Bayt Jibrin

Infobox Former Arab villages in Palestine
name=Bayt Jibrin

---

imgsize=250
caption=Ruins of Bayt Jibrin in 2005
arname=بيت جبرين
meaning=
altSp=Beit Jibrin, Beit Guvrin, Beth Giblin
district=hb
population=2,430
popyear=1945
area=56,185
areakm=56.2
date=October 29, 1948 [Benny Morris (2004): "The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited", ISBN 0521009677, p. xix, village #322. Also gives the cause of depopulation as Military assault on settlement.]
cause=M
curlocl=Beit Guvrin (kibbutz)Morris, (2004), p. xxii, settlement #166.]

Bayt Jibrin ( _ar. بيت جبرين, also Beit Jibrin) was a Palestinian Arab village located km to mi|21 northwest of the city of Hebron. In the last census of Palestine in 1945, the population was 2,430. The village had a total land area of 56,185 dunams or convert|56.1|km2|acre|abbr=on|lk=on, of which convert|0.28|km2|acre|abbr=on were built-up while the rest remained farmland.

The early inhabitants of Bayt Jibrin are believed to have been the Canaanites. The Romans conquered the town after the First Jewish-Roman War and it became a Roman colony and a major administrative center under the name of Eleutheropolis. In the early 7th century, Bayt Jibrin was conquered by Muslim forces led by 'Amr ibn al-'As. Under the Crusaders, who captured the city in the 11th century, the town declined economically, but prospered after its capture by the Mamluks. It fell to the Ottoman Turks centuries later and afterwards taxes were implemented on the town's goods. In the 19th century, the al-'Azza family took control of Bayt Jibrin and unsuccessfully attempted to rebel against the Ottomans, ending in the exile and execution of local leaders.

Under the British Mandate of Palestine, Bayt Jibrin again served as a district center for surrounding villages. In the 1947 UN Partition Plan, it was designated as part of the Arab state, but was captured by Israeli forces during the 1948 War, causing its inhabitants to flee east. Today, many of these refugees and their descendants live in the 'Azza and Fawwar camps in the southern West Bank. The kibbutz of Beit Guvrin was established on Bayt Jibrin's lands in 1949.

Etymology

Bayt Jibrin has been renamed over the centuries by those who fought for control of the region. The city's Aramaic name is "'Beth Gabra" which translates as the "house of [strong] men".Sharon, 1997, p.109] According to some sources, prior to the Roman conquest, the town was known as "Betaris". In his account of the Jewish revolt in 68 CE, the Roman Jewish historian Josephus called it "Betaris", describing it as one of two villages taken by the Romans "right in the heart of Idumea." ["The Jewish Wars" Josephus Flavius IV:447] [Robinson, Edward & Smith, Eli (1856) J. Murray. p. 67] The Egyptian-Roman geographer Ptolemy referred to it as "Baitogabra". [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MqQAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=Baitogabra&source=web&ots=LmEtGl0oij&sig=t4SKtSRa_82ZXFZj-OPu8kUya54&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result The Protestant Theological and Ecclesiastical Encyclopedia] (1860) By John Henry Augustus Bomberger, Johann Jakob Herzog p 178] The Romans gave it a Greek name, "Eleutheropolis", meaning “City of the Free". [ [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zYwojXLxSQMC&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&dq=Eleutheropolis&source=web&ots=tgtQv-KShi&sig=xzBIMbZDoOJ-7lJU3vpYer2RuKM&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result Biblical Researches in Palestine and the Adjacent Regions: A Journal of ...] Edward Robinson, Eli Smith] [ [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Eleutheropolis 1911 encyclopedia.org] ] In the Peutinger Tables in 393 CE, Bayt Jibrin was called "Beitogabri". In the 3rd-4th century Talmud, it was known as Beit Gubrin (or Guvrin).

