'Anata
Encyclopedia
'Anata is a Palestinian
town in the Jerusalem Governorate
in the central West Bank
, located four kilometers northeast of Jerusalem. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
, 'Anata had a population of 9,600 in 2006. Its total land area is 30,603 dunam
s, of which over half now lies within Jerusalem and 1,654 is Palestinian built-up area.
Edward Robinson
identified 'Anata with Biblical Anathoth
, birthplace of Jeremiah
, in his Biblical researches in Palestine.
There are ruins of a Byzantine
-era church in the town leading to the belief that it was inhabited prior to the Muslim conquest of Palestine by the Rashidun Caliphate
. During the Muslim
siege of Jerusalem
against the Crusaders
, the Ayyubid general and sultan, Saladin
situated his administration in 'Anata before he proceeded towards Jerusalem.
The village was destroyed by Ibrahim Pasha
in 1832 following a pro-Ottoman Arab revolt against Egyptian rule
. When W. M. Thomson visited it in the 1850s, he described it as a "small, half-ruined hamlet, but it was once much larger, and appears to have had a wall around it, a few fragments of which are still to be seen." It was rebuilt soon after and was settled by ten Arab families from Khirbet 'Almit, a mile to the northeast in the mid-19th century. The families are Abd al-Latif, Ibrahim, Alayan, Hilwa, Salama, Hamdan, Abu Haniya Musah and al-Kiswani. The latter family fled to 'Anata during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
.
and possibly Jeremiah. The former is a mosque
dedicated to the prophet Saleh (Biblical Shelah), but Saleh's tomb is believed to be in the village of Nabi Salih
to the north. The latter sanctuary is a cave dedicated to a "Rumia" which according to Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau
, "looks as if it had been connected by the folklore with the name Jeremiah, the initial 'je' being removed by aphaeresis as so frequently happens in Arabic." This signifies that it is very possible that "Rumia" is an Arabicized form of "Jeremiah".
. Since then a village council
was established to govern the town. According to the village council of 'Anata, about 97% of its land outside of Jerusalem is under complete Israel
i control. The boundaries of the village span about 30,603 dunam
s, although only 1654 dunams are designated as a built-up area, most of which is under the civil administration of the Palestinian National Authority
and the security of Israel. The village boundaries are far-reaching and stretch from 'Anata itself to just east of the Israeli settlement Alon. Most of the land is undeveloped open space with little or no vegetation.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
town in the Jerusalem Governorate
Jerusalem Governorate
The Jerusalem Governorate is one of 16 Palestinian governorates situated in the central portion of the West Bank. Its claimed district capital is East Jerusalem, which is, however, under Israeli occupation and regarded by Israel as being part of its territory. The total land area of the...
in the central West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, located four kilometers northeast of Jerusalem. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is the statistical organization under the umbrella of the Palestinian Cabinet of the Palestinian National Authority....
, 'Anata had a population of 9,600 in 2006. Its total land area is 30,603 dunam
Dunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
s, of which over half now lies within Jerusalem and 1,654 is Palestinian built-up area.
History
Edward Robinson
Edward Robinson (scholar)
Edward Robinson was an American biblical scholar, known as the “Father of Biblical Geography.” He has been referred to as the “founder of modern Palestinology.” -Biography:...
identified 'Anata with Biblical Anathoth
Anathoth
Anathoth - the name of one of the cities given to "the children of Aaron" , in the tribe of Benjamin . Since the Israelites often did not change the names of the towns they found in Canaan, the name of this town may be derived from a Canaanite goddess, ‘Anat...
, birthplace of Jeremiah
Jeremiah
Jeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...
, in his Biblical researches in Palestine.
There are ruins of a Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
-era church in the town leading to the belief that it was inhabited prior to the Muslim conquest of Palestine by the Rashidun Caliphate
Rashidun Caliphate
The Rashidun Caliphate , comprising the first four caliphs in Islam's history, was founded after Muhammad's death in 632, Year 10 A.H.. At its height, the Caliphate extended from the Arabian Peninsula, to the Levant, Caucasus and North Africa in the west, to the Iranian highlands and Central Asia...
