al-Qubayba القبيبة Qubeiba | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: The little (eastern) dome[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-Qubayba, Hebron (click the buttons) | |
  al-Qubayba Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°34′20″N34°51′16″E / 31.57222°N 34.85444°E /31.57222; 34.85444 | |
| Palestine grid | 136/108 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Hebron |
| Date of depopulation | 28 October 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 11,912 dunams (11.912 km2 or 4.599 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 1,060[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Lakhish |
Al-Qubayba (Arabic:القبيبة, قبيبة ابن عوّاد), also known asGbebah,Qubeiba orQobebet Ibn 'Awwad,[5] was aPalestinian village, located 24 kilometers northwest ofHebron.
The eponym of the village, "Ibn 'Awwad" or "Ibn 'Awadh", was named after the clan residing therein.[6][7]
Known inCrusader times asDeirelcobebe, the ruins of the ancientCanaanite andJudean city ofLachish lay adjacent to the village,[8][9][10] which was subject to extensivearchaeological excavations by theBritish Mandatory authorities inPalestine, and byIsraeli authorities subsequent to its capture during the1948 Arab-Israeli war.[11]
In 1136 the King of Jerusalem, Fulk confirmedDeirelcobebe as acasale under theKnights Hospitallers.[12][13]
In 1517, Al-Qubayba was incorporated into theOttoman Empire with the rest of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in thetax registers as being in thenahiya (subdistrict) ofGaza under theliwa' (district) ofGaza. It had a population of 33Muslim household, an estimated 182 persons. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25 % on agricultural products, includingwheat,barley,sesame, and fruit trees, as well as goats and beehives; a total of 4,600akçe. 11/24 of the revenue went to aWaqf.[14][15]
In 1838Edward Robinson noted 200reapers andgleaners at work in a field near Al-Qubayba (which he calledKubeibeh). He added: "Some were taking their refreshment, and offered us some of their "parched corn." In the season of harvest, the grains of wheat, not yet fully dry and hard, are roasted in a pan or an iron plate, and constitute a very palliative article of bread; this is eaten along with bread, or instead of it."[16] Robinson further notedKubeibeh as a Muslim village, in the Gaza district.[17]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described Al-Qubayba as a large village built of adobe brick, situated on rolling hills near a plain, surrounded by a barren and stony area.[15][18]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Al-Qubaiba had a population of 646, all Muslims,[19] increasing in the1931 census to 800, still all Muslim, in a total of 141 houses.[20]
The village had a school, amosque, and a number of small shops. Twowells located northwest and southwest of it provided drinking water.[15]
In the1945 statistics the population of Al-Qubayba was 1,060, all Muslims,[2] who owned 11,912dunams of land according to an official land and population survey.[3] 8109 dunams were for cereals[21] while 35 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[22]
Al-Qubayba was in the territory allotted to the Arab state under the 1947UN Partition Plan.[23]
The village was first attacked duringOperation Barak. Though defended byEgyptian forces, al-Qubayba was taken by Israeli forces in the final stages ofOperation Yoav on 28 October 1948. The population had fled and the village was destroyed.
The area was subsequently incorporated into theState of Israel and in 1955 themoshav ofLakhish was established to the southwest of the village site on what had been village lands.[24]
Of the villagemosque, an elementary school, and more than 141 houses that made up al-Qubayba,Walid Khalidi notes that all that remains to mark the site in contemporary times are cacti and a handful ofolive trees.[11]
The inhabitants of the village mostly grew cereals; wheat and barley were grown by the well off, and corn by the rest. The village mostly bartered with surrounding villages such asAl-Dawayima andBeit Gibrin, most of the cereals harvest was used to sustain sheep herds, from where in most of the village income is derived.[6]
A woman'sthob (loose fitting robe with sleeves), from Qubeiba dated to about 1910 forms part of theMuseum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) collection atSanta Fe. The dress is a collage of different fabrics, textures and colors. The front and the upper half of the back are of blackcotton. The chest panel, the side panels and the lower back of the skirt are handwovenindigolinen. Colorfulsilkcross-stitchembroidery, in red, violet, orange, yellow, green and black, create an effect described as "particularly gay, twinkling"[8] Theqabbeh (square chest panel) is embroidered with thequrunful ("clove") motif, and it has vertical rows of eight-pointed stars, calledqamr ("moons"), and a row of themushut ("combs") pattern. There are eight embroidered columns on each side panel of the dress. The patterns which are used arefanajin qahweh ("coffee cups"),khem-el-basha ("the pashas tent"),irq el-ward ("rose branch"), andmiftah Khalil ("key of Hebron"). There is also a pattern (with flowers, moons, trees, tents and tiles) not seen anywhere else in the MOMA collection. Finally, there is also some embroidery at the wrists.[8]
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