Al-Nabi Yusha' النبي يوشع | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Aerial shot of the historicMaqam an-Nabi Yusha' shrine in 2013 | |
| Etymology: "the prophet Joshua"[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-Nabi Yusha' (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Nabi Yusha' Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:33°06′46″N35°33′22″E / 33.11278°N 35.55611°E /33.11278; 35.55611 | |
| Palestine grid | 202/279 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Date of depopulation | May 16, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,617dunams (3.617 km2; 1.397 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 70[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Ramot Naftali |
Al-Nabi Yusha' (Arabic:النبي يوشع) was a smallPalestinian village in theGalilee situated 17 kilometers to the northeast ofSafad, with an elevation of 375 meters above sea level. It became part of thePalestine Mandate under British control from 1923 until 1948, when it was depopulated during the1948 Arab-Israeli War. The village was surrounded by forest land overlooking theHula Valley.
During the late eighteenth century, a family known asal-Ghul built the religious complex and shrine known as theMaqam an-Nabi Yusha' (biblicalJoshua), which included amosque and a building for visitors, as an act of devotion. This family, also called the "servants of the shrine," numbered about fifty and were the first to settle the site. They cultivated the surrounding land, and the place subsequently evolved into a village.[5]
In 1851/1852van de Velde noted thewali at Al-Nabi Yusha, with an oldterebinth tree.[6]
In 1875Victor Guérin arrived at theMaqam (shrine) after walking up on a very steep and difficult path from the east. He described the shrine, dedicated by the localMuslims toNabi Yusha', as a building surmounted with two smallcupolas.[7][8]
In 1881, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted that the "Metawali" from nearbyQadas came to Al-Nabi Yusha' to venerate the name of Joshua.[9]
Pottery fromRachaya Al Foukhar have been found in the village.[10]
At the end of World War I it was under French control, and the 1920boundary agreement between Britain and French placed it in Lebanon.[8] At the time of the census conducted by the French in 1921, the villagers were granted Lebanese citizenship.[11] However the Boundary Commission established by the 1920 agreement shifted the border, leaving the village in Palestine.[8] Transfer of control to the British authorities was not complete until 1924.[12]
During theMandate period, the British builta police station in the village.[5] The people of al-Nabi Yusha', all of whom were Shia Muslims, held an annualmawsim (pilgrimage) and festival on the fifteenth of the monthSha'aban (the eighth month of theIslamic calendar). Themawsim was similar to that of theNabi Rubin festival in southern coast of Palestine.[5]
In the1931 census of Palestine, the village was home to 52 residents that year (12 households),[13] growing to 70 in the1945 statistics,[2][3] and 81 (18 households) by 1948 when it was depopulated. The village occupied an area of 3,617 dunams, all private except for a dunam of public property.[3] In 1944–45 the village had 640 dunams of land used for cereals,[5][14] while 16 dunams was built-up (urban) area.[15]
Al-Nabi Yusha' was depopulated on May 16, in the1948 Arab-Israeli War duringOperation Yiftach led by Israeli army officerYigal Allon who later became a key Israeli figure. An early attempt to take the village byHaganah forces during the operation ended in the deaths of 22 Haganah fighters, who had their corpses reportedlydecapitated by the Arab forces.[16]
Most of its residents ended up in refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria. In 1998, the descendants of al-Nabi Yusha' refugees were estimated at 499.[citation needed]
The Israeli moshavRamot Naftali was established in 1945 south of the village, and since 1948 includes Al-Nabi Yusha' land. It is located close to the border between Al-Nabi Yusha' and the lands ofMallaha.[5][17]
The Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi described the village remains in 1992 as: "The site has been fenced in with barbed wire and is buried under rubble, making access difficult. However, some evidence of the village remains: fragments of houses, tombs in the village's cemetery, and the shrine of al-Nabi Yusha'. The two domes and arched entrance of the main part of the shrine are still intact, but the thick stone walls of the rooms attached to it are broken and the entire complex of buildings is neglected; weeds sprouts from the roof. The village site is surrounded by fig trees and cactuses. The flat lands around the site are planted by Israeli farmers with apple trees, while the sloping parts are wooded or used as pasture."[18]
The shrine was surveyed by the British School of Archaeology in 1994, who described it as rectangular structure formed around acourtyard, aligned north-south, which was entered through a gateway on the north end. The principal rooms were at the south end of the courtyard, with two majordomed chambers, of which the west chamber was found to be the oldest in the whole shrine complex.[19]
Alternative traditional sites for the Prophet's tomb are situated inTurkey (the shrine onJoshua's Hill,Istanbul),Jordan (An-Nabi Yusha' bin Noon, a Sunnishrine near the city ofAl-Salt[20][21]) andIraq (the Nabi Yusha' shrine ofBaghdad[20]).
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