Al-Hamma, Tiberias
Encyclopedia
Al-Hamma is a depopulated Palestinian
Arab
village in the District of Tiberias
, 12 km southeast of Tiberias. Situated on a narrow strip of land in the Yarmouk
valley, it was one of the stations on the Jezreel Valley railway
, linking the Hejaz Railway to Haifa
.
referred to al-Hamma by Ammath (or Emmath), and during the Roman Empire
it was known as Emmatha. During this period, Al-Hamma belonged to the district of Gadara. The place was famous for its hot springs, which were considered therapeutic as they had a high sulphur content. The place attracted many visitors in Roman times, and remains have been found of an amphitheater, baths, a synagogue, burial grounds, columns, and a shrine. It was damaged by an earthquake, and renovated in 633, during the reign of Muawiyah I
. Recent excavations have revealed a large public building constructed during the Umayyad time. The building had several rooms with mosaic
floors, set with red, black and white tesserae. The building seem to have been destroyed by the 749 Golan earthquake, but was rebuilt and used until finally abandoned after the earthquake of 1033 CE.
In 1905, the Jezreel Valley railway
opened, with a station at Al-Hama, linking Haifa, via Samakh
to the Hejaz Railway. At the time of the 1931 census
, the village had 46 occupied houses and a population of 170 Muslims, 1 Jew and 1 Christian.
In 1936, during the British Mandate for Palestine, a Lebanese businessman, Sulayman Nasif, was given a concession to develop the local springs, which became a popular place to visit, both for local Palestinians and other Arabs. In 1945, the village had a population of 290, who cultivated a total of 1,105 dunum
s of land. The villagers were mostly Muslim
, and Al-Hamma had a large mosque, with a fountain in the front courtyard.
, some Palestinian inhabitants of Tiberias fled to Al-Hamma during the unrest in March and April that year. A local leader from Tiberias, Sidqi al Tabari, made "desperate efforts" (according to Israeli sources) to bring the citizens back. The people who had fled to al-Hamma from Tiberias were "ordered back and, in fact, returned".
According to Morris
, many villagers in the area had fled or been expelled to Syria
during April and early May 1948. However, on 16 May the villages came under Syrian control, and many inhabitants returned. After the war, according to the armistice agreements of 1949 Between Israel and Syria, it was determined that a string of villages, including Al-Hamma, Nuqeib, Al-Samra
in District of Tiberias
and Kirad al-Baqqara
and Kirad al-Ghannama
further north in District of Safad
, would be included the demilitarized zone
(DMZ) between Israel and Syria
. The villagers and their property were formally protected by Article V of the Israeli-Syrian agreement of 20 July that year. However, Israel wanted the 2,200 Palestinian
inhabitants moved to Syria. The Israeli military
thought that the inhabitants of the DMZ remained loyal to Syria and they suspected them of helping Syrian intelligence. Local Jewish settlers and law enforcement suspected the villagers of petty crimes. Morris also notes that Israeli settlers and settlement agencies coveted the land of the local Palestinians Arabs.
Until 1951, Israel had never patrolled or occupied al-Hamma. However, in the spring of of that year, Israel decided to assert its sovereignty over the village. On the 4th April that year the IDF
General Staff (ignoring protests from the Northern Command) sent two patrol vehicles towards the village. Since Israel was not allowed to have soldiers in the DMZ, the patrol was disguised as policemen. In what became known as the Al-Hamma Incident, seven Israeli soldiers were killed by the Syrians. The following day, four Israeli planes bombed the police station at Al-Hamma and a Syrian position at Al Hadid. Two women were killed, and six people reported injured. According to Khalidi
, Israel
then decided to "drive the villagers out", and proceeded to do so during 1949–1956. He described the village site in 1992:
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...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
village in the District of Tiberias
District of Tiberias
The District of Tiberias was an administrative district, situated in the British Mandate of Palestine around the city of Tiberias. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the district disintegrated.-Depopulated settlements:...
, 12 km southeast of Tiberias. Situated on a narrow strip of land in the Yarmouk
Yarmouk River
The Yarmouk River is the largest tributary of the Jordan River. It drains much of the Hauran Plateau. It is one of three main tributaries which enter the Jordan between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. To the south, are the Jabbok/Zarqa and the Arnon/Wadi Mujib) rivers...
valley, it was one of the stations on the Jezreel Valley railway
Jezreel Valley railway
The Jezreel Valley railway, or simply the Valley railway refers to a historical railroad in Ottoman and British Palestine, which was part of the larger Hejaz railway and ran along the Jezreel Valley....
, linking the Hejaz Railway to Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
.
History
The Old TestamentOld Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
referred to al-Hamma by Ammath (or Emmath), and during the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
it was known as Emmatha. During this period, Al-Hamma belonged to the district of Gadara. The place was famous for its hot springs, which were considered therapeutic as they had a high sulphur content. The place attracted many visitors in Roman times, and remains have been found of an amphitheater, baths, a synagogue, burial grounds, columns, and a shrine. It was damaged by an earthquake, and renovated in 633, during the reign of Muawiyah I
Muawiyah I
Muawiyah I was the first Caliph of the Umayyad Dynasty. After the conquest of Mecca by the Muslims, Muawiyah's family converted to Islam. Muawiyah is brother-in-law to Muhammad who married his sister Ramlah bint Abi-Sufyan in 1AH...
