Kafr Thulth

Infobox Palestinian Authority muni
name=Kafr Thulth


imgsize=250
caption=
arname=كفر ثلث
hename=כפר ת'ולת
meaning="Village of Three"
founded=
type=munc
typefrom=
altOffSp=Kufr Thulth
altUnoSp=
governorate=ql
population=4,364
popyear=2006
area=24,938
areakm=24.9
mayor=Hussein al-Saifi
latd=32 |latm=9 |lats=9.16 |latNS=N |longd=35 |longm=2 |longs=39.27 |longEW=E

Kafr Thulth ( _ar. كفر ثلث, _he. כפר ת'ולת) is a Palestinian town located in a high flat land close to Nablus city and 28 kilometers south of Tulkarm in the Qalqilya Governorate. Its average elevation is 270 meters. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of approximately 4,364 inhabitants in 2006. [ [http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/populati/pop04.aspx Projected Mid -Year Population for Qalqiliya Governorate by Locality 2004- 2006] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]

It was called (Baalshalisha) before, but the name has been changed to become Kafr Thulth (Village of Three).

Geography

Kafr Thulth is bordered by Azzun to the south, Sanniriya and Biddia villages to the east and Deir Istiya to the west. In 1948, parts of Kharab and Aizab, such as, Salman, al-Moudwer, al-Sheikh Ahmad, al-Ashqar, Ras Tirah, al-Dabha, Kirash Kherba and Ras Atiya — villages or land areas that originally belonged to Kafr Thulth were separated from the town by the Green Line, which forms the border between Israel and the West Bank.

Kafr Thulth's land was extended to the border of the Auja stream and by the 19th century the town's total land area was about 50-60,000 dunams. It had bordered Habla, Jaljuliya, Azzun and Islah, but Kafr Thulth's jurisdiction decreased in 1954; Then, the distance was 924 dunams, while the distance reached up to Kherash Kherba that belong to Kafr Thulth 3,665 dunams.

Land ownership

Khirbets and archeology

There are several ruins or "khirbets" in Kafr Thulth:

*Khirbet Kharab:

Located in the north direction of the town, and there one water wells, and it's full of places used to put dead persons on its tombs.

*Khirbet Kafr Qari'a:

Located one kilometer on the east direction, it has a destroyed mosque, cemetery, wells, cajes, pools, refers to romantic regine'(century), and this place was destroyed after misunderstanding with Kafr Thulth people, and this people transfer to Kufr Qaria in Occupied Palestine, this happened in 19th century.

*Khirbet al-Baiad:

It's on the west side of Kafr Thulth about 800 meters distance, it has wells and cafes but it has no ruins, or marks, like Kufur Qari'a.

*Khirbet al-Basateen:

To the south west of Kafr Thulth, it has wells, and pieces of ruins refers to Romantic period .

*Khirbet al-Zakoor:

Located on high land west of Kafr Thulth, lost to Israel in 1948. and transfer the inhabitants of this area, Garaba family was living in this place who the belong to Kufur Thulth, with cafes houses, wells of water, and pools.

*Khirbet Khuraish:

Named after Sheikh Mohammad Al-Kheerashi, who worked as Imam of Al-Aqsa mosque, and died in 1033 Higri.

*Khirbet Shuhadi:

It's an old place, it's located on the east side of Kafr Thulth within the land of Diristia may be refer to Romantic age, it has water wells and walls .

*Khirbet Abdul Rahim:

It has well and walls, near the old places there is Al-Jamal cafe, it is called Al-Jamal café, because there is a statue of kamel, there was a bridegroom loaded on it, and there are some writings on it, pictures, and may refer to Kanains, many troops have visited Kafr Thulth from Arabs and Foreigners, one of these visitors was Al-Bakri Al-Sideeq who visits Palestine who said going to Kafr Thulth is goodness, and we get in to forest during night and we visited Al-Sheilk Rabee, and with us were many of people (religious people) from sofia.

That means that Kafr Thulth was surrounded with a lot of trees, and a lot of animals dangerous ones, and some of lands and places named by animals like tiger land, oxes village.

The Second Books of Kings in its old name

4:39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.

4:40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

4:41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

4:42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

4:43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.

Inhabitants

In 1597 was nearly 150 persons or about 14 families but now there are about 5,000 persons, but the other kherab and small societies about 4500 persons .