To the Crusaders, it was known as "Bethgibelin" or "Gibelin".Jean Richard (1921) "The Crusaders c1071-c1291" reprinted 2001 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-62566-1 p. 140] "The Guide to Israel", Zev Vilnay, Hamakor Press, Jerusalem 1972, p.276] Another name in medieval times may have been "Beit Jibril", meaning "house of Gabriel". In Arabic, "Bayt Jibrin" or "Jubrin" (بيت جبرين) means "house of the powerful", [Khalidi, 1992, p. 209-210.] reflecting its original Aramaic name. and the town was probably called Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibril throughout its rule by various Islamic dynasties.

History

Antiquity

Local folklore tells that the city now known as Bayt Jibrin was first inhabited by Canaanites, a people said to be descended from giants. [Nashashibi, Rami. (1997). [http://alcor.concordia.ca/~pal/History/Villages/[e-mail] Bayt Jibrin Before 1948] Center for Research and Documentation of Palestinian Society, Birzeit University.] Bayt Jibrin was originally a suburb of the ancient city of Maresha — a city of Judah. When Maresha was destroyed by the Parthians in 40 BCE, its inhabitants fled mi to km|2 north to Beit Guvrin, [http://www.bibleplaces.com/bethguvrin.htm Beth Guvrin (Maresha)] Bibleplaces.] a densely-populated Jewish settlement until the Bar-Kokhba revolt in 132-135 CE, when it was conquered by the Romans. [http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1484/ WHC.UNESCO.org] ] The Roman emperor Septimus Severus renamed it Eleutheropolis ("City of the Free") and granted it municipal status. Eleutheropolis, which covered an area of convert|65|ha|acre (larger than Jerusalem at the time), flourished under the Romans , who built public buildings, military installations, aqueducts and a large amphitheater. It was described as one of Palestine's five "Cities of Excellence" by 4th century Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus. [http://198.62.75.1/www1/ofm/mad/articles/KlonerEleutheropolis.html The City of Eleutheropolis] Kloner, Amos. Studium Biblicum Franciscanum - Jerusalem. 2000-12-16.] Eleutheropolis encompassed the districts of Bethletepha, western Edom and Hebron up to Ein Gedi, and included over 100 villages. ["Encyclopedia Judaica," Bet Guvrin, p.731, Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972]

In the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, Christianity penetrated the city due to its location on the route between Jerusalem and Gaza. The city's first bishop, Justus, was one of the 70 Disciples. In 325 CE, Eleutheropolis became the seat of Bishop Macrinus, who was present at the First Council of Nicaea. Beit Guvrin is mentioned in the Talmud in the 3rd and 4th centuries, indicating a revival of the Jewish community around that time. The tanna Judah b. Jacob and the amora Jonathan (referred to in the Talmud as "Yonatan me-Bet Guvrin" or Jonathan of Bet Guvrin) were residents of the city. The Talmudic region known as Darom was within the area of Eleutheropolis ("Beit Guvrin"). [Encyclopedia Judaica, Bet Guvrin, p.731, Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1978]

The Muslim historian al-Biladhuri mentions Bayt Jibrin (it was renamed such after its conquest by the Arabs) as one of ten towns in "Jund Filastin" conquered by the Rashidun army led by 'Amr ibn al-'As in the early 7th century. Al-Biladhuri furthermore writes that ibn al-'As enclosed a domain to Bayt Jibrin, to which he gave the name ´Ajlun, after one of his freemen. [The conquered towns included "Ghazzah (Gaza), Sabastiyah (Samaria), Nabulus (Shechem), Kaisariyyah (Cæsarea), Ludd (Lydda), Yubna, Amwas (Emmaus), Yafa (Joppa), Rafah, and Bait Jibrin. (Bil. 138), quoted in le Strange, 1890, p. 28 ] In the beginning of the power struggle between Ali and Mu'awiya for the position of caliph, ibn al-'As left Medina in the Hejaz and resided in Bayt Jibrin with his two sons Muhammad and Abdullah — the latter dying there. [Sharon, 1997, p.115. Quoting al-Biladhuri, al-Waqidi and Yaqut al-Hamawi.]

