Dura | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | دورا |
| • Latin | Durrah (official) |
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 Municipal Seal of Dura | |
  Dura Location of Dura withinPalestine | |
| Coordinates:31°30′25″N35°01′40″E / 31.50694°N 35.02778°E /31.50694; 35.02778 | |
| Palestine grid | 152/101 |
| State |  State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Hebron |
| Government | |
| • Type | City (from 1967) |
| • Head of Municipality | Mr. Ahmad Salhoub |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
• Total | 39,336 |
| Name meaning | Dura (proper noun) fromHebrew אֲדוֹרַים Adoraim[2] |
Dura (Arabic:دورا) is aPalestinian city located eleven kilometers southwest ofHebron, in the southernWest Bank, in theHebron Governorate of theState of Palestine. According to thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 39,336 in 2017.[1] The current mayor is Ahmad Salhoub.
In 1517, Dura was incorporated into theOttoman Empire with the rest of Syria. In the late Ottoman and early Mandatory periods, Dura was the only permanent settlement in the southeastern ridge of the central highlands. Starting as a village and evolving into a town, it sprawled across large territories, becoming a center for influential families, collectively referred to as Abu-Darham.[3]
After theBritish Mandate, in the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli War, Dura came under Jordanian rule. Dura was established as amunicipality on January 1, 1967, five months before it came underIsraeli occupation after theSix-Day War. Since 1995, it has been governed by thePalestinian National Authority, as part ofArea A of the West Bank and as part of theHebron Governorate of theState of Palestine.
The present-day name ofDura has been identified with ancientAdoraim or theAdora of1 Macc.13.20[4][5][6][7] The village was originally built on two hills: Dura al-‘Amaira and Dura al-Arjan possibly reflectingdual grammatical number ofAdoraim name, which could also be a double village during antiquity.[8]
Ancientcisterns and fragments ofmosaics have been found at Dura.[9]
The settlement[which?] was mentioned in theAmarna letters as early as 14th century BC.[8][10] and in thePapyrus Anastasi I.[11]
A 1st century CE mansion, inhabited till theFirst Jewish–Roman War (66-73 CE), was partially excavated near Dura, at Khirbet Moraq. The house at the estate's center contained a bath and consisted of rooms surrounded by an open courtyard and fronted by colonnades. According to an inscription, the house belonged to a Jewish family. This distinctive "introverted" house plan design developed in the area during theHellenistic period.[12] The city retained its Jewish character until at least the end of theBar Kokhba revolt (135 CE).[13]
Mukaddasi, writing around 985 CE, noted that Palestine was famous for its vineyards and a type of raisin calledDūrī, said to be from Dura.[14]
In 1517, the village was incorporated into theOttoman Empire with the rest of Palestine. In 1596 it appeared in thetax registers as being in theNahiya ofKhalil of theLiwa ofQuds. It had a population of 49Muslim households. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33,3% on agricultural products, including on wheat, barley, olives, vines or fruit trees, and goats or beehives; a total of 10,000akçe.[15]
According to a study byWilliam F. Albright,Bedouins overran Dura in the 17th century. As a result, new families became the dominant ones, replacing its previous population.[16][17] Residents of several villages in theRamallah Governorate such asAt-Tira,Beit 'Anan,Beit Ur al-Fauqa, andDura al-Qar', trace their ancestry to Dura.[18]
During the late Ottoman and earlyMandatory periods, Dura stood as the sole permanent settlement in the southeastern ridge of the central highlands. Beginning as a village and evolving into a town, it expanded across extensive territories, becoming a battleground for influential families, collectively known as Abu-Darham, particularly the al-'Amr, Namura, Dudeen, and Hajji hamulas. These families, associated with the 'Amr and 'Arjan quarters, frequently quarreled for dominance. Some Abu-Darham families claimed non-native ancestry, having integrated into the village during the 18th century. Establishing alliances with Bedouin tribes proved advantageous. 'Abd al-Rahman al-'Amr, a prominent ruler, sought refuge among the Bedouin Tiaha tribe following his escape from a prison in Jerusalem after he revolted in the 1850s. This connection helped deter Bedouin incursions and facilitated peaceful territorial expansions for Dura.[19]
In 1834, Dura's inhabitants participated in anuprising against the EgyptianIbrahim Pasha, who took over the area between 1831 and 1840.WhenRobinson visited in 1838, he described Dura as one of the largest villages in the area, and the residence of theSheikhs ofIbn Omar, who had formerly ruled the area.[20]
In 1863 the French explorerVictor Guérin visited the place, and noted that "Fragments of ancientcolumns, and a good number of cut stones taken from old constructionsand built up in the Arab houses, show the antiquity of the place. Two barracks especially have been built in this way. Above the door of one, a block forming thelintel was once ornamented with mouldings, now very much mutilated. Close to the town is a celebratedwely in which lies a colossalsarcophagus, containing, it is said, the body ofNoah."[21]
