Biriyya بيريّا | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: A well[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Biriyya (click the buttons) | |
  Biriyya Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°58′47″N35°29′52″E / 32.97972°N 35.49778°E /32.97972; 35.49778 | |
| Palestine grid | 197/265 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Date of depopulation | May 2, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,579dunams (5.579 km2; 2.154 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 240[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Birya |
Biriyya (Arabic:بيريّا) was aPalestinian Arab village in theSafad Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 2, 1948, by The Palmach's First Battalion ofOperation Yiftach. It was located 1.5 kilometres (0.9 mi) northeast ofSafad. Today the Israeli moshav ofBirya includes the village site.
The village was on a hill 1.5 kilometres northeast ofSafad.[5] It is believed to have been built on the site of the Roman village ofBeral orBin, which was later also a Jewish town.[5]Ishtori Haparchi, however, thought the village to have been theBeri of rabbinic literature.[6]
In the 1596tax record, Biriyya was a village in thenahiya of Jira (Liwa' of Safad) with aMuslim population of 38 families and 3 bachelors, and aJewish population of 16 families and 1 bachelor; a total estimated population of 319 persons. The villagers paid taxes on crops such aswheat,barley, andolives and other types of produce and owned beehives, vineyards, and a press that was used for processing olives. Total taxes paid was 3,145akçe.[7][8][5][9]
A map fromNapoleon's invasion of 1799 byPierre Jacotin showed the place, named as "Beria",[10] while in 1838Biria was noted as a village in the Safad region.[11]
In 1875Victor Guérin found Biriyya to have about 150 Muslim inhabitants.[12]In 1881, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Biriyya as having "good stone houses, containing about 100 Muslims, surrounded by arable cultivation, and several good springs near the village".[13]
A population list from about 1887 showedBiria to have about 355 Muslim inhabitants.[14]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Biria had a population of 128, all Muslims,[15] increasing in the1931 census to 170, still all Muslims, in a total of 38 houses.[16]
In the1945 statistics it had a population of 240 Muslims[2] with a total of 5,579 dunums of land.[3] A total of 328 dunums were used for cereals, 53 dunums for irrigation for use in the orchards,[17] while 25 dunums were built-up (urban) land.[18]
The villagers sold their products at the market in nearby Safad.[5]
On April 7, 1948, it was reported that 20 Arabs had been killed nearMount Canaan, outside Safad.[5] On May 1, 1948, the Palmach's First Battalion captured Biriyya.[19] The occupation of Safad and eastern Galilee was completed in May 1948 duringOperation Yiftach.[5]
In 1992 the village site was described: "About fifteen houses remain and are inhabited by the residents of the settlement ofBiriyya, the settlement has been expanded to include the village site. In addition to the inhabited houses, four are semi-deserted or used for storage. Stones from destroyed houses can be found in some of the walls around the settlement. Many old almond, olive, fig, and eucalyptus trees are scattered throughout the site, mingled with trees that have been planted more recently."[5]
