al-Manshiyya المنشيه | |
|---|---|
 Ancient tomb of Abu Ataba, now the residential home of a Jewish family. | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Manshiyya, Acre (click the buttons) | |
  al-Manshiyya Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°55′56″N35°05′26″E / 32.93222°N 35.09056°E /32.93222; 35.09056 | |
| Palestine grid | 159/260 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Acre |
| Date of depopulation | 14 May 1948 (Operation Ben-Ami)[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 14,886dunams (14.886 km2; 5.748 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 810[1][2] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Shomrat,[4]Bustan HaGalil[4] |
Al-Manshiyya (Arabic:المنشية),[5] was aPalestinian village with aMuslim orphanage and amosque known as the mosque of Abu 'Atiyya, which is still standing.
The area just north of the village was a garden planted bySulayman Pasha, who was the ruler of Acre in the early 19th century, namedArabic:قصر بهجي, Qasr Bahjī,mansion of delight; today this is known as theshrine of Bahá'u'lláh, who was the founder of theBaháʼí Faith.
Five graves were excavated in al-Manshiyya in 1955–56; the earliest dated from the thirteenth century BC.[4]
The people of Al-Manshiyya believed that the village was established in the aftermath of theCrusades, and the original inhabitants were brought to the area from North Africa by theMamluks to populate the area. However, the village must have disintegrated subsequently, as it is not mentioned in the 1596 census.[4] The local shrine of Abu Atabi has a construction text dating it to 1140AH (1727–28 CE).[6] It is probably itRichard Pococke refers to when he passed by in 1738: "On the highest ground of it are the ruins of a very strong square tower, and near it, is a mosque, a tower, and other great buildings; the place is calledAbouotidy, from aSheik who was buried there."[7] In 1760,it:Giovanni Mariti called the placeBahattbe: "situated on a small eminence, which contains the ruins of an ancient temple, employed as a place of worship both by the Turks and Christians, but at different periods. Some paces further is a mosque, remarkable on account of its burying-ground, in which was interred a prodigious number of infidels, who perished under the walls of Acre."[8]
A map from 1799 showed the place as an "uninhabited ruin",[9] whileGuérin, who visited in 1875, observed that the village is "newly founded".[10] In 1881, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the village of Al-Manshiyya as being situated on a plain, surrounded by arable land, with houses built of stone andadobe. It had a population of about 150.[11]
A population list from about 1887 showed thatKiryet el Menshiyeh had about 400 inhabitants, all Muslim.[12]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authoritiesAl Manshiyeh had a population of 371; all Muslims,[13] increasing in the1931 census to 460, still all Muslims, in a total of 132 houses.[14]
In the1945 statistics, Al-Manshiyya had 810 Muslim inhabitants and 270 Jewish inhabitants,[1] with a total of 14,886dunums (3,678acres) of land according to an official land and population survey.[2]The economy of the village was based on agriculture. In 1944/45 253dunams was used forcitrus andbananas, 10,818 dunams were allotted tocereals, 619 dunams were irrigated or used for orchards,[4][15] while 27 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[16]
The villagers, who were farmers, lived peacefully and had significant interaction with their Jewish neighbors. But the fighting inAcre, and later, theDeir Yassin massacre, frightened them.[17] The village was first drawn into the1948 Arab–Israeli War on 6 February 1948. On that day a number of armed Jews, using automatic weapons andSten guns, attacked the village. They were driven back by village defenders.[18]
Manshiyya was captured by on 14 May 1948 duringOperation Ben-Ami.[19] One villager recalled that the dawn attack came from the hill overlooking the village. The villagers, "with bullets whizzing over their heads", ran towards the east "because all other sides were surrounded by the Jews". When they returned to remove the dead bodies, they found the village strewn withmines. One former villager recounted that her father returned to Al-Manshiyya about 10 days after the attack and found it had been razed.[20] On 16 June 1948,David Ben-Gurion mentioned Manshiyya as one of the villagesIsrael had destroyed.[21]
Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel. Two new villages,Shomrat andBustan HaGalil, were established in 1948 on village land, north of the village site. The site is now part of the city of Acre.[4]
According to thePalestinian historianWalid Khalidi, the remaining structures on the village land were in 1992: "The Baha'i [sic] shrine, the mosque, the Islamic school for orphans, and a few houses still stand; the rest of the village is gone. The shrine is a handsome, domed structure, the front wall and arched entrance of which are framed by prominent stone pillars. The mosque, a stone structure with a dome and vaulted ceilings, has been turned into a private home for a Jewish family. The former Islamic school for orphans is also inhabited. The cemetery is still visible but is not tended; it contains a tombstone that is inscribed inTurkish and dates to the eighteenth century. The al-Basha water canal, built with stone blocks, still exists, but is not functioning; the same is also true of anaqueduct."[22]
Andrew Petersen, an archaeologist specializing inIslamic architecture, visited Al-Manshiyya in 1994. He found the mosque and shrine of Abu Atabi was still standing, though it has been turned into a residential complex since 1948. The prayer room functioned as a living room. An inscription in two parts was set above the doorway leading to thedomed chamber containing the tomb. The date 1140 H (1727–28 C.E.) was still visible in the upper part, while the lower part, written in larger ornamental script might be earlier, possibly dating toMamluk times. Abu Atabi is said locally to be a Muslim warrior from the time of theCrusades, killed during thesiege of Acre.[23]
