Az-Zawiya
Encyclopedia
az-Zawiya is a Palestinian
town in the Salfit Governorate
in the northern West Bank
, located 15 kilometers west of Salfit
and 24 kilometers south of Qalqilya. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
, az-Zawiya had a population of approximately 5,100 inhabitants in mid-year 2006. The town's population is made up of primarily three families: Shuqeir (45%), Muqadi (30%) and Raddad (20%), while the remaining 5% consists of Palestinian refugee
families such as, Shamlawi, Rabi and Yusif.
az-Zawiya contains an ancient monastery called Deir Qassis and some Roman ruins. Agriculture is the town's main economic sector with olives, figs, almonds, lentils and wheat being the primary crops. There is over 2,700 dunam
s of land making up az-Zawiya's jurisdiction, of which 900 is built-up area. Sheep is main livestock grazed in az-Zawiya. There is also small industry such as sewing, carpentry and metal-working and there are over 120 shops in the town. The Second Intifada has drastically decreased revenue from agricultural exports to Israel
and Jordan
, slashing prices in half.
az-Zawiya is governed by a municipal council
whose members are elected every four years. The town has been a municipality since 1996. Mayor Taleb Raddad (Abu al-Adeeb) has been elected mayor every elections, serving for three terms. az-Zawiya has two medical clinics, two boys' schools and two girls' schools. az-Zawiya will be surrounded on 4 sides with the completion of the separation barrier
forming the az-Zawiya enclave.
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 Salfit Governorate
Salfit Governorate
The Salfit Governorate is one of 16 Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority. It is located in the northwestern West Bank, bordered by the governorates of Ramallah and al-Bireh to the south, Nablus to the east and Qalqilya in the north as well as, Israel to the west. Its district capital...
in the northern 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 15 kilometers west of Salfit
Salfit
Salfit also spelled Salfeet is a Palestinian town in the central West Bank. Salfit is located at an altitude of in the central Samarian highlands adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Ariel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the City had a population of 8,796 in 2007....
and 24 kilometers south of Qalqilya. 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....
, az-Zawiya had a population of approximately 5,100 inhabitants in mid-year 2006. The town's population is made up of primarily three families: Shuqeir (45%), Muqadi (30%) and Raddad (20%), while the remaining 5% consists of Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
families such as, Shamlawi, Rabi and Yusif.
az-Zawiya contains an ancient monastery called Deir Qassis and some Roman ruins. Agriculture is the town's main economic sector with olives, figs, almonds, lentils and wheat being the primary crops. There is over 2,700 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 land making up az-Zawiya's jurisdiction, of which 900 is built-up area. Sheep is main livestock grazed in az-Zawiya. There is also small industry such as sewing, carpentry and metal-working and there are over 120 shops in the town. The Second Intifada has drastically decreased revenue from agricultural exports to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, slashing prices in half.
az-Zawiya is governed by a municipal council
Municipality (Palestinian Authority)
In the territories administrated by the Palestinian Authority, a municipality is an administrative unit of local government similar to a city. They were established and decided after the creation of the Local Government Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority in 1994. All municipalities are...
whose members are elected every four years. The town has been a municipality since 1996. Mayor Taleb Raddad (Abu al-Adeeb) has been elected mayor every elections, serving for three terms. az-Zawiya has two medical clinics, two boys' schools and two girls' schools. az-Zawiya will be surrounded on 4 sides with the completion of the separation barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...
forming the az-Zawiya enclave.