Zir'in زرعين Zer'en | |
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 The Tower House of Zir'in, byFelix Bonfils, before 1885. | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Zir'in (click the buttons) | |
  Zir'in Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°33′27″N35°19′40″E / 32.55750°N 35.32778°E /32.55750; 35.32778 | |
| Palestine grid | 181/218 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Jenin |
| Date of depopulation | May 28, 1948[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 23,920dunams (23.92 km2; 9.24 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 1,420 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Yizre'el,[2]Avital[2] |
Zir'in (Arabic:زرعين), also spelledZerin andZerein, was aPalestinian Arab village of over 1,400 in theJezreel Valley, located 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) north ofJenin. Identified as the ancient town ofYizre'el (Jezreel), it was known as Zir'in during Islamic rule, and was near the site of theBattle of Ain Jalut, in which theMamluks haltedMongol expansion southward. Under the Ottomans, it was a small village, expanding during the British Mandate in the early 20th century. After its capture byIsrael in 1948, Zir'in was destroyed. The Israeli kibbutz ofYizre'el was established shortly after on the village lands of Zir'in.
Derived from a common Canaanite root meaning to "sow", Yizre'el translates inHebrew as "God give seed" and its Arabic name "Zir'in" has a similar connotation.[3]
TheCrusaders referred to it as "le Petit Gerin" or "the Little Jenin" to distinguish it fromJenin, which they called "le Grand Gerin".[3] In Latin literature of the time it was called "Gezrael", "Iezrael", "Parvum Gerinum" or "Zarain".[4]
Zir'in is identified with the Canaanite[3] andIsraelite town ofYizre'el (or Jezreel) mentioned in theBible, when it was a major royal fortress of theKingdom of Israel. The site has been extensively excavated by variousarchaeologists, includingNorma Franklin.[5]
A vaulted building and other structures remain from a castle that belonged to theTemplars by the 1180s.[4] During theBattle of al-Fule,Saladin has sent skirmishers to raid then Crusader-held Zir'in in October 1183.[6] In September 1184, Saladin and hisAyyubid forces passed through the village on their way toNablus.[6]
After theMamluks took control of the area in the late 13th century, the Mamluk sultanZahir Baybars defeated theMongols in theBattle of Ain Jalut in 1260, at a site just west of Zir'in. After the battle, Baybars ordered the renovation of the villagemosque.[3] During the Mamluk period the village was one of the stops on thepostal route between Jenin andIrbid.[7]
In 1517, Zir'in was incorporated into theOttoman Empire along 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.[8][9]
In 1596 Zir'in was a part of thenahiya ("subdistrict") of Jinin, a part ofSanjak Lajjun. A village of 4Muslim households, it paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on wheat, barley, beehives, and goats; a total of 5,000akçe.[10] In the 17th and 18th centuries the village was most likely under the control of theTurabay, an Arab tribe that ruled part of northern Palestine on behalf of the Ottomans at the time.[11] In 1799,Pierre Jacotin named the villageZezin on his map from theFrench campaign in Egypt and Syria.[12]
In 1838,Edward Robinson said Zir'in contained about 20 houses.[13]
In 1870/1871 (1288AH), an Ottoman census listed the village in thenahiya (sub-district) of Shafa al-Qibly.[14]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine found Zir'in as consisting of about thirty houses, with the most prominent family living in a tall, tower-like house in the village center. A spring and well supplied Zir'in with water.[15] The Ottomans founded a boys' school in the village.[3]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Zir'in had a population of 727; 723 Muslims and 4 Christians,[16] all 4 Christians were Orthodox.[17] In the1931 census this had increased to a population of 978 persons; 975 Muslims and 3 Christians, in 239 inhabited houses.[18]
In the early 20th century, Zir'in was the birthplace of Mahmud Salim, a leader of the1936-39 revolt in Palestine. The majority of the village's houses were constructed of mud and were clustered together, but house building and renovation also expanded. The commercial center of Zir'in consisted of the Mosque of Baybars, a marketplace, and the Ottoman school. Residents mainly cultivated grains, fruits, and vegetables.[3]
In the1945 statistics, the population was 1,420, all Muslims,[19] with a total of 23,920 dunams of land.[20] In 1944/45 a total of 22,595 dunums of village land was allocated tocereals,[21] while 81 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.[22]
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Prior to the1948 Arab-Israeli War, in March 1948, Zir'in's defenders, theArab Liberation Army (ALA), reported that theHaganah had attempted several times to capture the village, but their assaults were suspended for ten days after heavy losses.[3] On April 19, Zir'in was briefly captured, and most of the village houses were ordered destroyed, while the remainder were to be used to accommodate Jewish troops.[23]
Controlled by the ALA, Zir'in was located in a strategic commanding position overlooking the towns ofAfula and Baysan. The fear of Iraqi forces fromGesher in the east and Jenin in the south to form a "spearhead" and capture the Baysan and Jezreel valleys convinced the Jews to take Zir'in. After a mortar barrage to soften its defense, the village was captured on May 28 by the Thirteenth Battalion of theGolani Brigade with "little resistance".[24] Women and children fled weeks prior to its capture,[25] and after word had spread of its capture, the residents of nearbyNuris andal-Mazar also abandoned their villages. The ALA unsuccessfully attempted to recapture Zir'in two days later.[24]
On July 10, theIraqi Army based in Jenin, intended to recapture the village, but were unable to break through Israeli lines, followed by another unsuccessful attempt on July 19, after the second truce of the war. The final armistice line was drawn just to the south of Zir'in.[2]
Following the war, the area was incorporated into the State ofIsrael. Thekibbutz ofYizre'el was established on the northwestern side of Zir'in in August 1948.[2]
In the 19th century this was described as the Castle of Zir'in, which was used as aninn (manzil) for travellers.[26] A representative for the Palestine Antiquities Museum (PAM), Mr Husseini, visited Zir'in in 1941, and noted: "S-E. of Church in a lane a part of a wall about 8m. long with two roughcourses of masonry...S. within house of Abdul Karim Abdul Hadi in an open yard more building foundations are visible to N. two medieval vaults known as el-Uqud."[27]Denys Pringle believes the vaults are part of the destroyed Crusader castle,[4] but according to Petersen, they could equally well be from Mamluk times.[27] Petersen, who inspected the place in 1994, notes that the appearance of the building indicate that it was constructed over a long period of time.[27]
Situated on a plateau off theMount Gilboa, Zir'in was not much higher than the surroundingJezreel Valley at its southern and western sides, with an average elevation of 100 meters (330 ft) above sea level. To the north and east was Wadi al-Jalut. Located 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) north of Jenin, it was the northernmost locality in the Jenin District, and alongside a lateral road linking two highways; one towards Jenin, the other towardsBaysan.[3]
Nearby localities included Nuris to the southeast,Sandala to the south,Zububa to the southwest,Sulam to the north, andQumya to the northeast.[28] In 1945, it consisted of 23,920 dunams.[20] The majority of the village lands (20,964 dunams) were allocated for cereals,[21] while the built-up area of Zir'in consisted of 81 dunams.[22]
Zir'in had a population of 22 in 1596 according to Ottoman records.[10] In 1922, a British Mandate survey recorded a population of 722,[29] rising to 978 in the 1931 census.[3] According toSami Hadawi's population survey, Zir'in had a population of 1,420,[20] an increase of roughly 1.5% since 1931. All of the inhabitants wereMuslims.[3]Refugees from Zir'in and their descendants numbered 10,116 in 1998.[29]
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