al-Bireh | |
|---|---|
| Ither transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | البيرة |
| • An aa spelled | al-Bira (unofficial) |
 Municipal Seal o Al-Bireh | |
| Govrenorate | Ramallah & al-Bireh |
| Govrenment | |
| • Teep | Ceety |
| • Heid o Municipality | Umar Hammayil |
| Area | |
| • Jurisdiction | 22.4 km2 (8.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 38,802 |
| Name meanin | "The Water Well" |
| Website | www.al-bireh.org |
al-Bireh orel-Bira (Arabic:البيرة) is aPalestinian ceety adjacent taeRamallah in the centralWast Bank, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north oJerusalem. It is situatit on the central ridge runnin through the Wast Bank an is 860 metres (2,820 ft) abuin sea level, coverin an aurie o 22.4 square kilometres (8.6 sq mi). Its name means “Water Well,” an is believed tae be derived frae the biblical Beeroth.
Acause o its location al-Bireh served as an economic crossroad atween the north an sooth, alang the caravan route atween Jerusalem anNablus. Accordin tae thePalestinian Central Bureau o Statistics (PCBS), the toun haed a population o approximately 39,538 inhabitants in mid-year 2006.[1]
Al-Bireh haes been identifeed as the BiblicalBe'eroth. It belangit tae the JewishTribe o Benjamin. It is mentioned biSaunt Jerome who describit it as "a lairge veelage on the way taeEmmaus (Imwas), 7 miles frae Jerusalem."[2]
TheCrusaders captured an namit the toun Birra. They built a castle, kirk an hospice there. The latter twa biggins wur built bi theTemplars in 1146 an belangit tae theKirk o the Holy Sepulchre. TheAyyubids unnerSaladin drove away the Crusaders frae Birra when they reconquered interior Palestine after theBattle o Hittin in 1187, an completely demolished the toun.Yaqut al-Hamawi mentions seein the ruins a few times durin his travels in the aurie. Nearin the end o Ayyubid rule, in 1280, the modren toun o al-Bireh wis an inhabitit veelage. The Ayyubids built amosque in the town dedicated taeUmar adjacent tae the kirk ruins.[2]
Till 1917, the ceety served as a poleetical an admeenistrative centre for theOttoman Empire. On 6 Juin 1967, Israeli troops teuk control o the ceety durin theSax-Day War. In 1994, the ceevil admeenistration o the ceety wis turned ower tae thePalestinian Naitional Authority unner theOslo Accords. Al-Bireh is the seicont lairgest centre o Palestinian admeenistration efter Gaza. Besides the govrenor’s heidquarters, it an aw hosts a considerable number o govrenmental, non-govrenmental, an private organisations, includin the Meenistries o Transportation, Supply,Information, Public Wirks an Heicher Education, as well as the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation an the Palestinian Central Bureau o Statistics.[3] Due tae its proximity wi Ramallah, the touns form a singleconstituency for elections tae the Palestinian Naitional Authority.
In a 1922 survey bi theBreetish Mandate, al-Bireh haed a population o 1,479, risin tae 2,292 inhabitants in the 1931 census.[4] In a 1945 land an population survey biSami Hadawi, the town's residents numbered 2,920.[5]
The 1997 census carriet oot bi the Palestinian Central Bureau o Statistics coontit 27,856 residents, o which the gender distribution wis exactly hauf male an hauf female.[6] The majority o the inhabitants wurPalestinian refugees who made up 55.4% o the total population.[7] Accordin tae the PCBS, in mid-year 2006, al-Bireh haed a population o 39,538 inhabitants.[1] In the 2007 PCBS census, there wur 38,202 fowk livin in the ceety.[8]
The vast majority o the day's al-Bireh non-refugee inhabitants descend frae the auncient Palestinian-Canaanites who mixed wi Arabs frae the Bani Umar tribe when they came tae Palestine in late 16t-century.
Al-Bireh is inhabitit bi five majorclans: Abed, Quraan, Hamayyel, Tawil, an Karakrah. Rafidi, aChristian family, was accepted into the Tawil clan.
Al-Bireh established a ceety cooncil heidit bi mayor Eid Musa in 1928 unner the Breetish Mandate. Aicht ither mayors teuk office either through elections or govrenment appointments follaein Musa, till 1982, whenIsrael dissolved the cooncil. They replaced it wi the Ceevil Admeenistration o Al-Bireh led bi an Israeli officer. In 1986, Israel appointit a temporary cooncil, but themunicipal cooncil wis established in 1996 bi thePalestinian Naitional Authority (PNA) an consistit o 12 members wi Sheikh Jamal al-Tawil as mayor.[9]
In thePalestinian municipal elections, 2005 theHamas-backed Reform an Chynge Leet wan 9 o the 15 seats, while independent leets wan the remainin 6.[10] The current an electit mayor isUmar Hammayil.
Al-Bireh, locatit inArea A, is unner the complete control o the PNA.
The the 7,000-seat Majed Ass'ad or Al Bireh International Stadium wis completit in 2010; oreeginally constructit in 1996, it wis upgradit tae internaitional staundarts frae 2006 tae 2010 at a cost o €3 million.[11] The wirk wis fundit bi Fraunce, the German Development Bank, the UN Development Agency, an FIFA.[12] Construction wis haltit bi the Israeli Supreme Planning Council on November 1, 2009, but resumit in late December.[13] ThePsagot settlement an the advocacy group Regavim petitioned the Heich Court o Justice tae order the stadium's demolition on November 2, citin concerns that "10,000 inflamed Palestinians wad rise up efter a soccer gemme" an throw stanes at Psagot.[14]
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