Ammuqa عموقه Amuka, 'Amuqa | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: "deep"[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Ammuqa (click the buttons) | |
  Ammuqa Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:33°00′22″N35°31′13″E / 33.00611°N 35.52028°E /33.00611; 35.52028 | |
| Palestine grid | 198/267 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Date of depopulation | 24 May 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,574dunams (2.574 km2; 0.994 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 140[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Amuka[5] |
Ammuqa (alsotransliterated 'Amuqa andAmuka) was aPalestinian village, located five kilometres northeast ofSafed.
In the late 19th century, Ammuqa was one of several villages resettled by Algerian migrants under the auspices of theOttoman Empire.
Ammuqa was depopulated by Israeli forces in May 1948.
Known locally for its seven springs, Ammuqa also enjoyed renown as the site of thesepulchre ofJonathan ben Uzziel. RabbiSamuel ben Samson, who travelled toPalestine in 1210, writes that the site was marked by "a great tree" where the localMuslim population made vows "to his glory" and gavevotive offerings of oil and light.[6][7][8]
In 1517, Ammuqa was incorporated into theOttoman Empire, and by 1596tax-records it was under the administration of thenahiyah ("subdistrict") ofJira, part ofSafad Sanjak, with a population of 65 households and 6 bachelors; an estimated 391 persons, allMuslim. They paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, beehives, vineyards, and goats; a total revenue of 5,585akçe. 1/12 of the revenue went to aMuslim charitable endowment.[9][10]
In the second half of the 19th centuryAlgerian followers ofAbdelkader El Djezairi have been defeated by theFrench in Algeria, and sought refuge in another part of the Ottoman Empire. They were given lands in various locations inOttoman Syria, including Ammuqa, and the close-byDayshum,Marus,Al-Husayniyya andTulayl.[11][12] The inhabitants belonged to the tribe of Awlad bu Alwarath, fromDellys,Algeria.[13]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, 'Amuqa had a population of 114, all Muslims,[14] decreasing slightly in the1931 census to 108, still all Muslims, in a total of 17 houses.[15]
By the1944/45 statistics, the village had a population of 140 Muslims with a total land area of 2,574 dunams. Of this, a total of 1,164 dunums of land was used for cereals; 195 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards,[16] while 30 dunams were classified as built-up (or Urban) area.[17]
During the1948 Arab–Israeli War, on the 24 May 1948, Ammuqa was assaulted by thePalmach's First Battalion, headed byYigal Allon.[18] Following the "systematic" destruction of the villages in theHula Valley, Ammuqa was evacuated.[19]
In 1980Amuka was established on village land; about 1 km southeast of the village site.
In 1992 the village site was described: "Nothing remains of the village but the rubble of houses; the site is overgrown with cactuses and eucalyptus, fig, and olive trees. Much of the land around the site is wooded, and some parts are cultivated by the settlement of'Ammuqa".
