Dayr Nakhkhas

Dayr Nakhkhas
Dayr Nakhkhas
Arabic	دير النخّاس
Name Meaning	"monastery of the cattle drover"
Also Spelled	Deir Nakhkhas, Deir Nakh-khas, Deir Nakhas
District	Hebron
Coordinates	31°36′56.45″N 34°55′18.20″E / 31.6156806°N 34.921722°E / 31.6156806; 34.921722Coordinates: 31°36′56.45″N 34°55′18.20″E / 31.6156806°N 34.921722°E / 31.6156806; 34.921722
Population	600[1] (1945)
Area	14,476[1] dunums
Date of depopulation	October 29, 1948[2]
Cause(s) of depopulation	Military assault by Yishuv forces

Dayr Nakhkhas (Arabic: دير النخّاس‎, Deir Nakh-khâs) was a Palestinian Arab village located 20 km northwest of Hebron, overlooking Wadi Bayt Jibrin to the north.^[3]

Location

Dayr Nakkhas was situated on the road to Hebron about two miles east of Bayt Jibrin.^[4] Perched on a hill, an open corn valley lay below the village.^[5] Located in an area rich in archaeological sites, in the land area that belonged to the village, there were some 15 sites, including the village itself (which was built on an earlier ancient site).^[3]

History

In a 1596 census for the Ottoman Empire, it is recorded that Dayr Nakhkhas was part of nahiya (subdistrict) of Halil [i.e. al-Khalil, or Hebron], under the liwa' (district) of Jerusalem, with a population of 72. The inhabitants paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, olives, as well as on goats and beehives.^[6]

In The Survey of Western Palestine (1838), the name of the village is transcribed, "Deir Nakhkhâs", and translated as, "the monastery of the cattle drover."^[7] In 1881, it is described as; "A very small village perched on a high, steep hill, looking down on the valley to the north.^[3][8] "This is possibly Ir-Nahash (i Chronicles iv. 12)."^[8] It is also said to contain, "A ruined birkeh and a cave with 250 niches."^[9]

The village was rectangular in layout, with houses built of stone, expanding along and towards the road linking it to Hebron.^[3] The villagers were Muslim, and the children attended schools in the neighbouring villages.^[3]

By 1945, the population was recorded at 600.^[1][3] In the 1944/45 growing season, a total of 4,887 dunums of village land was planted in cereals; 362 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.^[3][10]

1948, and aftermath

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Dayr Nakhkhas was defended by the Egyptian Army. The village was depopulated as a result of a military assault by Israeli forces on October 29, 1948.^[2]

There are no Israeli settlements on village land. Nehusha is about 3 km due west on the land of Umm Burj.^[3]

The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the village land in 1992: "Nothing remains of the village except a few deserted houses and the rubble of others. One deserted house is made of concrete and has rectangular windows and a flat roof. It is marked with Arabis graffiti and stands in the midst of tall wild grasses and weeds. There is a fenced-in cave. The surrounding land is cultivated by Israeli farmers."^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Hadawi, 1970, p. 50. Also gives land area in dunams.
2. ^ ^{a b} Morris, 2004 p. xix, village #325. Also gives cause of depopulation.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Khalidi, 1992, p. 217.
4. ^ Alexander and Kitto, 1864, p. 407.
5. ^ Conder, 2002,p. 149.
6. ^ Hütteroth, Wolf-Dieter and Kamal Abdulfattah (1977), Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. p. 123. Quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p. 217
7. ^ Palestine Exploration Fund and Stewardson, 1838, p. 92.
8. ^ ^{a b} Conder, Claude Reignier and H.H. Kitchener: The Survey of Western Palestine. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, 1881, III, p.258
9. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, p. 275.
10. ^ Hadawi, 1970, p.93

Bibliography

• William Lindsay Alexander, John Kitto, ed. A cyclopædia of biblical literature (3rd ed.). 1864. 
• Conder, Claude Reignier and H.H. Kitchener (1881): The Survey of Western Palestine: memoirs of the topography, orography, hydrography, and archaeology. London:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. vol 3
• Conder, Claude Reignier (2002). Tent Work in Palestine: A Record of Discovery and Adventure. Adamant Media Corporation. ISBN 1402189869, 9781402189869. 
• Hadawi, Sami (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center. http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html. 
• Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. ISBN 0-88728-224-5. 
• Morris, Benny (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521009676. http://books.google.com/?id=uM_kFX6edX8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=benny+morris&q. 
• Palestine Exploration Fund; Stewardson, Henry C. (1838). The survey of western Palestine: A general index to 1. The memoirs, vols. I.-III.; 2. The special papers; 3. The Jerusalem volume; 4. The flora and fauna of Palestine; 5. The geological survey; and to The Arabic and English name lists. Printed for the Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund by Harrison & sons. 

External links

• Welcome To Dayr Nakhkhas
• Dayr Nakhas from the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center