al-Dawayima الدوايمة ad-Dawayima | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: The little Dom tree[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Dawayima (click the buttons) | |
  al-Dawayima Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°32′10″N34°54′43″E / 31.53611°N 34.91194°E /31.53611; 34.91194 | |
| Palestine grid | 141/104 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Hebron |
| Date of depopulation | 29 October 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 60.585 km2 (23.392 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 3,710[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current localities | Karmei Katif;Amatzia |
Al-Dawayima,Dawaymeh orDawayma (Arabic:الدوايمة) was aPalestinian town, located in the formerHebron Subdistrict ofMandatory Palestine, and in what is now theLakhish region, some 15 kilometres south-east ofKiryat Gat.[5]
According to a 1945 census, the town's population was 3,710, and the village lands comprised a total land area of 60,585dunums of which nearly half was cultivable. The population figures for this town also included the populations of nearby khirbets, or ancient villages. During the1948 Palestine war, theal-Dawayima massacre occurred. According toSaleh Abd al-Jawad an estimated 80-200 civilian men, women and children were killed.[6] According toJohn Bagot Glubb, a UN report said that 30 women and children were killed.[7]
In 1955, the ruins of the town were replaced by the Israeli moshav ofAmatzia.
It has been occasionally identified with theOld Testament town ofBosqat, the home ofJosiah's motherJedidah (2 Kings, 22:1) though the association has not found widespread acceptance.[8]
Al-Dawayima's historical remains encompass a long period from theBronze Age, through to the Persian and Hellenistic, down to the Ottoman period. Bulldozing what remains of the Palestinian village to prepare a new Israeli village has revealed an ancientolive press, acolumbarium cave, a villa from theSecond Temple era, and bothmikvehs and cisterns.[5]
The "core clan" of Al-Dawayima were the Ahdibs, who traced their origin to theMuslim conquest and settlement of Palestine in the seventh century.[9]
In the lateOttoman era, in May, 1838,Edward Robinson visited during harvesting time. He noted that Al-Dawayima was situated on a hill, with a view of several villages to the east. During the harvest, several Christians fromBeit Jala were employed here as labourers; thebarley harvest was coming to an end, while thewheat harvest was just beginning.[10] He further noted it as aMuslim village, between the mountains andGaza, but subject to the government ofel-Khulil.[11]
In the mid-19th century, al-Dawāymeh’s residents cultivated formerly abandoned lands, which were reclassified as privately held under Ottoman land reform. This process formed part of a broader pattern of rural resettlement and expansion across the western fringes of Jabal al-Khalīl.[12]
In 1863Victor Guérin visited twice, and he estimated that the village contained 900 inhabitants,[13] while anOttoman village list from about 1870 found that Dawaime had only a population of 85, in a total of 34 houses, though the population count included men, only. It also noted that it was located west ofHebron.[14][15]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described al-Dawayima as a village on a high stony ridge that hadolive groves beneath it. On a higher ridge to the west stood a shrine that was topped by a white stone.[16]
The people of al-Dawayima wereMuslims. They maintained several religious shrines, chief among them the shrine of Shaykh ´Ali. This shrine had a large courtyard, a number of rooms, and one large hall for prayers, and was surrounded by fig and carob trees and cactuses. It attracted visitors from the neighboring villages.[17] A mosque was located in the village center, it was maintained by the followers ofal-tariqaal-khalwatiyya, aSufi mystic order founded by Shaykh Umar al-Khalwati (d.1397)[18]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,AI Dawaima had a population of 2,441 inhabitants, all Muslims,[19] increasing in the1931 census to 2,688, still all Muslim, in a total of 559 houses.[20]
The villagers expanded and renovated the villagemosque in the 1930s, and added a tallminaret.[17]
In the1945 statistics, Al-Dawayima had a population of 3,710 Muslims,[2] with a total land area of 60.585 dunums of land.[3]By 1944/45, 21,191 dunums of village land were allotted to cereals, 1,206 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards,[21] while 179 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.[22]
The Institute for Palestine Studies andThe Palestinian Museum note the following about the town's built environment:
"Shops were scattered throughout the various neighborhoods of the village center. Houses were made of stone and mud, separated by narrow streets and alleys. The older houses were clustered closely together. Each set of houses shared ahawsh, a large courtyard that provided space for women to do their domestic chores, for children to play, and for families to gather in the evening and on special occasions. As the village expanded people began to build new houses outside of the village core. These new houses were larger and built of whitewashed stone some of them had thick, stone walls and were calledjidaris (from the Arabic word for wall,jidar)....Each house had two levels: the upper level was occupied by the family members and the lower level by their animals. The houses of the well-to-do villagers had their own courtyards and large guest rooms, in addition to animal stables."[23]
Al-Dawaymima was captured byIsrael'sEighty Ninth Battalion (commanded by Dov Chesis) of the8th Armored Brigade led by the founder of thePalmach,Yitzhak Sadeh, afterOperation Yoav on 29 October 1948, five days after the start of the truce. It was the site of theal-Dawayima massacre in which 80–200 civilians were killed, including women and children.[6] According to Lieutenant-GeneralJohn Bagot Glubb, a British officer stationed with Jordanian'sArab Legion in Bethlehem and Hebron at that time, the massacre was calculated to drive out the villagers and had been reported by UN observers to involve 30 deaths.[24] The massacre was cited byYigal Allon as the reason for the halting of the creeping annexation that includedBayt Jibrin,Qubeiba and Tel Maresha.[25] It was also seen as a reprisal by the Israelis for the massacre of Jews inKfar Etzion months before, on May 13, 1948, by Palestinian fighters and some members of the Arab Legion.[26]
Themoshav ofAmatzia was established in 1955 on land that had belonged to Al-Dawayima.[27] According to the Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi :
"The site has been fenced in. A cowshed, a chicken coop, and granaries have been built at its center (which has been leveled). The southern side of the site contains stone terraces and the remnants of a house. The eastern side is occupied by the residential area of the moshav."
In 2013, the whole area, apart from some ancient Jewish remains, was bulldozed to pave the way for the erection of a new community calledKarmei Katif, which was completed in 2016 and which houses evacuees of theGaza Stripsettlements. The new name is reminiscent ofGush Katif.[5]
A woman'sthob (loose fitting robe with sleeves) dated to about 1910 that was produced in Al-Dawayima is part of theMuseum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) collection atSanta Fe. The dress is of hand-woven blueindigolinen. Theembroidery is in predominantly red silk cross-stitch, with touches of violet, orange, yellow, white, green and black. The upper half of theqabbeh (the square chest panel) is embroidered with alternating columns of diamonds, (a pattern known asel-ferraneh), and eight-pointed stars, (calledqamr ("moons")). The lower half of the qabbeh is in theqelayed ("necklaces") pattern. The side-panels of the skirt are completely covered with embroidered columns. Among the patterns used here are:nakhleh ("palm") motif,ward-wil-aleq ("rose-and-leech") andkhem-el-basha ("the pashas tent"). Each column is topped with various trees. There is no embroidery on the long, pointed sleeves.[28]
The village is often featured in the works of Palestinian artistAbdul Hay Mosallam who was expelled from it in 1948.
By 2011, two books about the village history had been published.[29]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