In 796, Bayt Jibrin was reportedly destroyed by Muslim Umayyad forces in an effort to combat Christian influence in the region. According to a monk named Stephen, "it was laid waste, and its inhabitants carried off into captivity". However, by 985, the city — now under Abbasid rule — seemed to have recovered, judging by the writings of the Muslim geographer al-Muqaddasi:

" [Bayt Jibrin] is a city partly in the hill country, partly in the plain. Its territory has the name of Ad Darum (the ancient Daroma and the modern Dairan), and there are here marble quarries. The district sends its produce to the capital (Ar Ramlah). It is an emporium for the neighbouring country, and a land of riches and plenty, possessing fine domains. The population, however, is now on the decrease...." [Muk., 174, quoted in le Strange, 1890, p.412]

In 1099, Crusaders invaded the Palestine and established the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1135, the Knights Hospitalers erected a castle on the lands of Bayt Jibrin, the first of a series of Crusader fortifications built at this time to ensure control over the ports of Caesarea and Jaffa. In 1165, the Hospitalers were granted a charter to establish a Frankish colony, which they named "Bethgibelin". [Jean Richard Crusaders c. 1071-c,1291 p 96] Bayt Jibrin was on the itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, who found only three Jews living in Bayt Jibrin. [Robinson, Edward & Smith, Eli (1856) J. Murray. p 29] The Ayyubid army under Saladin sacked Bethgibelin in 1187, after most of the Kingdom of Jerusalem came under Muslim control after his victory at the Battle of Hittin. Soon after its capture Saladin ordered the demolition of the Crusader castle. From 1191-1192, the town was held in probate by Henry of Champagne, as lord of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, while Saladin and Richard the Lionheart negotiated a ceasefire. [Jean Richard (1921) "The Crusaders c1071-c1291" reprinted 2001 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-62566-1 p. 230] However, the Crusaders remained in control of Bethgibelin until 1244, when the Ayyubids reconquered it under the sultan as-Salih Ayyub. By 1283, the Mamluks took control and it was listed as a domain of Qalawun.Sharon, 1997, p.122.] The city prospered under the Egyptian-based Mamluk Sultanate and served as a postal station. During Mamluk rule, Bayt Jibrin administratively belonged to Hebron and was under the jurisdiction of the Shafi'i "qadi" ("head judge") of that city.

Ottoman rule and the 'Azza family

Bayt Jibrin, along with the whole of Palestine, came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire after it defeated the Mamluks at the Battle of Marj Dabiq in 1516. Bayt Jibrin was incorporated into the Ottoman "nahiya" (subdistrict) of Hebron (al-Khalīl) under the "liwa'" (district) of Gaza. The Ottomans did not exercise strict control over their territories and tended to keep local leaders in their current positions as long as they complied and paid imperial taxes. Under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in 1552, the destroyed Crusader castle was partially rebuilt in order to protect main road between Gaza and Jerusalem. In 1596, the inhabitants of Bayt Jibrin paid taxes on wheat, barley and sesame seeds, as well as goats and beehives.Hütteroth, Wolf-Deiter 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. 149. Quoted in Khalidi, p. 209]

