Barbara برْبره Berbere | |
|---|---|
 A horse race held at Barbara, Palestine, 7 September 1940, with Australian 6th Division troops watching | |
| Etymology: "Chattering", "barbarians"[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Barbara, Gaza (click the buttons) | |
  Barbara Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°37′26″N34°34′46″E / 31.62389°N 34.57944°E /31.62389; 34.57944 | |
| Palestine grid | 110/114 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Gaza |
| Date of depopulation | 5 November 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 13,978dunams (13.978 km2; 5.397 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 2,410[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Mavki'im,[5][6]Talmei Yafeh[6] |
Barbara (Arabic:برْبره) was aPalestinian Arab village in theGaza Subdistrict located 17 km northeast ofGaza city, in the vicinity of modernAshkelon. It had an entirely Arab population of 2,410 in 1945. The village consisted of nearly 14,000dunums of which approximately 12,700 dunums was able to be cultivated. It was captured byIsrael during the1948 Arab–Israeli War.
Barbara received its modern name from theRomans. After the Roman rule the village was under the control of a number of empires and dynasties ranging from theByzantines, variousIslamic Arab dynasties, theCrusaders, theTurkish Mamluks[dubious –discuss],Ottomans and finally theBritish Empire.
Archeological building and pottery remains from the LateRoman and theByzantine periods have been excavated here. Coins minted underNero,Valentinian II,Theodosius I,Justin I andJustinian I were also found.[7] A winepress, dating from the Byzantine period has been found.[8] A coin, dating from theUmayyad era (697–750 CE) has also been found here.[7]
According to the Arab geographerMujir al-Din (1456–1522), the village was home to theMuslimscholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Barbarawi, a local sage and a student of renowned scholar Ahmad ibn Dawud, who died in 1323.[9] Barbara was inhabited in the 15th century.Mamluk records mention its endowment as awaqf.[10]
During the reign of theOttoman SultanMurad III (1574-1596), Barbara's only mosque was built. It contained the tomb of Yusuf al-Barbarawi.[11] In the 1596tax registers, Barbara was part of thenahiya (subdistrict) ofGaza under theliwa' (district) ofGaza. It had a population of 73Muslim households, an estimated 402 persons. They paid a fixed sum of 17,000akçe in tax, where all the revenue went to aMuslim charitable endowment.[12]
In 1838,Edward Robinson noted Barbara as a Muslim village, located in the Gaza district.[13] In May 1863, the French explorerVictor Guérin visited the village. He estimated it had 400 inhabitants. He further noted amaqam (shrine) dedicated to Sheikh Yusuf, with sections of ancient white-grey marble columns. Further five -six sections of marble column were observed around the well.[14]Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 that Barbara had a total of 113 houses and a population of 372, though the population count included men only.[15]Hartmann found that Barbara had 112 houses.[16] In 1883 thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described Barbara as a village rectangular in shape and surrounded by gardens and two ponds. The sand encroaching from the coast was stopped by the cactus hedges of the gardens. To the east of the village there were olive groves.[17]
A building, dating to the late Ottoman, or early British Mandate era have been excavated.[18] According to David Grossman, at least part of the village's residents had ancestral ties toEgypt.[19]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Barbara had a population of 1,369 inhabitants, all Muslims,[20] which had increased in the1931 census to 1546, still all Muslim, in 318 houses.[21]
In the1945 statistics the population of Barbara consisted of 2,410 Muslims[2] and the land area was 13,978dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[3] Of this, 132 dunams were designated for citrus and bananas, 2,952 for plantations and irrigable land, 9,615 for cereals,[22] while 70 dunams were built-up areas.[23]
At the end of the Mandate Period, the above-mentioned mosque, built late 16th century, was still standing, and in addition the village center contained a number of shops. An elementary school was founded in 1921, and by 1947 it had 252 students. Barbara was also known for its long rugs,al-mazawid, which were woven by the women of the village.[11]
Barbara was captured by a possible combination of theNegev,Giv'ati andYiftach brigades on November 5, 1948, duringOperation Yoav. At the end of November 1948, Coastal Plain District troops carried out sweeps of the villages around and to the south ofMajdal. Barbara was one of the villages named in the orders to theIDF battalions and engineers platoon, that the villagers were to be expelled to Gaza, and the IDF troops were "to prevent their return by destroying their villages." The path leading to the village was to be mined. The IDF troops were ordered to carry out the operation "with determination, accuracy and energy".[24] The operation took place on 30 November. The troops found "about 40" villagers in Barbara andal-Jiyya, "composed of women, old men and children", who offered no resistance. They were expelled toBeit Hanun, in the northern Gaza strip. Eight young men who were found were sent to aPOW camp.[25]
Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel and themoshavim ofMavki'im andTalmei Yafeh were established on the former village's land. According to the Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi (1992), the village remaining structures on the village land are:
The crumbled walls and debris of houses are all that remains of the village buildings. The debris is overgrown with thorns and brush. Old eucalyptus and sycamore trees and cactuses also grow on the site. Some of the old streets are clearly identifiable. One area of the site serves as a garbage dump and a junkyard for old cars. The surrounding lands are planted by Israeli farmers in corn.[6]
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