Al-Barriyya البريّة | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: The desert[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Barriyya (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Barriyya Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°53′17″N34°55′6″E / 31.88806°N 34.91833°E /31.88806; 34.91833 | |
| Palestine grid | 142/144 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Date of depopulation | July 10–13, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,831 dunams (2.831 km2 or 1.093 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 510[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Azarya,[5][6]Beyt Chashmonay[6] |
Al-Barriyya was aPalestinian village in theRamle Subdistrict ofMandatory Palestine. It was depopulated during the1948 Arab–Israeli War on July 10, 1948, as part ofOperation Dani. It was located 5.5 km southeast ofRamla, on the eastern bank of Wadi al-Barriyya.
The area of the destroyed village has been overbuilt byBeit Hashmonai.
TheSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted in 1882 that: "The name Barriyeh, 'Desert,' applied to a village, is explained by the inhabitants to be due to their ancestors having about 50 years ago lived inAbu Shusheh, whence they were expelled by the other villagers, and had to settle in the 'Desert,' or 'Outer Part.' They own most of the gardens of Abu Shusheh at the present day. This information is obtained from Mr. Bergheim."[7] While the name is recorded already in the 16th century, the literal etymology of "desert, outer part' is confirmed by moderncomparative linguistics.[8]
In 1860, Saintine described it as a "modern village", without any antiquities.[9] In 1863Victor Guérin noted that the village was situated on a low eminence, and "the few houses which compose it consist of roughly constructed huts."[10]
An officialOttoman village list of about 1870 showed that it had a total of 20 houses and a population of 72, though the population count included men, only.[11][12]
In 1882,PEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described as a smalladobehamlet, surrounded by cultivated land.[13]
After the end ofWorld War I, theOttoman Empire was partitioned and aPalestine mandate was accorded toBritain by theLeague of Nations. In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Bariyeh had a population of 295 residents; allMuslims,[14] increasing in the1931 census to 388, still all Muslims, in a total of 86 houses.[15]
In the1945 statistics, the village had a population of 510 Muslims[2] with total of 2,831 dunums of land.[3] Of this, 51 dunums of land were used for plantations and irrigable land, 2,627 dunums were used for cereals,[16] while 55 dunams were classified as built-up public areas.[17]
The village was depopulated on July 10–13, 1948, after military assault byIsraeli forces, as part ofOperation Dani.[4]
The Israeli settlements ofAzarya andBeyt Chashmonay was constructed on village land.[6]
In 1992 the village site was described: "The village site is mostly cleared and has been leveled except for one remaining stone house and fragments of the walls of two concrete houses with steel bars protruding from them".[6]
