Nuris نورِس Noori[1] | |
|---|---|
 TheJezreel Valley today | |
| Etymology: from personal name[2] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Nuris (click the buttons) | |
  Nuris Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°32′06″N35°21′49″E / 32.53500°N 35.36361°E /32.53500; 35.36361 | |
| Palestine grid | 184/215 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Jenin |
| Date of depopulation | May 29–30, 1948[5] |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,256dunams (6.256 km2; 2.415 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 570[3][4] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Secondary cause | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
Nuris (Arabic:نورِس) was aPalestinianArab village in theDistrict of Jenin. In 1945, Nuris had 570 inhabitants. It was depopulated during the1948 War on 29 May 1948 underOperation Gideon.[6] The Israeli moshav ofNurit was built on Nuris' village land in 1950.
Nuris was located in theJezreel Valley, 9 kilometers (5.6 mi) northeast ofJenin and southwest of theJezreel Valley railway. It was linked by dirt roads to the villages ofZir'in andAl-Mazar.[7]
There were several springs north of Nuris, most importantly the'Ain Jalut, one of the largest in Palestine.[7]
Remains from theBronze Age have been found here,[8] as has pottery from theByzantine era.[9]
Nuris was referred to by theCrusaders as "Nurith." Nearby, theMamluks defeated theMongols in theBattle of Ain Jalut (1260).[7]
In 1517, the village was included in theOttoman Empire with the rest ofPalestine. During the16th and17th centuries, it belonged to theTurabay Emirate (1517-1683), which encompassed also theJezreel Valley,Haifa,Jenin,Beit She'an Valley, northernJabal Nablus,Bilad al-Ruha/Ramot Menashe, and the northern part of theSharon plain.[10][11]
In the 1596tax-records Nuris appeared part of thenahiya (subdistrict) ofJenin under theliwa' (district) ofLajjun, with a population of 16 Muslim households; an estimated 88 persons. They paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on a number of products, includingwheat,barley,olives, andgoats andbeehives; a total of 7,500akçe.[12]
The village was captured and burned byNapoleon's troops, after theBattle of Mount Tabor in 1799.[13]Pierre Jacotin named the villageNoures on his map from that campaign.[14]
British travellerJames Silk Buckingham visited the site in the early 19th century.[1][7] Buckingham remarked that there were several other settlements in sight, "all inhabited byMohammedans."[1] In 1838Edward Robinson noted Nuris during his travels in the region,[15] located in the District of Jenin, also called "Haritheh esh-Shemaliyeh".[16]
In 1870/1871 (1288AH), an Ottoman census listed the village in thenahiya (sub-district) of Shafa al-Qibly.[17]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described the village as being small, situated on rocky ground, much hidden between the hills, about 600 ft (180 m) above a valley.[18]Nuris had an elementary school for boys, which was founded under the Ottomans in 1888, and a mosque. Some ancient ruins remained unexplored as of 1992.[7]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Nuris had a population of 364, all Muslims.[19]
Part of the area was acquired by the Jewish community as part of theSursock Purchase. In 1921, the village reportedly had 38tenant families, and 224 people out of a total population of 364 (1922 census) cultivated 5,500 dunums out of a village area of 27,018.[20] That year, theSursock family sold some of the village lands to thePalestine Land Development Company.[21]A group of 35 young Jews began to farm the land, which became the core ofKibbutzEin Harod.[22]
Some of the villagers of Nuris received monetary compensation and left the village.[20] Those who remained leased a block of land for a period of six years with the opportunity to purchase when the lease expired. They paid rental at 6% of the published sale offer on the land, but later, at the request of the farmers in Nuris, this was changed to one-fifth of the total yield in agricultural output of the land.[20] After the original six-year lease was up, reports in 1928 showed that no villagers had bought the land leased to them. The leases were extended for three years while the ownership was transferred to theJewish National Fund.[20] In 1921 the average farmer cultivated 24 dunums, by 1929 this had drastically reduced to 4.4, although the population grew significantly.[23]In the1931 census, Nuris had a population of 429 people and a recorded 106 houses were located in the village.[24]
In the1945 statistics, Nuris had 570 Muslim inhabitants[3] with 163 houses, although the area was much smaller than it had been before 1920, with an area of 6256 dunums. The inhabitants, were mainly employed in cereal farming, although some land was allocated to irrigation and growing olives.[4][7][25]
On 19 April 1948,Palmach headquarters ordered the destruction of "enemy bases atAl-Mazar, Nuris andZir'in".[6] Israeli historianBenny Morris notes that destroying the villages was "part and parcel" of the Haganah operations at this time, however, he also writes that Nuris was not finally depopulated until the end of May.[5][6]
Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel. Amoshav,Nurit, was established to the northwest of the village site in 1950.[26][27]Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi described the village in 1992: "The site, overgrown with pine and oak trees, is strewn with piles of stones. Part of the surrounding land is fenced in and is used as a grazing area, while another part is cultivated. Cactuses and olive and fig trees grow near the site."[26]
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