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Al-Bireh | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | البيرة |
| • Latin | al-Bira (unofficial) |
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 Municipal Seal of Al-Bireh | |
  Al-Bireh Al-Bireh (the West Bank) Show map of the West Bank | |
| Coordinates:31°54′19″N35°12′54″E / 31.90528°N 35.21500°E /31.90528; 35.21500 | |
| Palestine grid | 170/145 |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Ramallah and al-Bireh |
| Government | |
| • Type | City |
| • Head of Municipality | Umar Hammayil |
| Area | |
| 22,406 dunams (22.4 km2 or 8.6 sq mi) | |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| 45,975 | |
| • Density | 2,100/km2 (5,300/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 153,237 |
| Name meaning | "The Well of the Palace"[2] |
| Website | www.al-bireh.ps |
Al-Bireh,al-Birah, orel-Bira (Arabic:البيرة; also known historically asCastrum Mahomeria,Magna Mahomeria,Mahomeria Major,Birra, orBeirothah) is aPalestinian city in the centralWest Bank, 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) north ofJerusalem.[3] It is the capital of theRamallah and al-Bireh Governorate of theState of Palestine. It is situated on the central ridge running through the West Bank and is 860 meters (2,820 ft) above sea level, covering an area of 22.4 square kilometers (8.6 sq mi). Al-Bireh is under the administration of thePalestinian National Authority (as part ofArea A).
Bireh has been associated with several ancient sites. Because of its location Al-Bireh served as an economic crossroad between the north and south, along the caravan route between Jerusalem andNablus. UnderCrusader rule, it was one of the fief villages of theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre. It was captured and destroyed bySaladin, but it was rebuilt during theAyyubid period. Throughout theOttoman era, it was a predominantly Muslim village. Following theBritish Mandate, its population grew. After the1948 Arab–Israeli War, it came underJordanian rule until theSix-Day War in 1967, when it was occupied by Israel.
Since theOslo Accords, Bireh has been governed by the Palestinian Authority and now serves as a significant administrative center, hosting various governmental and non-governmental organizations. According to thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the city had a population of approximately 45,975 in the 2017 census.[1]
Edward Robinson in the early 19th century thought Al-Bireh was thebiblicalBe'eroth,[5] but modern scholars believe Be'eroth was located at Kh. el-Burj nearBeit Iksa.[6]
In theHellenistic period, it was also known asBerea orBeroth, and Seleucid generalBacchides camped there in 161 BCE before attackingJudas Maccabaeus's forces atElasa.[7]
Claude Reignier Conder and others identified it withBeirothah of the Samaritan chronicles.[6][8]
TheCrusaders captured and named the townBirra. It was also calledCastrum Mahomeria,Magna Mahomeria orMahomeria Major.[9] It was one of 21 villages given by KingGodfrey as afief to theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre.[10] In 1114, the gift was re-confirmed byBaldwin I of Jerusalem.[11]
In 1156, 92 people fromMahomeria pledged their allegiance to theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre, and a further 50 names were added in the next three decades. Hence, it has been estimated that the totalFrankish population at this time was 500–700.[9][12]
The Crusaders built a castle,[13] church and hospice there.[9][14][15] The latter two buildings were built by theKnights Templar in 1146 and belonged to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.Benjamin of Tudela andIsthori Haparchi described it as a large village.[6]
TheAyyubids underSaladin drove away the Crusaders from Birra when they reconquered interior Palestine after theBattle of Hattin in 1187, and completely demolished the town.Yaqut al-Hamawi mentions seeing the ruins a few times during his travels in the area.[16]
Nearing the end of Ayyubid rule, in 1280, the modern town of al-Bireh was an inhabited village. The Ayyubids built amosque in the town dedicated toUmar ibn al-Khattab adjacent to the church ruins.[17]
Potsherds from theCrusader/Ayyubid era have been found.[6]
Al-Bireh, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517, and in thecensus of 1596, the village, called Bira al-Kubra, was a part of thenahiya ("subdistrict") ofAl-Quds which was under the administration of theliwa ("district") of Al-Quds. It had a population of 45 households, allMuslim, and paid taxes on wheat, barley, olive trees, fruit trees, occasional revenues, beehives and/or goats; a total of 4,570akçe. Half of the revenue went to awaqf.[18]
In the spring of 1697,Henry Maundrell noted at Al Bireh, which he calledBeer, the remains of a church, which he wrote was built byEmpress Helena.[19]
After the1834 Arab revolt in Palestine, the Ottoman authorities conscripted many men from Al-Bireh as soldiers. In 1838, when Robinson visited, 60 had been taken away to be soldiers, out of a total population of 700.[5] Robinson noted it as a Muslim village,el-Bireh, located in the area immediately north of Jerusalem.[20]
When French explorerVictor Guérin visited the village in 1863, he found it to have 800 inhabitants.[21]
