al-Tall التلّ al-Tell | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: The mound[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-Tall, Acre (click the buttons) | |
  al-Tall Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:33°00′31″N35°08′19″E / 33.00861°N 35.13861°E /33.00861; 35.13861 | |
| Palestine grid | 163/268 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Acre |
| Date of depopulation | 21 May 1948[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,733dunams (4.733 km2; 1.827 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 300 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
Al-Tall (Arabic:التلّ), was aPalestinian village 14 km northeast ofAcre in theBritish MandateDistrict of Acre. Depopulated as a result of military assault and capture during the1947-1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine as part of OperationOperation Ben-Ami by theCarmeli Brigade of theIsrael Defense Forces.
The twin villages of Al-Tall and nearbyAl-Nahr were both sites of ancient settlements atop the tel ofKabri.[4] Recent excavations indicate habitation back to the eighteenth century BC.[5]
In theOttoman period, amill was shown here onPierre Jacotin´s map from 1799.[6]In 1875, the French explorerVictor Guérin visited the village, which he calledEt-Tell. He described it: "Below the village extend fresh and verdant gardens where the water flows and murmurs incessantly in little canals, and where lofty poplars and great nut-trees, which recall Europe, mingle with the trees of Palestine. Near here is amill, worked by water falling from a higher basin, which acts as a reservoir for a spring as abundant as that ofRas el 'Ain. After leaving the mill, the water forms a stream which fertilises the adjacent orchards. This raised and broad reservoir, whence the water escapes by an opening made for the purpose in the edge of the reservoir, is of modern construction, as is shown by the stones; but its first building must be ancient, because it is difficult to believe that the ancients should have neglected to get all the advantage possible from so important a spring."[7]
In 1881 thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described the village as "A stone andadobe village, containing about 200Moslems, withfigs,olive,pomegranate, andmulberry trees and gardens; there are two streams of water at this village."[8] The layout of the village was rectangular. Its houses were built from stone and concrete or frommud.[9]
A population list from about 1887 showed thatNahret Tell had about 275 inhabitants, all Muslim.[10]
In1944/1945, the population of Al-Tall was 300.[9]
Al-Tall was captured by theCarmeli Brigade duringOperation Ben-Ami. Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel, but the village's land has not been incorporated into any municipality or village.[11]
According to the Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi, the remaining structures on the village land were in 1992:
"The site is covered with the rubble of stone houses and is overgrown with wild grass. One stone house still stands but its facade is missing and it is about to crumble. Cactuses and fig trees grow on the southern slopes of the site. There are four identifiableRoman andByzantine tombs in the cemetery that lies on the northern slopes, aChrist-thorn tree stands in its midst. Recent excavations has uncovered several ancient graves, and the place has been turned into an archaeological site."[11]
In 1993, when A. Petersen visited the place, the only structure he found standing was acistern, known as Birket al-Mafshukh,[12] located north of the tell. In 1881, it had been described as a "birket of masonry, and a large perennial spring, with a stream flowing from it to the sea; the stream is called the Nahr Mefshukh; gives a very plentiful supply of water."[13] According to Petersen, the birkat was "rectangular with a semi-circular extension at the west end."[14]