. Recent excavations have revealed a large public building constructed during the Umayyad time. The building had several rooms with mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floors, set with red, black and white tesserae. The building seem to have been destroyed by the 749 Golan earthquake, but was rebuilt and used until finally abandoned after the earthquake of 1033 CE.
In 1905, the Jezreel Valley railway
Jezreel Valley railway
The Jezreel Valley railway, or simply the Valley railway refers to a historical railroad in Ottoman and British Palestine, which was part of the larger Hejaz railway and ran along the Jezreel Valley....
opened, with a station at Al-Hama, linking Haifa, via Samakh
Samakh, Tiberias
Samakh was a Palestinian Arab village located at the southern end of the Lake Tiberias in Palestine . It had a population of 3,320 Arab Muslims and Arab Christians in 1945...
to the Hejaz Railway. At the time of the 1931 census
1931 census of Palestine
The 1931 census of Palestine was the second census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine. It was carried out on 18 November 1931 under the direction of Major E. Mills. The first census had been conducted in 1922...
, the village had 46 occupied houses and a population of 170 Muslims, 1 Jew and 1 Christian.
In 1936, during the British Mandate for Palestine, a Lebanese businessman, Sulayman Nasif, was given a concession to develop the local springs, which became a popular place to visit, both for local Palestinians and other Arabs. In 1945, the village had a population of 290, who cultivated a total of 1,105 dunum
Dunum
Dunum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
s of land. The villagers were mostly 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...
, and Al-Hamma had a large mosque, with a fountain in the front courtyard.
1948, and aftermath
During the early part of the 1948 Palestine war1948 Palestine war
The 1948 Palestine war refers to the events in the British Mandate of Palestine between the United Nations vote on the partition plan on November 30, 1947, to the end of the first Arab-Israeli war on July 20, 1949.The war is divided into two phases:...
, some Palestinian inhabitants of Tiberias fled to Al-Hamma during the unrest in March and April that year. A local leader from Tiberias, Sidqi al Tabari, made "desperate efforts" (according to Israeli sources) to bring the citizens back. The people who had fled to al-Hamma from Tiberias were "ordered back and, in fact, returned".
According to Morris
Benny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
, many villagers in the area had fled or been expelled to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
during April and early May 1948. However, on 16 May the villages came under Syrian control, and many inhabitants returned. After the war, according to the armistice agreements of 1949 Between Israel and Syria, it was determined that a string of villages, including Al-Hamma, Nuqeib, Al-Samra
Al-Samra
Al-Samra was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Tiberias. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 21, 1948. It was located 10 km southeast of Tiberias....
in District of Tiberias
District of Tiberias
The District of Tiberias was an administrative district, situated in the British Mandate of Palestine around the city of Tiberias. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the district disintegrated.-Depopulated settlements:...
and Kirad al-Baqqara
Kirad al-Baqqara
Kirad al-Baqqara was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 22, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach...
and Kirad al-Ghannama
Kirad al-Ghannama
Kirad al-Ghannama was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 22, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 11 km northeast of Safad...
further north in District of Safad
District of Safad
The District of Safad was an administrative district, situated in the British Mandate of Palestine around the city of Safad. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the district disintegrated.-Depopulated settlements:...
, would be included the demilitarized zone
Demilitarized zone
In military terms, a demilitarized zone is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more military powers , where military activity is not permitted, usually by peace treaty, armistice, or other bilateral or multilateral agreement...
(DMZ) between Israel and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. The villagers and their property were formally protected by Article V of the Israeli-Syrian agreement of 20 July that year. However, Israel wanted the 2,200 Palestinian
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...
inhabitants moved to Syria. The Israeli military
thought that the inhabitants of the DMZ remained loyal to Syria and they suspected them of helping Syrian intelligence. Local Jewish settlers and law enforcement suspected the villagers of petty crimes. Morris also notes that Israeli settlers and settlement agencies coveted the land of the local Palestinians Arabs.
Until 1951, Israel had never patrolled or occupied al-Hamma. However, in the spring of of that year, Israel decided to assert its sovereignty over the village. On the 4th April that year the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
General Staff (ignoring protests from the Northern Command) sent two patrol vehicles towards the village. Since Israel was not allowed to have soldiers in the DMZ, the patrol was disguised as policemen. In what became known as the Al-Hamma Incident, seven Israeli soldiers were killed by the Syrians. The following day, four Israeli planes bombed the police station at Al-Hamma and a Syrian position at Al Hadid. Two women were killed, and six people reported injured. According to Khalidi
Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi is an Oxford University-educated Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is General Secretary and co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an independent research and publishing center...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
then decided to "drive the villagers out", and proceeded to do so during 1949–1956. He described the village site in 1992:
The site has been converted into an Israeli tourist park (Hamat GaderHamat GaderHamat Gader is a site in the Yarmouk River valley, near the Sea of Galilee in the Golan Heights. The name means "hot springs of Gadara", referring to the several mineral springs with temperatures up to 50°C...
), with parking facilities, swimming pools, and a small fishing pond. The deserted mosque still stands, and its minaret and marble columns are intact. Five buildings east of the village site are built of black basaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
. The railroad station still exist and the name of the village is inscribed on its entrance. There are three more deserted buildings next to the station, as well as the remains of destroyed houses.
External links
- Welcome To al-Hamma
- Al-Hamma at Khalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural Center is an organization established in 1996. It is located at 4 Raja Street, Ramallah in the West Bank. The traditional manor that houses the centre was the former family home of Khalil Salem Salah, the mayor of Ramallah between 1947/1951, is now owned by the Palestinian...