Socin, citing an officialOttoman village list compiled around 1870, noted that Al-Bireh had a population of 399 Muslims in 142 houses, and 20 "Greeks" in 5 houses, though that population count included only men. It was further noted that the name meant "Thecistern".[22]Hartmann found that Al-Bireh had 142 houses.[23]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Bireh as a good-sized village, with "fairly well built" houses.[24]
In 1896, the population of Bireh was estimated to be about 1,080 persons.[25]
Until 1917, the city served as a political and administrative center for theOttoman Empire.[citation needed]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Al-Bireh had a population of 1,479; 1,407Muslims, and 72Christians,[26] where the Christians were 61 Orthodox, 3 Roman Catholics and 8 "other".[27] The population had increased in the1931 census to 2,292; 2,044 Muslim and 248 Christians, in 541 houses.[28]
In the1945 statistics, the town's residents numbered 2,920; of which 280 were Christians and 2,640 Muslims,[29] while urban Bireh had 967dunams of land, and rural Bireh 22,045 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[30] Of this, 5,162 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 11,226 used for cereals,[31] while 759 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[32]
In the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli War and the1949 Armistice Agreements, Al-Bireh came underJordanian rule.[33]
In 1961, the population ofBira was 14,510.[34]
During theSix-Day War, on June 6, 1967, Israeli troops occupied the city, and Al-Bireh has been underIsraeli occupation since.
Israel confiscated 346dunams of land from Al-Bireh in order to build theIsraeli settlement ofBeit El (established in 1977) in addition to 780 dunams in order to buildPesagot (established in 1981).[35]
In 1994, the civil administration of the city was turned over to thePalestinian National Authority under theOslo Accords. Al-Bireh is the second largest center of Palestinian administration after Gaza. Besides the governor's headquarters, it also hosts a considerable number of governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations, including the Ministries of Transportation, Supply,Information, Public Works and Higher Education,[citation needed] as well as the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.[36] Due to its proximity with Ramallah, the cities form a singleconstituency for elections to the Palestinian National Authority.
After the1995 accords, 39.8% of village land was classified asArea A, 5% asArea B, while the remaining 55.2% was classified asArea C.[37]
The 1997 census carried out by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics counted 27,856 residents, exactly half male and half female.[38] The majority of the inhabitants werePalestinian refugees who made up 55.4% of the total population.[39] In the 2007 PCBS census, there were 38,202 people living in the city.[40]
Al-Bireh is inhabited by 5majorclans: Qur'an, Hamayel, 'Abed, Qaraqra, At Taweel and Ar Rafidi.[41]
Al-Bireh established a city council headed by mayor Eid Musa in 1928 under the British Mandate. Eight other mayors took office either through elections or government appointments. The city had some well known mayors, including Abudul Jawad Saleh who was mayor in the 1970s until exiled by the Israelis. He later went on to become a member of the PLO executive committee and then minister of agriculture in the Palestinian Authority. In 1982,Israel instated a civil administration, but later appointed an Arab mayor, Hassan al-Tawil. In 1988, after two years in office, he was stabbed and critically wounded outside his office.[42]In 1996, a 12-membermunicipal council was established by the Palestinian National Authority with Sheikh Jamal al-Tawil as mayor.[43]
In thePalestinian municipal elections in 2005, theHamas-backed Reform and Change List won 9 of the 15 seats, while independent lists won the remaining 6.[44] The current mayor isAzzam Esmail.
In 2010, a public square in al-Bireh was dedicated to the memory ofDalal Mughrabi, leader of an attack that killed 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, in 1978.[45]
In 2010, the Jerusalem Fund, National Arab American Medical Association Foundation and Physicians for Peace dedicated the Palestine Diabetes Institute in al-Bireh.[46]Al-Quds University maintains a campus in al-Bireh.
The 7,000-seat Majed Ass'ad or Al Bireh International Stadium was completed in 2010; originally constructed in 1996, it was upgraded to international standards from 2006 to 2010 at a cost of €3 million.[47] The work was funded by France, the German Development Bank, the UN Development Agency, and FIFA.[48] Construction was halted by the Israeli Supreme Planning Council on November 1, 2009, but resumed in late December.[49] In November 2009, the nearby settlement ofPsagot petitioned theHigh Court of Justice to have the stadium shut down, citing concerns that rowdy soccer fans might attack Psagot.[50]
Al Bireh Youth Foundation is the most prominent sports club in the city, mostly famous for its football teams and ancient scouts association.[51]
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