In the 19th century, Bayt Jibrin was headed by members of the 'Azza family, who had ruled the area since migrating to Palestine from Egypt. [Darwaza, Muhammad ´Izzat. "Al -´arab wa-l-´uruba min al-qarn al-thalit hatta al-qarn al-rabi´ ´ashar al-hijri," vol 2 (Damascus, 1960), pp 138-140, quoted in Alexander Schölch (1993), p.189.] In the 1840s, after the Ottomans attempted to crush local leaders in the Hebron region for their refusal to pay taxes, the 'Azza family joined a revolt against Ottoman rule. They had aligned themselves to the 'Amr clan of Hebron. Between 1840-46, hostilities were ranging between the Qais and Yaman tribo-political factions in southern Palestine. The 'Azza and Amr families, loyal to the Qays were constantly clashing with the Yaman-aligned Abu Ghosh. In 1846, the "shaykh" of Bayt Jibrin, Muslih al-'Azza, (known as the "giant of Bayt Jibrin") and the leader of the 'Amr clan and other local leaders were exiled, but were allowed to return in the early 1850s.Schölch (1993), p. 234-235. Note 708 states that there is more information about them in Finn, " [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22097/22097-h/22097-h.htm Byeways in Palestine] ,"pp. 176-183 (in 1849 an elderly "fellah" from the district asked Finn to inform the sultan in Constantinople of the cruel harassment of the peasants by Muslih al-´Azza and his family.)]

In 1855, the newly-appointed Ottoman "pasha" ("governor") of the "sanjak" ("district") of Jerusalem, Kamil Pasha, attempted to subdue the rebellion in the Hebron region, which included Bayt Jibrin. Pasha and his army marched towards Hebron in July 1855, and after crushing the opposition, he ordered local "shaykhs" to summon to his camp.Schölch (1993), p. 236-237.] Several men, including the leader of the 'Amr clan and Muslih al-'Azza, did not obey the summons. Kamil Pasha then requested that the British consul in Jerusalem, James Finn, serve as an envoy and arrange a meeting with Muslih. Finn sent his vice-consul to assure Muslih of his safety in Hebron and convinced him to meet with Pasha. Muslih was well-received in Hebron and returned to Bayt Jibrin escorted by twenty of the Pasha's men. Soon after, the Pasha paid a visit to Bayt Jibrin to settle their affairs and collect the town's late taxes. [Finn (1878), Vol II, p. 305-308] The Pasha took an oath of loyalty from all the local "shaykhs" in the Hebron region, including those under the rule of Muslih al-'Azza.European travelers who visited Bayt Jibrin during that time were very impressed both by the "shaykh" of Bayt Jibrin, as well as by his "castle" or "manor." At the time, the remains of the Crusader fortress still served for defensive purposes in the village. [Van de Velde: "Reise durch Syrien und Palästina in den Jahren 1851 und 1852." Vol II, p.157; "SWP, Judea," pp. 257f. and 266-74; Guérin, Victor: "Description Géographique, Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine" II pp. 307-309, (Amsterdam, 1969, reprint). All quoted in Schölch (1993), p. 189.] According to Bayt Jibrin's "shaykh", in 1863, he was in command of 16 villages in the area and was pledged "to provide as many as 2,000 men to the government if necessary." [Furrer, Konrad: "Wanderungen durch das Heilige Land, "Zurich, 1891, pp 118-25. Quoted in Schölch (1993), p. 189.]

In 1864, however, Muslih's brother told a traveler that Muslih and his property had been seized on "false charges of treason," and that he had been banished to Cyprus and then beheaded. [Trisdam, p. 370 ]

Bayt Jibrin's status began to decline throughout the 1800s. According to Western travelers it was "a small and insignificant village". The primary reasons for the decline was the Bedouin raids on Bayt Jibrin's countryside villages, the 'Azza revolt, tribal warfare among the inhabitants of the towns and villages throughout Palestine and epidemics which struck the town and the nearby area.Sharon, 1997, pp.123-124.]

British Mandate era and 1948 War

After the British army captured Palestine from the Ottomans in 1917-1918, [ [http://www.1914-1918.net/palestine.htm The Palestine Theatre, 1915-1918 ] ] Bayt Jibrin became an important town in the District of Hebron. The population was entirely Muslim, and had two schools, a medical clinic, a bus and a police station. The town's inhabitants cultivated grain and fruit, and residents from nearby towns flocked to its weekly market or "souk". [Khalidi, p. 209-210.]