In occupation

This town Kafr Thulth suffered more and more like other cities and villages in Palestine, because of the Turkish Age, bad period in 1858 was destroyed because of civil war between Palestinians families and the Fight of posses one of there was Al-Rayan, Al-qassim, and Yamani revolution against Othmany, in rasa, Kafr Thulth was effected Kafr Thulth people they steal their land that owns by farmers, they demand them to pay taxes, Kafr Thulth shared in resistance of Napoleon in 1899, and a French Battalion try to enter from Azzun valley, and it was a safe place for the these replion as Ahmad Al-Tahoni (Abu-Jildi) and Faries Azuni who was the commander of dead platoon, abed Al-Hamed Al-Merdawi Abdul-Kader, Al-Hussani and others, and Kafr Thulth shared in replion movements which moved out of this town for example the repel of Shukher Abu-Kishik and attack molabes, and Faries Al-Azzunai and stand against British Policy, which caused killing of Abdullah Al-Qasas, and others were injured and Kafr Thulth was under curfew eight times, and last for many days. and people crowded in mosque includes children, men and women, and Kafr Thulth people joined 1948 war, 70 people moved to join Iraqi troops near Jaljoliya and Salman Battles near, and sharing in First Intifadah (uprising) in 1987, and the number of martyrs was about 30 up to 2004.

Economy

Agriculture

The people of this town work hard to get use of land and plant olive trees the use local workers, and machinal, the land distance increased from 1000 donoms, in 1945 to 18000 donoms, in 2004 before the citizens were working with their neighbors in olive the income of a family reached up to 500kg of olive oil, in addition of planting vegetables and Blastic houses, in addition of cultivating their lands different kinds of trees, Kafr Thulth is considered the second town in Palestine dealing with the distance of its land, about 2600 donoms, a lot of lands were lost because of occupations, like Turkish, British mandate, most of its people worked in Israeli settlements, the other worked in commercial back to Jordanian Authority on Palestine, they work in cultivation, as farmers, and digging wells of water, and there are eight wells, in salman village, Al-Moudawar and Alsheilk Ahmad. There are four schools in town, including males and females (girls & boys) and cover different levels of education. The importance of Kafr Thulth secondary school is obvious because other surrounded villages joined in this school, in spite of having schools in place.

ervices

General services in Kafr Thulth people are Economical Activity: Kafr Thulth people are very active in all fields "agricultural, educational and commercial" they work very hard, man, woman, worked together to keep live .

Kafr Thulth has many establishments formal and local and these give services to people, like : Local Council : Mayer's worked for a long time in delivering services to people, in Jordanian period and British one, from 1958-1994, this period ended when our Palestinian Authority came in to Palestine and Kafr Thulth became a municipality, because of increasing of people and citizens, and this municipality is run by a chief and twelve members covering all period because of the political reasons from 1966-1974 they establish a clinic, and a public telephone, building more rooms and halls and transfer of school level –from primary to elementary- establishing a school especially for girls in 1972. In period expanded from 1974-1994, many rooms were established, repairing streets and roads, and establishing electrical project by buying electrical motors, fits the needs of the town and establishing Kufur Thuluth charitable society, while period extended from 1995-1997 adding more rooms schools and repairing Al-Ashkar road in cooperation with other establishment, two primary schools were built so far, for girls and boys they spend many efforts to bring in water for Kafr Thulth, but Israeli objected that.

Animal breeding

Most of people in Kafr Thulth like to breed different kinds of animals and birds like sheep. Goats, doves, chickens, hens, to reinforce the idea of self autonomy, and number of sheep reached up to 10,000 head, besides 40,000 birds in 1998 but these numbers were decreased because of establishing "apartheid wall campaign" which cover a distance of 7000 donoms of land that belong to Kafr Thulth.

Industry

The industrial sector is very simple and primary one, because of the shortage of the mair resources this sector needs, like electricity isn't enough to over come this problem, while in the last period a wide development was achieved by providing the town with electric – motors – In our town there are four sewing shops, and two metal work shops in addition to mechanic and flat tires work shops.

Agricultural industry

This town considered as one of towns that plant olive trees and producing a lot of olive oil. So there are three places for squeezing olive fruit in order to got oil out of it. One of these projects is out of service because of having a misunderstanding between the partner, in general the most important problem that the town suffer from is water and this was reflected on planting and cultivating more, and concentrating on well water for irrigation.

Education

Kafr Thulth is one of the most important countries that deal with learning and teaching (Education). All over our state, we have about 220 teachers who worked in Ministry of Education and about twelve supervisors who worked in directorate of education, in addition of people working in other sectors and there are a lot, and the number of people qualified and graduated from universities and had a high degrees like , M.A and BA.PHD are about sixty seven (67) persons .

References and external links

External links

* [http://www.palestineremembered.com/GeoPoints/Kafr_Thulth_1274/index.html Palestine Remembered Kafr Thulth Page]
* [http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%83%D9%81%D8%B1_%D8%AB%D9%84%D8%AB Arabic Page of Kafr Thulth In Wikipedia ]

*Kafr Thulth Charitable Society

*Tarek Tayem