al-Badhan | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | الباذان |
| • Latin | al-Badhan (official) al-Badan (unofficial) |
 Painting of Badhan | |
  al-Badhan Location of al-Badhan withinPalestine | |
| Coordinates:32°15′42″N35°19′41″E / 32.26167°N 35.32806°E /32.26167; 35.32806 | |
| Palestine grid | 180/185 |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Nablus |
| Government | |
| • Type | Village council |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
• Total | 3,171 |
al-Badhan (Arabic:الباذان) is aPalestinian village in theNablus Governorate in the North centralWest Bank, located 7.28 kilometres (4.52 mi) northeast ofNablus, and 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) to the north ofElon Moreh. According to thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the village had a population of 3,171 inhabitants in 2017.[1]
The adjacent valley,Wadi al-Badhan (also known asWadi Sajour), is a picturesque natural area located 5 km northeast of Nablus on the road leading to the Jordan Valley. The area is characterized by abundant springs and diversity of wildlife. The area is considered one of the most beautiful natural areas in theWest Bank and has a nature reserve to preserve wildlife.
At the time ofRoman andByzantine rule, the nearby ruin of Khirbet Ferwe was home to theSamaritan town of Baddan, which was well-known for itspomegranates.[2]
Al-Badhan has several sites of archaeological interest including 12 ancient watermills.
Scholars today hold that al-Badhan is to be identified with the Badan (Hebrew:בדן; באדן) citied in the 2nd-century CEMishnah andTosefta, said to be a place then settled bySamaritans and renowned for itspomegranates.[3][4][5][6] Badan is featured prominently in Samaritan tradition;[7][8] According to one of these, theIsraelites purified themselves at Badan after crossing theJordan River and on their way toMount Gerizim.[7] The ancient site was located in Khirbet Ferwe, and aHerodian tomb was discovered at the site.[2]
Victor Guérin passed through the region in 1870, where he described its geographical features.[9]
In the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the1949 Armistice Agreements, Badhan came underJordanian rule.
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 446 inhabitants.[10]
Since theSix-Day War in 1967, al-Badhan has been underIsraeli occupation. TheOslo II Accord, signed in 1995, divided theIsraeli-occupied West Bank into three administrative divisions: Areas A, B and C. According toARIJ, al-Badhan's village land is divided into 30%Area A, while the remaining 70% is defined asArea B.[11][12]
Since 2003, al-Badhan has been governed by a Village Council which is currently administrated by 10 members appointed by thePalestinian National Authority (PNA).
The geographical region lies on theIrano-Turanian border, and its slopes support vegetation grown in that broad region. Typical for this region aremaquis, the dense scrub vegetation consisting of hardy evergreen shrubs and small trees, characteristic of coastal regions in the Mediterranean and which, in this area, are found on the cliffs' step-crevices.[13] The kermes oak (Quercus coccifera) is common.
In contrast to theGalilee and theJudean Mountains, there are very few remnants of natural vegetation in the Samaria Mountains. Large areas in the south and west of Samaria and in the valleys have been cultivated for many generations as agricultural land and are planted mainly witholive,fig,almond andpomegranate trees; the areas in the valleys are used for arable land or vegetable crops.[14] Only on the edges of the fields and in places that have been regenerated and where damaging the plant-life is prohibited by law have remnants of natural vegetation been preserved.[14]
The wildlife of Samaria, as in other regions of the country, consists of populations that invaded the general area at different times and adapted to the conditions prevailing in the area.[15] Hunting (with the introduction of modern firearms in the 20th-century) and extensive farming have been the principal causes for a decline in the area's natural wildlife.[15] The animals that dominate the general area have their origins in theMediterranean basin and inEurope, such as thebadger, thewild boar, thered fox, thehedgehog, thefield mouse, and themole (among mammals).[15]
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