On January 10, 1938, during the Arab National revolt of 1936-1939 J. L. Starkey, a well-known archaeologist, was killed by a group of armed Arabs on the track leading from Bayt Jibrin to Hebron. Bayt Jibrin was in the territory allotted to the Arab state under the 1947 UN Partition Plan.cite web|title=Map of UN Partition Plan|publisher=United Nations|accessdate=2007-12-06|url=http://domino.un.org/maps/m0103_1b.gif] The first Battalion of the Egyptian Army were ordered to take up position in Bayt Jibrin during the second half of May during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. At the same time, the New York Times correspondent reported that thousands of Jaffa's inhabitants had fled inland, including "large numbers" to the Bayt Jibrin area. [NYT, 4/5/48, quoted in Khalidi, p. 209-210.]

In October 1948, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new offensive, Operation Yoav, which differed from operations three months earlier, as the IDF was now equipped with aircraft, artillery, and tanks. On October 15-16, the IDF launched bombing and strafing attacks on a number of towns and villages, including Bayt Jibrin. [Morris (2004), p. 465.] According to Morris, the towns caught in the fighting were neither psychologically nor defensively prepared for aerial strikes, and Israeli Air Force bombing of Bayt Jibrin on October 19 set off a "panic flight" of residents from the town.Morris (2004), p. 414, 468.]

On October 23, a United Nations-imposed ceasefire went into effect, however, there was an IDF raid on the neighboring police fort on the night of October 24, which resulted in more villagers fleeing Bayt Jibrin.Morris (2004), p. 468] Israeli troops from the Giv'ati Brigade then occupied Bayt Jibrin and its police fort on October 27. A former resident of the town, Afif Ghatashe, who was eight months old at the time, described his family's ordeal as follows:

"In the 1948 war, the village was attacked by Zionist military units and bombed by Israeli aircraft. By that time, Beit Jibreen already hosted many refugees from neighboring villages. The fighting and bombing frightened the people. They escaped the fighting and sought shelter in the surrounding hills. [My] family found protection in a cave 5 km east of the village. They had left everything in their home, hoping to return after a few days when the attack would be over. The Israelis, however, did not allow them to return. Several men of Beit Jibreen were killed when they tried to go back."cite web|title=Palestinian Refugees - A Personal Story|publisher=Badil|url=http://www.badil.org/al-majdal/1999/4_23.html]

In 1949, a Jewish communal settlement, Kibbutz Beit Guvrin, was founded on the former town's lands.

Geography

Bayt Jibrin was situated on a plain m to ft|275 above sea level west of the Hebron Hills, km to mi|21 northwest of Hebron. [Khalidi, p. 209.] Nearby localities included the depopulated villages of Kudna to the north, al-Qubayba to the southwest, al-Dawayima to the south and the existing Palestinian towns of Beit Ula to the east and Idhna to the southeast.

In 1945, Bayt Jibrin's total land area was convert|56.1|km2|mi2|abbr=on, 98% of which was Arab-owned. The town's urban area consisted of convert|287|m2|acre|abbr=on, with convert|33.2|km2|acre|abbr=on of cultivable land and convert|21.6|km2|acre|abbr=on of non-cultivable land. 54.8% of the town's land was planted with cereal crops, 6.2% with olives and 4.4% with irrigated crops. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Hebron/Page-050.jpgHebron District Stats] from [http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine] (1970) Hadawi, Sami. The Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center]

A unique geographical feature of the Bayt Jibrin region is the large number of underground caverns, both natural formations and caves dug in the soft chalk by inhabitants of the region over the centuries. There are said to be 800 such caverns, [ [http://www.gemsinisrael.com/e_article000012102.htm Gems in Israel: Bell Cave at Beit Guvrin ] ] 80 of them, known as the Bell Caves, on the grounds of the Beit Guvrin National Park. [ [http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=509499 Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority] ]

