Sheikh Badr

Sheikh Badr ( _ar. شيخ بدر) was an Arab village on a hilltop in west Jerusalem that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. During the British Mandate of Palestine it was part of the Jerusalem municipality. A temporary burial ground for Israelis who died during the siege on Jerusalem was established there. Under Israeli rule, the hill was renamed Givat Ram. The Israeli parliament building, the Knesset, was built on the site.

Archeological findings

Archaeological excavations in the area formerly known as Sheikh Badr indicate that the site was inhabited from Iron Age II to the Byzantine period (late 8th century BCE to early 7th century CE). Meager finds from the Ummayad, Abbasid and Mamluk periods do not indicate any permanent occupation after the mid-7th century. The strategic location at the top of the ascent from the coastal plain (or descent for those leaving the Old City of Jerusalem may explain the long period of settlement in this area. [ [http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/wl/publications/binyaneihauma.html Binyanei Ha'Uma | The Shelby White - Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications ] ] Digs were carried out in 1949, 1968 and 1992-1993.

ee also

List of villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war

References

External links

*http://www.palestineremembered.com