Bayt Shanna بيت شنّة | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: The house of Shenna[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Bayt Shanna (click the buttons) | |
  Bayt Shanna Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°52′39″N34°59′13″E / 31.87750°N 34.98694°E /31.87750; 34.98694 | |
| Palestine grid | 148/142 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Date of depopulation | July 15–16, 1948[4] |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 210[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
Bayt Shanna was aPalestinian Arab village in theRamle Subdistrict ofMandatory Palestine. It was depopulated during the1948 Arab–Israeli War on July 15, 1948, during the second stage ofOperation Dani. It was located 11.5 km southeast ofRamla.
Bayt šannā /Bēt šanna/ is anAramaicplace-name, which means "House of the Rock" (šn’).[5] A rarely documented variant in 16th century endowment deeds reads Bayt al-šunnāra /Bēt iš-šunnāra/ [53], "the place of the cat (or ‘of the partridge’)".[5]
Ceramics from theByzantine era have been found here.[6]
Bayt Shanna was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517 with all ofPalestine.
In 1552, Bayt Shanna was an inhabited village.HasekiHürrem Sultan, the favourite wife ofSuleiman the Magnificent, endowed the tax revenues of Bayt Shanna to herHaseki Sultan Imaret inJerusalem. Administratively, the village belonged to the Sub-district ofRamla in the District ofGaza.[7]
In 1596, it appeared in thetax registers under the name ofBayt Sanna, as being in thenahiya ("subdistrict") ofRamla, which was under the administration of theliwa ("district") ofGaza. It had a population of four household;[8] an estimated 22 persons, who were allMuslims. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, vineyards, fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 1,000Akçe. All of the revenue went to aWaqf.[8][9]
In 1838, it was noted asBeit Shinna, a place "in ruins or deserted," in theIbn Humar area in the District ofEr-Ramleh.[10]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine noted atBeit Shenna: "Traces of ruins and squared stones."[11]
By the beginning of the 20th century, residents fromBeit Surik settled the site, establishing it as a dependency – or satellite village – of their home village.[12]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Bait Shanna had a population of 8 Muslims,[13] increasing in the1931 census, when it was counted together withSalbit, to 406, still all Muslims, in a total of 71 houses.[14]
In the1945 statistics, the village had a population of 210 Muslims[2] with 3,617dunams of land.[3] Of this, 44 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land, 865 for cereals,[15] while 2,708 dunams were non-cultivable areas.[16]
Bayt Shanna became depopulated after a military assault on July 15–16, 1948.[4]
As of 1992, there were no Israeli settlement on village land.Sha'alvim, on the land of the depopulated Palestinian village ofSalbit is the closest.[9]
In 1992, the village site was described: "The stone rubble of the former houses covers the village site. Large mulberry, olive, and almond trees grow amid the rubble, most of which is covered by wild vegetation. The whole site is fenced in and appears to be used as a grazing area. On the hillside east of the village, a room made of masonry still stands. Fruit trees grow around it."[9]
