Al-Mansura المنصورة | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Maronite Church of Yohanna | |
| Etymology: Khirbet Mansura= The ruin of Mansura[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Mansura, Acre (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Mansura Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:33°03′50″N35°20′05″E / 33.06389°N 35.33472°E /33.06389; 35.33472 | |
| Palestine grid | 182/274 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Acre |
| Date of depopulation | Early November 1948[4] |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 2,300 (with nearbyFassuta andDayr al-Qassi[2][3]) |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Expulsion byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Netu'a,[5]Mattat,[5]Abirim,[5]Elkosh[5] andBiranit[5] |
Al-Mansura (Arabic:المنصورة) was aPalestinian village that was depopulated by theIsraeli army during the1948 Arab-Israeli war. In 1945, it had a population of 2,300 together with the neighboring villages ofDayr al-Qassi (also depopulated) andFassuta. The population was predominantlyChristian and most its residents live in what is now the state ofIsrael.[5]
It was situated on the northern end of a mountain in theUpper Galilee whose summit was behind the village to the south. It was connected to the coastalAcre-Ras al-Naqoura highway via a secondary road.[5]
The village was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517; in 1596 it appeared under the name ofal-Mansura in thetax registers as part of thenahiya (subdistrict) of Jira in theSanjak (district) ofSafed. It had an allMuslim population, consisting of 17 households and 5 bachelors. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, olive trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues and an olive oil press; the taxes totalled 3,656akçe. All of the taxes went to aWaqf.[6]
In 1881, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the place as having "A few heaps of stones and some foundations. The masonry is medium-size, and well-dressed. The door-posts are of stone; there arecisterns on top of the hill, which is steep."[7]
Until 1923, after borders were renegotiated between the British and French governments (who controlled the northern and southern parts of theLevant, respectively, at the time), al-Mansura was a part ofLebanon. Afterward it became part of theMandatory Palestine and was described as a hamlet by thePalestine Index Gazetteer.[5]
In the1931 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandategovernment, it was counted under the much larger Christian village ofFassuta. The total population of the two places were 688 inhabitants; 81 Muslims and 607Christians, in a total of 129 houses.[8] The houses of al-Mansura were spaciously separated from each other and the village had a church dedicated to Mari Yohanna (John the Baptist). The chief source of income was from agriculture and husbandry and the main sources of drinking water came from a well to the north and three water tanks.[5]
In the1945 statistics, its land was grouped with the lands ofFassuta (existent) andDayr al-Qassi; the total population was 2,300[2] and their total land area was 34,011 dunums.[3] 1,607 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 6,475 used for cereals,[9] while 247 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[10]
Al-Mansura was believed to have been attacked during the Israeli offensiveOperation Hiram in October 1948. In mid-November, the Israeli Army had Palestinian Arab villages on the Lebanese border cleared, including al-Mansura. Its residents were expelled from the village, with some leaving for Lebanon while most were sent to the Arab town ofRameh in the heart of the Galilee. The Maronite Church requested that the Israeli government allow al-Mansura's inhabitants to resettle the village but were refused. The residents of al-Mansura continued to demand permission from the Israeli courts to resettle for some time after, but were unsuccessful.[5]
Several Jewish localities have been built on al-Mansura's lands, includingElkosh established in 1949, the military baseBiranit in the early 1950s,Netu'a in 1966,Mattat in 1979 andAbirim in 1980. According to Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi whose researchers visited the village before 1992, "The village houses have been completely leveled. Much of the resulting debris has been pushed together in heaps along the northern edge of the site." The only structure remaining was the partially collapsed church.[5]