Archaeology

In 1838, the American Bible scholar Edward Robinson visited Bayt Jibrin, and identified it as ancient Eleutheropolis. [ [http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moa;cc=moa;q1=jibrin;rgn=full%20text;idno=afg7241.0002.001;didno=afg7241.0002.001;view=image;seq=00000075 Biblical researches in Palestine, 1838-52. A journal of travels in the year 1838. P. 57ff: Eleutheropolis] 1856,] The ruins of three Byzantine-era churches are located in Bayt Jibrin. A church on a northern hill of the town, later used as a private residence, had elaborate mosaics depicting the four seasons which were defaced in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. A church south of the town, known as Khirbet Mar Hanna was dedicated to Saint Anne — mother of the Virgin Mary. In Christian tradition, Bayt Jibrin is the birthplace of Saint Anne.Sharon, 1997, p.14] Today, the apse and arched windows are still intact. [http://198.62.75.1/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/084discuss.html Eleutheropolis - (Bayt Jibrin)] Studium Biblicum Franciscanum - Jerusalem. 2000-12-19.] The largely preserved remains of the amphitheater built by the Romans were excavated by archaeologist Amos Kloner. Among the unique finds was a Roman bath that has been confirmed to be the largest in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Nahal Guvrin region have unearthed artifacts from a village believed to be 6,500 years old. The finds include pottery vessels and lithic tools, among them flint sickle blades, cultic objects, clay figurines of horned animals, ceramic spindle whorls and animal bones belonging to pigs, goats, sheep and larger herbivores. The inhabitants probably chose this area due to the arable land and copious springs flowing in the summer months. Archaeologists believe the villagers grew grain, as indicated by the sickle blades and the grinding and pounding tools, and raised animals that supplied milk, meat and wool, as attested to by the spindle whorls. The settlement was small in scope, approximately 1.5 dunams, but there is evidence of bartering, based on the presence of basalt vessels and other lithic objects brought to the site from afar. [ [http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_Item_eng.asp?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=1078&module_id=#as A 6,500 year old farming village was exposed in excavations that are being conducted along the route of the national gas carrier in the fields of Moshav Menucha - near Nahal Guvrin] Israel Antiquities Authority. 2006-04-24.]

Demographics

During the Roman period, Bayt Jibrin had a mixed population of Jews, Christians and pagans. Under Muslim rule, Islam gradually became the dominant religion and by the 1900s, the entire population was Muslim.

In Ottoman tax records from 1596, the town had a population of 275 inhabitants. In the 19th century its population reached 900. This rose to about 1,000 in 1912, [Baedecker, in his handbook, 1912, p.116-117, quoted in Khalidi (1992), p.209] and to 1,420 in the next decade. According to a British Mandate census in 1931, Bayt Jibrin's population was 1,804.cite web|title=Welcome to Bayt Jibrin|publisher=Palestine Remembered|accessdate=2007-12-06|url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Hebron/Bayt-Jibrin/index.html] A 1945 land and population survey by Sami Hadawi reported a dramatic increase to 2,430. The general growth pattern over every 9-11 years from 1912 to 1945 was around 400-500. In 1948, the projected population was 2,819. The number of refugees from Bayt Jibrin, including their descendants, was estimated to be 17,310 in 1998. Many live in the al-'Azza and Fawwar camps in the southern West Bank.

