Al-Samakiyya تلحوم/السمكية | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Al-Samakiyya villagers, postcard from 1902 | |
| Etymology: ’Arab es Semakîyeh, the Semakîyeh (fisher) Arabs[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-Samakiyya (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Samakiyya Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°53′02″N35°34′41″E / 32.88389°N 35.57806°E /32.88389; 35.57806 | |
| Palestine grid | 204/254 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Tiberias |
| Date of depopulation | Not known[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 10,526dunams (10.526 km2; 4.064 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 330 Muslims and 50 Christians connected to Capernaum ecclesiastic sites[2][3] |
| Current Localities | Amnun,[5]Korazim[5] |
Al-Samakiyya was aPalestinianArab village in theTiberias Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 4, 1948, underOperation Matateh. It was located 11 km northeast ofTiberias, near the Wadi al-Wadabani. The village was located atTel Hum, which has been identified withCapernaum.[6]
In 1838,Edward Robinson noted thebedawin (Bedouin) tribe ofes-Semekiyeh, who kept some buildings inAbu Shusha as magazines.[7]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, the population ofSamakiyeh was 193 Muslims,[8] increasing in the1931 census to 290; 266 Muslims and 24 Christians,[clarification needed] in a total of 60 houses.[9]
In the 1945 statisticsEs Samakiya had a population of 380; 330 Muslims and 50 Christians[clarification needed],[2] with 10,526 dunams of land.[3] Of this, 2 dunams were used for citrus and bananas, 66 for plantations and irrigable land, 4,034 dunams for cereals,[10] while a total of 6,424 dunams were classified as non-cultivable area.[11]
Al-Samakiyya had an Italian monastery, a Franciscan church, and a Greek Orthodox church.[5][clarification needed]
On 4 May 1948,Yigal Allon launchedOperation Matateh ('Operation Broom'), in order to clear the area of its Bedouin inhabitants.[4][12] The Bedouin site is listed byBenny Morris as "'Arab al Samakiya (Samakiya/Talhum)".[4]
HistorianSaleh Abdel Jawad writes that five or more villagers were killed in "indiscriminate" killings by theHaganah.[13]
Amnun andKorazim were both established on Al-Samakiyya land in 1983.[5]
In 1992, Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi wrote: "The village site is covered with wild vegetation, piles ofbasalt stones, and date palm trees. Part of the surrounding land is used as pasture, and the other part is planted with fruit and walnut trees."[5]
