Al-Rihaniyya Rihaniya, -al[1] | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: "Sweet basil"[2][3] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Rihaniyya (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Rihaniyya Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°37′12″N35°05′13″E / 32.62000°N 35.08694°E /32.62000; 35.08694 | |
| Palestine grid | 158/225 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Haifa |
| Date of depopulation | Not known[1] |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 240[4][5] |
| Current Localities | Ramat HaShofet[2]Ein HaEmek[2] |
Al-Rihaniyya was aPalestinianArab village in theHaifa Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on 30 April 1948 as part of thebattle of Mishmar HaEmek. It was located 25 km southeast ofHaifa and 3 km northwest of Wadi al-Mileh.
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine describedKh. Rihaneh as a village containing the remnants of watch-towers and two springs.[6]
A population list from about 1887 showed thatRihaneh had about 190 inhabitants; allMuslims.[7]
Al-Rihaniyya had an elementary school for boys founded in 1888 that was no longer open during theBritish Mandate period.[2]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Al Rehaniyeh had a population of 266Muslims,[8] increasing in the1931 census to 293 Muslim, in a total of 55 houses.[9]
In the1945 statistics, the village had a population of 240 Muslims,[4] and the village's lands spanned 1,930dunams.[5] Of this, 1,761 dunums of land were used forcereals; 73 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards,[10] while 46 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[11]
On 5 April 1948, after theBattle of Mishmar HaEmek theHaganah ordered theGolani Brigade to inform the residents four Arab villages including Rihaniya that they should leave for safety reasons.[12]
On 14 April,The New York Times reported that Al-Rihaniyya was occupied, together withDaliyat al Ruha andAl-Butaymat. HoweverKhalidi believes that the actual depopulation only happened two weeks later, duringPassover Clearing.[2]
Surviving villagers toldRosemarie Esber that they decided to leave Al-Rihaniyya on 30 April, as "we did not have guns to defend it". They took refugee inUmm az-Zinat, but when the Haganah attacked it (according to the villagers: unprovoked) they fled "with nothing but our clothes on", toIjzim. They stayed at Ijzim for several months, until it also was attacked by Zionist forces, who "kicked everybody out". Esbers informants ended up inUmm al-Fahm.[13]
Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel, with the village's lands taken over bykibbutzRamat HaShofet and themoshav ofEin HaEmek.[2]
According to Khalidi's description in 1992, the village site was strewn with housing rubble, bushes and thorns. The village cemetery and awell were visible at the bottom of a hill to the north. The surrounding land was farmed and an avocado orchard lay to the south.[14]
