Al-Kabri
Encyclopedia
Al-Kabri was a Palestinian Arab
town in the Galilee
located 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi) northeast of Acre
. It was captured by the Israel Defence Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
. In 1945, it had a population of 1,520 and a total land area of 28,729 dunam
s. It is near the site of Tel Kabri
.
geographer al-Maqrizi
as "al-Kabira" in the early fifteenth century, by now under Mamluk
rule. Under the name Al-Kabrah, it was mentioned as part of the domain of the Crusaders during the hudna
between the Crusaders based in Acre
and the Mamluk
sultan al-Mansur (Qalawun
) in 1283.
In 1291, Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Khalil allocated the town's income to a charitable organization in Cairo
.
In the late nineteenth century, al-Kabri was a mid-sized village built of stone. They cultivated the surrounding fields, planting them with fig, olive, pomegranate, mulberry, and apple orchards. It was well-known for its springs, including Ayn Mafshuh, Ayn Fawwar, Ayn al-'Asal, and Ayn Kabri. The number of springs made al-Kabri the main supplier of water in the District of Acre
. Ancient aquifers supplied water from the springs to Acre, and two additional canals were built by Jezzar Pasha
in 1800, and Sulayman Pasha in 1814.
Under the British Mandate in Palestine, al-Kabri's houses were built of stone, mud, and reinforced concrete. The village contained a mosque
and a boys' elementary school. Agriculture was the base of the economy with villagers cultivating olives, citrus, and bananas and engaged in animal husbandry, including raising cattle.
-affiliated notable, Fares Sirhan, was demolished. After this, Siran and his family fled to Lebanon
.
On the 27 March 1948 a convoy with reliefs for Kibbutz Yehiam was attacked while passing by Al-Kabri and all 74 Haganah members were killed.
In April 1948, the Haganah
prepared an initial blueprint for an operation called "Ehud", which provided for attacks on Kabri, al Nahar, al-Bassa
and Zib for "the destruction of the gangs [and] the menfolk, [and] the destruction of property.
The village was probably occupied on the night of 20–21 May during the second stage of Operation Ben-Ami, by which time most of the inhabitants had fled.
During their dispersal in Galilee
some of the villagers were killed when it was discovered that they came from Al-Kabri, in retaliation for the convoy ambush.
According to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
, the remaining structures on the village land in 1992 were "crumbled walls and stone rubble, overgrown with thorns, weeds, and bushes. The settlement of Kabri uses the land adjacent to the site for agriculture and as a pasture."
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 Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
located 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi) northeast of Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
. It was captured by the Israel Defence Forces 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...
. In 1945, it had a population of 1,520 and a total land area of 28,729 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. It is near the site of Tel Kabri
Tel Kabri
Tel Kabri is an archaeological site on the grounds of Kibbutz Kabri, near the city of Nahariya, Israel.Tel Kabri is notable for its Minoan-style frescoes, the only such frescoes ever discovered in Israel....
.
History
Al-Kabri was known as "Cabra" under Crusader rule in the twelfth century. It is mentioned by ArabArab
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...
geographer al-Maqrizi
Al-Maqrizi
Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Maqrizi ; Arabic: , was an Egyptian historian more commonly known as al-Maqrizi or Makrizi...
as "al-Kabira" in the early fifteenth century, by now under Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
rule. Under the name Al-Kabrah, it was mentioned as part of the domain of the Crusaders during the hudna
Hudna
Hudna is an Arabic term meaning a temporary "truce" or "armistice" as well as "calm" or "quiet", coming from a verbal root meaning "calm". It is sometimes translated as "cease-fire"...
between the Crusaders based in Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
and the Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
sultan al-Mansur (Qalawun
Qalawun
Saif ad-Dīn Qalawun aṣ-Ṣāliḥī was the seventh Mamluk sultan of Egypt...
) in 1283.
In 1291, Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Khalil allocated the town's income to a charitable organization in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.
In the late nineteenth century, al-Kabri was a mid-sized village built of stone. They cultivated the surrounding fields, planting them with fig, olive, pomegranate, mulberry, and apple orchards. It was well-known for its springs, including Ayn Mafshuh, Ayn Fawwar, Ayn al-'Asal, and Ayn Kabri. The number of springs made al-Kabri the main supplier of water in the District of Acre
District of Acre
The Sanjak of Acre was a prefecture of the Ottoman Empire, located in modern-day northern Israel. The city of Acre was the sanjak's capital.Acre was captured by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I in 1517, but the city fell into disuse soon thereafter...
. Ancient aquifers supplied water from the springs to Acre, and two additional canals were built by Jezzar Pasha
Jezzar Pasha
Ahmed al-Jazzar was the Ottoman ruler of Acre and the Galilee from 1775 until his death.-Biography:...
in 1800, and Sulayman Pasha in 1814.
Under the British Mandate in Palestine, al-Kabri's houses were built of stone, mud, and reinforced concrete. The village contained 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...
and a boys' elementary school. Agriculture was the base of the economy with villagers cultivating olives, citrus, and bananas and engaged in animal husbandry, including raising cattle.
1948, and after
Kabri was first badly shaken by the Palmah raid on the village on the night 31 January/1 February 1948, in which the house of the main al-HusayniAl-Husayni
Husayni is the name of a prominent Palestinian Arab clan formerly based in Jerusalem. Several members of the clan held important political positions such as Mayor and Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and founded and led many Palestinian Arab Islamist groups such as the Holy War Army, the Palestine Arab...
-affiliated notable, Fares Sirhan, was demolished. After this, Siran and his family fled to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
On the 27 March 1948 a convoy with reliefs for Kibbutz Yehiam was attacked while passing by Al-Kabri and all 74 Haganah members were killed.
In April 1948, the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
prepared an initial blueprint for an operation called "Ehud", which provided for attacks on Kabri, al Nahar, al-Bassa
Al-Bassa
al-Bassa was a Palestinian Arab village in the British Mandate of Palestine's District of Acre. It was situated close to the Lebanese border, north of the district capital, Akko , and above sea level.-Name:...
and Zib for "the destruction of the gangs [and] the menfolk, [and] the destruction of property.
The village was probably occupied on the night of 20–21 May during the second stage of Operation Ben-Ami, by which time most of the inhabitants had fled.
During their dispersal in Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
some of the villagers were killed when it was discovered that they came from Al-Kabri, in retaliation for the convoy ambush.
According to Palestinian historian Walid 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...
, the remaining structures on the village land in 1992 were "crumbled walls and stone rubble, overgrown with thorns, weeds, and bushes. The settlement of Kabri uses the land adjacent to the site for agriculture and as a pasture."
External links
- Welcome to al-Kabri Palestine Remembered.
- Al-Kabri 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...
- Al-Kabri photos, from Dr. Moslih Kanaaneh