. During the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
siege of Jerusalem
Siege of Jerusalem (1187)
On July 4, 1187 the Kingdom's army was defeated at the Battle of Hattin by Saladin and only Balian of Ibelin commanding a small number of soldiers remained in Jerusalem. The Siege of Jerusalem lasted from September 20 to October 2, 1187. On October 2, 1187 Balian of Ibelin surrendered Jerusalem to...
against the Crusaders
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
, the Ayyubid general and sultan, Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
situated his administration in 'Anata before he proceeded towards Jerusalem.
The village was destroyed by Ibrahim Pasha
Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt
Ibrahim Pasha was the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Wāli and unrecognised Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. He served as a general in the Egyptian army that his father established during his reign, taking his first command of Egyptian forces was when he was merely a teenager...
in 1832 following a pro-Ottoman Arab revolt against Egyptian rule
Muhammad Ali Dynasty
The Muhammad Ali Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan, from the 19th to the mid-20th Century. It is named after its progenitor, Muhammad Ali Pasha, regarded as the founder of modern Egypt. It was also more formally known as the Alawiyya Dynasty...
. When W. M. Thomson visited it in the 1850s, he described it as a "small, half-ruined hamlet, but it was once much larger, and appears to have had a wall around it, a few fragments of which are still to be seen." It was rebuilt soon after and was settled by ten Arab families from Khirbet 'Almit, a mile to the northeast in the mid-19th century. The families are Abd al-Latif, Ibrahim, Alayan, Hilwa, Salama, Hamdan, Abu Haniya Musah and al-Kiswani. The latter family fled to 'Anata during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
.
Sanctuaries
'Anata contains two sanctuaries, dedicated to SalehSaleh
Saleh or Salih was a prophet of ancient Arabia mentioned in the Qur'an, who prophesied to the tribe of the Thamud. He is mentioned nine times throughout the Qur'an and his people are frequently referenced as a wicked community who, because of their sins, were ultimately destroyed...
and possibly Jeremiah. The former is a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
dedicated to the prophet Saleh (Biblical Shelah), but Saleh's tomb is believed to be in the village of Nabi Salih
Nabi Salih
Nabi Salih is a small Palestinian village of over 530 in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank.-Shrine of Salih:The residents of Nabi Salih identify a blue-color-domed building complex with the shrine of the prophet Salih . It was built in the 19th century during Ottoman...
to the north. The latter sanctuary is a cave dedicated to a "Rumia" which according to Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau
Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau
Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau was a noted French Orientalist and archaeologist.-Biography:Clermont-Ganneau was born in Paris, son of a sculptor of some repute...
, "looks as if it had been connected by the folklore with the name Jeremiah, the initial 'je' being removed by aphaeresis as so frequently happens in Arabic." This signifies that it is very possible that "Rumia" is an Arabicized form of "Jeremiah".
Government
Before 1996, 'Anata was governed by a mukhtarMukhtar
Mukhtar meaning "chosen" in Arabic, refers to the head of a village or mahalle in many Arab countries as well as in Turkey and Cyprus. The name refers to the fact that mukhtars are usually selected by some consensual or participatory method, often involving an election. Mukhtar is also a common...
. Since then a village council
Village council (Palestinian Authority)
A Village council is a type of local government used in the Palestinian National Authority for Palestinian localities that usually number between 800-3,000+ inhabitants. The village council is also known D-level municipalities...
was established to govern the town. According to the village council of 'Anata, about 97% of its land outside of Jerusalem is under complete Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i control. The boundaries of the village span about 30,603 dunam
Dunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
s, although only 1654 dunams are designated as a built-up area, most of which is under the civil administration of the Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
and the security of Israel. The village boundaries are far-reaching and stretch from 'Anata itself to just east of the Israeli settlement Alon. Most of the land is undeveloped open space with little or no vegetation.