Culture

Embroidery

Bayt Jibrin, together with Hebron and the surrounding villages, was known for its fine Palestinian embroidery. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060815233050/http://www.palestinecostumearchive.org/regional.htm Palestinian costume before 1948 - by region] Palestine Costume Archive. Retrieved on 01.15.2008.] An example is a woman's "jillayeh" (wedding dress)from Bayt Jibrin, dated about 1900, in the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) collection in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The dress is made of handwoven indigo linen with long, pointed wing-sleeves. The "qabbeh" ("chest-piece") is embroidered with the "qelayed" pattern; the "maya" ("water") motif, "el-ferraneh" ("the bakers wife") pattern, and the "saru" ("cypress") motif. The side panels are also covered with cross-stitch embroidery in a variety of traditional patterns. [Stillman, p.58-59, illustrated]

Also on show is a late 19th century "shambar" (large veil) from Bayt Jibrin worn at weddings and festivals. It is made of embroidered handwoven black silk with a separate heavy red silk fringe. [Stillman, p.66, illustrated] [ Stillman illustrated plate 15, facing p.33] A woman wore the "shambar" mainly on her wedding day, positioned so that when she covered her face the embroidered end would show. Another item in the collection is a headdress ("iraqiyeh") embroidered with cross-stitch and decorated with Ottoman coins minted in AH 1223 (1808), as well as Maria Theresa coins. The "iraqiyeh" was worn by married women and elaborate pieces were passed down as family heirlooms. Long embroidered headbands made of cotton hanging from both sides were wrapped around the woman's braids to facilitate the bundling of her hair, then secured to the back of the headdress. [Weir (1989), p. 184]

hrines

In Islamic tradition, Bayt Jibrin is the burial place of the sahaba (companion) of the prophet Muhammad, Tamim al-Dari,Khalidi, p.209 ] who was famously known for his piety and briefly served as the Governor of Jerusalem in the late 600s. Al-Dari and his family were granted the Hebron Hills, including Bayt Jibrin and were assigned as the supervisors of the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. His sanctuary is the most venerated site in Bayt Jibrin, located just northwest of it. Until the present day al-Dari's sanctuary has been a place of local Muslim pilgrimage. [Sharon, 1997, pp.140-141.] Other Islamic holy sites in the village include the "maqam" for a local "shaykh" named Mahmud and a tomb for a "shaykha" named Ameina.Abu-Sitta, p.117]

See also

* List of villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
* Ibelin Crusader fortification

References

Bibliography

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*le Strange, Guy (1890): "Palestine under the Moslems,"
*William McClure Thomson, (1859): " [http://books.google.com/books?id=S44XAAAAYAAJ The Land and the Book: Or, Biblical Illustrations Drawn from the Manners and Customs, the Scenes and Scenery, of the Holy Land] " Vol II, (Beit Jibrin: p. 358-360, 371, 375)
*Tristram, H. B. (1865): " [http://books.google.com/books?id=Qd8TAAAAIAAJ The land of Israel: Travels in Palestine.] " (Mohammed Isa of Bayt Jibrin: February-April 1864, p. 374, p.377, p.378, p.381 and p.506)
*Carel Willem Meredith van de Velde (1854): " [http://books.google.com/books?id=JxINAAAAYAAJ Narrative of a Journey Through Syria and Palestine in 1851 and 1852.] " VOL II. Visited March, April 1852. (Search for "Beit Jebrin" og "Mosleh-el-Hasy": p. 72, 73, 138, 139, 142, 147-154, 157, 185, 190, 191)
*Weir, Shelagh (1989). "Palestinian Costume", London: British Museum Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-7141-2517-2. (exhibition catalog)

External links

* [http://www.transom.org/shows/2004/200406_imaginary_village.html The Imaginary Village] by Sandy Tolan & Melissa Robbins
* [http://www.btselem.org/english/Testimonies/20071029_Forced_Eviction_of_Khirbet_al_Qassa_Residents_witness_abd_al_Halim_a_Natah.asp Testimony: Army demolishes village housing over 200 Palestinians, west of the Barrier] , Oct. 2007, Btselem
* [http://www.btselem.org/english/Separation_Barrier/20071125_Forced_Eviction_of_Khirbet_al_Qassa_Residents.asp Army demolishes village housing over 200 Palestinians, west of the Barrier] , 25 Nov. 2007, Btselem