An Ottoman village list from about 1870 found that Dura had a population of 420, in 144 houses, though the population count included men, only.[22][23] In 1877 LieutenantKitchener had some boys publicly flogged in Dura following an incident when stones were thrown at a member of thePalestine Exploration Fund survey party.[24]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described Dura as "A large and nourishing village on the flat slope of a hill, with open ground on the east for about a mile. This plain is cultivated with corn. To the north of Dura are a few olives, and others on the south. The houses are of stone. South of the village are twoMukams with white domes; and on the west, higher than the village, is the tomb of Neby Nuh (Prophet Noah). Near these there are rock-cut sepulchres. The place is well supplied from three springs on the east and one on the south."[25]
In 1921, a violent conflict took place between Dura and the nearby town ofAd-Dhahiriya. It was resolved through the imposition of a hefty fine of 20,000 Egyptian pounds on the "brigands" of Dura.[26]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Dura was divided into Dura al-‘Amaira, with 2,565 inhabitants, and Dura al-Arjan, with 3,269 inhabitants; a total of 5,834, all Muslims.[27] The report of the1931 census wrote that "the village in the Hebron sub-district commonly known as Dura is a congeries of neighbouring localities each of which has a distinctive name; and, while Dura is a remarkable example of neighbourly agglutination, the phenomenon is not infrequent in other villages". The total of 70 locations listed in the report had 1538 inhabited houses and a population of 7255 Muslims.[28]
In the1945 statistics the population of Dura was 9,700, all Muslims,[29] who owned 240,704dunams of land according to an official land and population survey.[30] 3,917 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 90,637 for cereals,[31] while 226 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[32] Dura village lands covered in this period an estimated 240 square kilometres (93 sq mi), which included 99 ruined settlement sites.[33]
In the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the1949 Armistice Agreements, Dura came underJordanian rule.
In 1961, the population of Dura was 3,852.[34]
Since theSix-Day War in 1967, Dura has been underIsraeli occupation. The population in the 1967 census conducted by the Israeli authorities was 4,954.[35]
Themunicipality of Dura was established on January 1, 1967, five months before it was occupied by Israel during theSix-Day War.
After thePalestinian National Authority wasceded control of the town in 1995, a local committee was set up to prevent land confiscation from the town and the municipal council was expanded. Many Palestinian ministries and governmental institutions opened offices in Dura, enhancing its role in Palestinian politics.
In 1999, Israeli PMEhud Barak proposed constructing a bridge linkingBeit Hanoun and Dura, in order to connect the West Bank with the Gaza Strip.[36]
In 2011 the Dura International Stadium was renovated. It can hold up to 18,000 spectators and hosts national and international games.[37]
The Dura Municipal Rehabilitation Center assists Palestinian Authority residents with special needs and developmental disabilities. Occupational therapy, visual rehabilitation for the seeing impaired, and outreach program are some of the services offered.[38]
Dura has a public library, swimming pool, and a park which includes a children's theater.[citation needed]
In June 2014, during the search to findthree kidnapped boys, 150 Israeli soldiers stormed Dura's Haninia neighbourhood in a dawn raid to detain a person, and were met by young men and boys throwing rocks. An Israeli soldier shot and killed a teenager who was among therock throwers, 13[39] or 15-year-old Mohammed Dudeen.[40][41][42]
The Israeli settlement ofAdora, Har Hevron is located 4 kilometers north of the town in theJudaean Mountains[43] and has 515 inhabitants.[44] The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bankillegal under international law,[45] but the Israeli government dispute this. The settlement community falls under the jurisdiction of Har Hebron Regional Council.[46]
Dura is home to several clan, such as Al Swaty, Al 'Amayra, Amro, Al Sharha, Al Darweash, Al Maslamea', Al Darbeai', and Al Awawda'.[47] The Al 'Amayra (or 'Amr) clan, with families like Haji and Muhammad, has long-standing roots in Dura. They owned lands in the area and allowed migrant families to cultivate and utilized some lands as tenants.[48]
According to one account, the Maslamea' family came fromBeit Jala.[48]
Another important clan in Dura is the Rajoub clan, with well-known figures likeJibril Rajoub. About 6,000 people make up this clan,[49] and they also live in nearby offshoot villages of Dura, includingal-Kum, Beit Maqdum, Humsa and Ikrisa.[48] Based on one family member's account, the Rajoub family's oral tradition links their roots to aYemenite Jew who converted to Islam centuries ago.[49]
The climate of Dura is dry in the summers and experiences moderate precipitation during winter. Average annual precipitation depend on specific geographic locations within the town. The area of Dahr Alhadaba receives an annual average of 400–600 mm of rain, southern slopes 300–400 mm and the northern region of the Dura hills 250–300.
A local Palestinian legend has it that the patriarchNoah, in Islamic tradition called "(Nabi) Nūh", was buried in Dura,[50] and a shrine there commemorates this tradition.[51]
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