Tall al-Shawk تل الشوك Tall al Shauk[1] | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: the mound of thorns[2] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Tall al-Shawk (click the buttons) | |
  Tall al-Shawk Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°29′49″N35°27′43″E / 32.49694°N 35.46194°E /32.49694; 35.46194 | |
| Palestine grid | 193/211 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Baysan |
| Date of depopulation | May 12, 1948[1] |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 120[3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Influence of nearby town's fall |
Tall al-Shawk (Arabic:تل الشوك), was aPalestinian village in theDistrict of Baysan. It was depopulated by theIsrael Defense Forces during the1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 12, 1948, as part ofOperation Gideon. It was located five km west ofBaysan between the al-Januna'in River to the north and Wadi al-Jawsaq to the south. The village was built above an ancient archeological site and granite columns remain.
In 1882 thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the southernTell ash Shok as "an artificial earthen mound, with water on either side".[4]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theMandatory Palestine authorities, Tall al-Shawk had a population of 58 Muslims,[5]decreasing in the1931 census to a population of 41 Muslims in 11 houses.[6]
In the1945 statistics, the village had a population of 120 Muslims,[3] while the total land area was 3,685dunams.[7] Of this, Arabs used 14 dunums for plantations and irrigable land, 33 for cereals,[8] while 18 dunums were classified as non-cultivable land.[9]
Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel and the village's land was left undeveloped. In 1992, no traces of the village site remained, and the site was covered with weeds and thorns.[10]
