruined, uninhabited".[8]
Umayyad andAbbasid potterysherds from the 8th-10th centuries (part of the Early Muslim period) have been found here.[9]
An Arabic inscription on a slab of marble, formerly held in the private collection ofBaron d'Ustinow, was found in Sarafand al-Kharab. Dating to theFatimid period and ostensibly brought to the village fromAshkelon, it states: "The slave ofamir al-mu'minin may Allah bless him and his pure ancestors, and his noble descendants. And he was then in charge of ... in the border stronghold of Ashqelon in the month of (?) of Rabi' II of the year 440."AH 440 corresponds to 1048/49 CE.[10]
Avault dating from theCrusader period has been found in the village.[11][12]
In 1838,Edward Robinson reported that there were two villages by the name of Sarafand in the area, one of which was inhabited by Muslims and the other ruined. Thus, it may be that Sarafand al-Kharab ("Sarafand of the ruins") acquired its name during this period.[13] Both the Sarafand villages belonged to the District ofIbn Humar.[14]
Dovid Grossman (scholar) believed that the village had have been settled byBedouins andEgyptians in the late 19th century.[15] A more recent study, based on oral histories of former residents, indicated that Sarafand al-Kharab had been established by refugees fromAbwein in theWest Bank.[16]
AnOttoman village list of about 1870 counted 22 houses and a population of 107 inSarfend el Charab, though the population count included men only.[17][18]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted the village on their maps asKhurbet Surafend, and described the archeological remains at the place as being "atank or birkeh of rubble in cement, resembling those atRamleh, here exists, with traces of other ruins."[19]
Excavations revealed traces of Late Ottomaninfantjar-burials, commonly associated withnomads oritinerant workers ofEgyptian origins.[20]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Sarafand al-Kharab had a population of 385Muslims,[21] increasing in the1931 census to 974; 938 Muslims, 33 Christians and 3 Jews, in a total of 206 residential houses.[22]
Sarafand al-Kharab was one of a number of villages in the Lydda-Ramle district ofMandatory Palestine whoseequine population was struck by an epidemic ofAfrican horse sickness in 1944, resulting in "stand-still" orders preventing the movement of horses outside of town between September and November 1944 and the deaths of 730 horses in the district.[23]
In the1945 statistics the village had a population of 1,040; 930 Muslims and 110 Christians,[2] with a total of 5,503 dunams of land. (3,545 Arab-owned, 1,611 Jewish-owned, 347 public lands)[5] In 1944-45, a total of 4,235 dunams were devoted to citrus and bananas and 499 dunams were allocated to cereals; 64 dunams were irrigated or used for orchards,[24] while 33 dunams were classified as built-up, urban areas.[25]
By 8 April,Haganah reports mentioned that Palestinian women and children had started evacuating the village.[26] News of theDeir Yassin massacre might have prompted further evacuation.[6]
By September 1948, Sarafand al-Kharab was one village Israeli general Avner considered "suitable" for filling with newly Jewish immigrants, so-calledolim.[27]
In 1992 the village site was described as follows: "A major part of the village has been destroyed. Many houses, however, remain; no more than six of them, including the house ofMuhammad Darwish, are occupied by Israeli families. Most of them have gable roofs and rectangular doors and windows. One house is comprised of two stories and has a slanted roof. The school is used by Israeli students. A pond and a pump house in the orchard ofMahmud Yusuf Darwish are still undamaged. Castor oil (Ricinus) plant and mulberry trees grow on the site. The cemetery is overgrown with cactus plants. The surrounding land are cultivated by Israelis."[6]
