Al-Khader, Bethlehem

Infobox Palestinian Authority muni
name=al-Khader


imgsize=250
caption=Eastern al-Khader and Solomon's Pools
arname=الخضر
meaning="the [town] of Saint George"
founded=
type=munb
typefrom=
altOffSp=al-Khadr
altUnoSp=
governorate=bl
latd=31|latm=41|lats=33.87|latNS=N
longd=35 |longm=09|longs=59.19|longEW=E
population=9,290
popyear=2006
area=19,882
areakm=19.9
mayor=Adnan Subuh

Al-Khader ( _ar. الخضر) is a Palestinian town in the Bethlehem Governorate in the south-central West Bank. It is located five kilometers west of Bethlehem. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of 9,290 in mid-year 2006. [ [http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/populati/pop10.aspx Projected Mid -Year Population for Bethlehem Governorate by Locality 2004- 2006] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]

History

The site of al-Khader was first inhabited by the Canaanites. In 1953, five arrowheads of a javelin dating from the 11th century BCE, were discovered in al-Khader with Canaanite inscriptions. The translations were "dart of 'Abd Labi't". [Drews, Robert. (1993). " [http://books.google.com/books?id=bFpK6aXEWN8C&pg=PA189&dq=Khadr+Bethlehem&sig=ACfU3U19N_JigIz8P1ynOPqpDDJsm4hX5g The End of the Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe Ca. 1200 B.C] " Princeton University Press, p.189. ISBN 0691025916.]

Al-Khader is named after Saint George who in Arab culture is al-Khadr. According to local tradition, Saint George was imprisoned in al-Khader where the current Monastery of St. George stands. The chains that held him were relics that were said to hold the power to heal. [Sennott, Charles M. (2001). " [http://books.google.com/books?id=ZN1j1I69wqwC&pg=PA397&dq=Khader+Bethlehem&sig=ACfU3U21UjPnAttWQlvKr01SKq1yLVboeQ#PPA397,M1 The Body and the Blood: The Holy Land's Christians at the Turn of a New Millennium : a Reporter's Journey] " PublicAffairs, p.397. ISBN 1891620959.]

Demographics and land

In the British Mandate census in 1922, al-Khader had a population of 697, increasing to 913 by 1931. [ [http://www.palestineremembered.com/GeoPoints/al_Khadr_1070/index.html Welcome To al-Khadr] British Mandate Census of 1922 and 1931 via Palestine Remembered.] In Sami Hadawi's land and population survey in 1945, the town had 1,130 inhabitants and a total land area of 20,100 dunams, of which 98.2% was Arab-owned. It was a part of the Jerusalem District. [Hadawi, Sami. (1970). [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Jerusalem/Page-057.jpgJerusalem 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] The Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center] The Greek Orthodox Church owns several hundreds of dunams made up of vineyards, olive groves and field crops. The lands were entrusted to them since the Rashidun Caliphate under Umar conquered Palestine in the late 600s. Most of the land is leased to Muslim farmers since there is no Christian population in the town, except for the one monk in the Monastery of St. George. [Kark, Ruth. (2001). " [http://books.google.com/books?id=KzOAxmHDzHUC&pg=PA199&dq=Khadr+Bethlehem&lr=&sig=ACfU3U37R2nLCs5ecEe8_aSTlYlVqEqu1w#PPA199,M1 Jerusalem and Its Environs: Quarters, Neighborhoods, Villages, 1800-1948] " Wayne State University Press, p.199. ISBN 0814329098.]

In 1997, the PCBS recorded a population of 6,802 of which 3,606 were males and 3,196 were females. [ [http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/bet_t1.aspx Palestinian Population by Locality, Sex and Age Groups in Years] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).] Unlike many Palestinian towns in the area, refugees and their descendants do not have a substantial population in al-Khader. In 1997, 5.2% of the town's inhabitants were recorded as refugees. [ [http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/bet_t6.aspx Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).]

Since the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier around al-Khader, several thousand dunams of farmland have been separated from the village, with the inhabitants unable to access them without a permit. In 2006, 50 villagers protested the barrier by filling bags with grapes and selling them along Route 60. Israeli soldiers and police attempted to quell protesters resulting in the injuries and detainment of two residents. [ [http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=16704 Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals `armed` with grapes arrested and beaten near Bethlehem] International Solidarity Movement. 2006-08-10.]

Culture

Religious sites

The Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. George and
Solomon's Pools are located in al-Khader and are main tourist attractions. [ [http://www.bethlehem.ps/cultural_sites/agricultural_villages/khader.php al-Khader] Centre of Cultural Heritage of Preservation.] Christians from Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Beit Jala and Muslims from al-Khader flock to the monastery to celebrate the Feast of Saint George in early May. Solomon's Pools, named after King Solomon were built by the Romans under Herod the Great to provide water for the aqueduct built to supply water to Bethlehem and Jerusalem where it terminated under the Temple Mount. The pools are only accessible to Palestinians. [ [http://www.geocities.com/bethlehem74/solomon.htm Solomon's Pools] Bethlehem Homepage, Geocities.] Al-Khader's main and oldest mosque is the al-Hamadiyya Mosque. In 2007, it was burned down by Israeli settlers. The mosque is about 700 years old and was restored by the Tourism Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority. [ [http://www.imemc.org/article/52186 Mosque near Bethlehem burned down by Israeli settlers] Bannoura, Said, International Middle East Media Center. 2008-01-02.]

Cultural festivals

Al-Khader is also well-known in the area for its peaches, grapes and apples. It hosts its annual Grape Festival every September. The festival was initiated by the al-Khader municipality to promote the town's primary agricultural product, grapes. Other exhibitions held at the festival include one on embroidery and knitting, a local heritage exhibition of mills, grinders, and harvest tools, and an exhibition of home-made grape products such as "dibs" (molasses made from grapes). [ [http://www.bethlehem.ps/cultural_sites/festivals/grape.php The Grape Festival] Centre of Cultural Heritage of Preservation.] Al-Khader Stadium which holds a capacity of 6,000 is located in the town.

References

External links

* [http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2202&ed=143&edid=143 El-Khader - Bethlehem] "This Week in Palestine". 2008-12-05.