Zarnuqa زرنوقة | |
|---|---|
 Villagemosque in 2016. | |
| Etymology: "The rivulet"[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Zarnuqa (click the buttons) | |
  Zarnuqa Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°52′47″N34°47′17″E / 31.87972°N 34.78806°E /31.87972; 34.78806 | |
| Palestine grid | 130/143 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Date of depopulation | 27–28 May 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,545dunams (7.545 km2; 2.913 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 2,380[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Expulsion byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Rehovot,Kvutzat Shiller,Gibton andGivat Brenner |
Zarnuqa (Arabic:زرنوقة), alsoZarnuga,[5] was aPalestinian Arab village in theRamle Subdistrict. It was depopulated on 27–28 May 1948 during the1948 Arab–Israeli War.
Zarnuqa was located 10 km southwest ofRamla.[6]
Ceramics from theLate Bronze Age[7] and thePersian period have been found here.[8]
A building, a winepress and ceramics from theByzantine period have been found,[9][8][10] as haveEarly Islamic remains.[8]
Tombs, from the LateOttoman period have been excavated,[11] as has a building with akiln and pottery dating to the 18th–19th centuries.[12][13] Themosque of the village was built by Shaykh Ahmad al-Rahhal. A two-line poem inscribed innashki script, dated the construction of the mosque to 1207 H. (1792/93 CE).[14][15]
The village appeared as an unnamed village on the map ofPierre Jacotin, compiled in 1799.[16] During the early 19th century, under the rule of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt (1831–1840), Zarnuqa experienced an influx of migrants from Egypt, contributing to demographic growth and shaping aspects of village life.[17] Archaeological findings, including imported Egyptianballāṣ jars reused inlocal burials, reflect material ties between theEgyptian settlers and the existing population. The burial includedEgyptian-made ceramic vessels and traces of grain, suggesting possibleritualistic practices. This discovery provides valuable information on the cultural and religious dynamics of the region during that era.[15]
In 1838,Zernukah was noted as a village in the Gaza area.[18]
In 1863,Victor Guérin found that Zarnuqa had 300 inhabitants and that it was surrounded by tobacco plantations. Asanctuary was dedicated to aSheik Mohammed.[19]
An Ottoman village list from around 1870 counted 107 houses and a population of 267, though the population count included men only.[20][21] Passing by, in 1871,Charles Warren described travelling in the area: "We passed through olive groves and gardens past Zernuka, until crossing over some undulating hills we came across the villageAkir..."[22]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described Zarnuqa as a largeadobe village "with cactus hedges around it and wells in the gardens."[23] In 1890, the region between Zarnuqa and Ramle, a stretch of 10,000dunams, was described by Zionist sources as an uncultivated wasteland.[24] In March 1892, a dispute erupted between the shepherds of Zarnuqa and the Jewish farmers of the newly establishedmoshava ofRehovot, which was finally resolved in the courts.[17] In 1913, a violent clash, which according to the Jewish side was sparked by the theft of grapes from a Rishon LeZion vineyard, resulted in the deaths of two Jews from Rehovot and an Arab of Zarnuqa. However, documents recently discovered in Istanbul archives gives the Arab version: they said that the Jews "wanted to strip the camel owner[s] of their clothes, money and camels, but these men refused to give their camels and escaped from Lun Kara with their camels, protecting each other [to seek refuge with] men of the law… The above mentioned Jews attacked our villages, robbed and looted our property, killed and even damaged the family honor, all this in a manner we find hard to put in words." They further wrote: "By payments they do whatever they want, as if they have a small government of their own in the country."[25]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Zarnuqa' had a population of 967 inhabitants, allMuslims,[26] increasing in the1931 census to 1,952; still all Muslims, in a total of 414 houses.[27]
In 1926, theJewish National Fund purchased land from residents of Zarnuqa, and by 1931 had established on that land the firstworkers' moshav (moshav ovdim), known asKfar Marmorek, now a suburb of Rehovot, in which tenYemenite-Jewish families evicted fromKinneret in 1931 were resettled.[28] In 1929, Zarnuqa had 1,122 dunams of citrus orchards and most of its economic growth derived from citriculture.[29] In 1934, Zionist writerZe'ev Smilansky attributed the modernisation of the village to its proximity to Rehovot and land sales to Jews by botheffendis andfellahin. Advanced farming technologies were introduced under the tuition of their Jewish neighbors.[29]
The village had two elementary schools, with one of them for boys, founded in 1924, and the other one for girls, founded in 1943, initially with 65 students.[clarification needed] In 1945, the boy school had 252 students.[30]
In the1945 statistics, the village was counted withGibton, and together they had a total population of 2,620; 2,380 Muslims and 240 Jews.[2]
The land ownership of the village before occupation indunams:[2][3]
| Owner | Dunams |
|---|---|
| Arab | 5,640 |
| Jewish | 1,578 |
| Public | 327 |
| Total | 7,545 |
Types of land use indunams in the village in 1945:[2][31][32]
| Land Usage | Arab | Jewish |
|---|---|---|
| Citrus and bananas | 2,070 | 1,015 |
| Irrigated and plantation | 1,189 | 13 |
| Cereal | 2,266 | 493 |
| Urban | 68 | 0 |
| Cultivable | 5,525 | 1,521 |
| Non-cultivable | 47 | 57 |
At the beginning of December 1947, the residents of Zarnuqa considered entering into a non-belligerency pact with Rehovot but apparently it was not formalized. In April 1948, Arab irregulars moved into the village. The Dar Shurbaji clan was in favor of the village surrendering its weapons and accept protection byHaganah but others objected. Women, children and the elderly were evacuated to the nearby village ofYibna, leaving the Shurbajis and several dozen armed men from other clans. Zarnuqa was depopulated on 27–28 May by theGivati Brigade during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. One account inAl HaMishmar described how a soldier fired with aSten gun at three people (one old man, old woman and a child) and how the villagers were taken out from the houses and had to stay in the sun, in hunger and thirst, until they surrendered the weapons they claimed they did not have. They were then expelled towards Yibna. In total, six died and 22 were taken prisoners. The day after, the inhabitants returned and recounted that the Yibna villagers saw them as traitors. The Zarnuqa villagers saw their village being ransacked by Jewish soldiers and nearby settlers. They were expelled again and the houses were demolished the month after.[33]
The family of the Shaqaqi brothers,Fathi (one of the founders of thePalestinian Islamic Jihad) and the political scientist Khalil Ibrahim, was from Zarnuqa.[34] They fled in the face of rumours of massacres of Palestinians byYishuv troops and expected to return after the hostilities ended. They were not permitted to come back.[5] Haidar Eid, Associate Professor atal-Aqsa University in Gaza, states that his parent were evicted from the village by members of the Haganah and Stern gang who told them: "Leave your homes or we will kill and rape you".[35]
After the establishment ofIsrael, the Zarnuqama'abara was established on the site to house Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe andArab lands.[36]
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