Abil al-Qamh آبل القمح Abil al-Mayya | |
|---|---|
 Air-photo of the village in 1945; later excavation areas markedin letters | |
| Etymology: "Meadow of Wheat" | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Abil al-Qamh (click the buttons) | |
  Abil al-Qamh Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:33°15′34″N35°34′51″E / 33.25944°N 35.58083°E /33.25944; 35.58083 | |
| Palestine grid | 204/296 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Date of depopulation | May 10, 1948[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.6 km2 (1.8 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 330[1][2] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
| Secondary cause | Influence of nearby town's fall |
| Current Localities | Yuval |
Abil al-Qamh (Arabic:آبل القمح) was aPalestinian village located near the Lebanese border north ofSafad. It was depopulated in 1948.[4] It was located at the site of thebiblical city ofAbel-beth-maachah.
According to historianWalid Khalidi, the village'sArabic name derives fromAramaic; the first part of its name,abil, means "meadow" and the latter part,qamh, means "wheat".[4]Edward Henry Palmer, a nineteenth-centuryorientalist writer, believed the name "abl" derived from the biblical nameAbel Beth Maachah.[5]
Abil al-Qamh was established on a site that had been inhabited since 2900 BCE and remained populated for over 2,000 years. It was captured byThutmose III in 1468 BCE. During theIsraelite period, under the reign ofDavid, it was fortified, and later conquered by theArameans. In 734 BCE it was incorporated into theAssyrian Empire.[4][6]
Ceramics from theByzantine era have been found in the area.[7]
During theMamluk period in 1226 CE,Arab geographerYaqut al-Hamawi mentions "Abil al Kamh" as a village belonging toBanias, located betweenDamascus and theMediterranean Sea.[8]
In 1517, Abil al-Qamh was incorporated into theOttoman Empire, and by 1596 it was under the administration of thenahiya ("subdistrict") ofTibnin, part ofSanjak Safad. The name used was Abil al-Qamh, and it had a population of 24 families and 2 bachelors, an estimated 143 persons total. All the villagers wereMuslim. They paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on wheat, barley, olives, beehives, vineyards, goats and beehives; a total of 1,846Akçe.[9][10]
In 1838, it was noted as Catholic village in theMejr Ayun district.[11][clarification needed]
In 1875Victor Guérin visited Abil al-Qamh, calling itTell Abel Kamah.[12] On the highest point, to the north, he found the ruins of a wall and a Muslim cemetery.[13]In 1881, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the village as being near a stream and containing a church and ancient ruins.[14]
Abil al-Qamh was a part of theFrench Mandate of Lebanon until 1923, when it was incorporated into theBritish Mandate in Palestine. In the first half of the 20th century, it had a triangular outline that conformed to the hill on which it was built. Agriculture was the basis of its economy, and the village's abundant water supply earned it the local name ofAbil al-Mayya meaning the "Meadow of Water".[4]
In the1931 census of Palestine, Abil al-Qamh had a total population of 229; 122 Muslims and 107 Christians, in total 58 houses.[15]
In the1945 statistics, the population was 330; 230 Muslims and 100 Christians,[2] with a total of 4,615 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.[1] The village had a mixed population of 230Shia Muslims and 100Arab Christians.[2][4][16] A total of 3,535 dunums of land were allocated to cereals; 299 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards,[4][17] while 13 dunams was built-up (urban) area.[18]
Abil al-Qamh was captured and depopulated on May 10, 1948 by the First Battalion of thePalmach commanded byYigal Allon inOperation Yifatch. There was no direct fighting in the village, but after the fall ofSafad toIsrael and from a "whispering campaign" by localJewish leaders to the heads of Arab villages (makhatir) warning them of massive Jewish reinforcements arriving in theGalilee, the residents of Abil al-Qamh fled.[4]
In 1952, Israel established the town ofYuval on village lands, 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi) from the village site. The Abil al-Qamih area itself became "overgrown with grasses and weeds. A grove of trees stands in the northeast corner, and stones from destroyed houses are strewn throughout the site...," according to Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi, writing in 1992.[19]
In recent years, theLebanese Authorities have claimed that Abil al-Qamh and six other depopulatedShia villages along the border rightfully belong toLebanon.[20]
The two mounds belonging to the archaeological site known as Tell Abil el-Qameḥ in Arabic andTel Abel Beth Maacah in Hebrew have been surveyed in 2012 and have since been excavated in annual campaigns (four as of 2016).[21]
The inhabitants of Abil al-Qamh fled to neighbouring villages inLebanon during the 1948 war. WhileShiites fled to neighboring Shia villages, Christians notably fled toDeir Mimas, where most of them later acquired Lebanese passports; still living in Deirmimas are for instance the families of Abdo, Keserwany, Harfouch, and Haddad originally from the Abil al-Qamih area.[citation needed]
