Indur
Encyclopedia
Indur was a Palestinian
village, located 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi) southeast of Nazareth
. Its name preserves that of ancient Endor
, a Canaan
ite city state thought to have been located 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) to the northeast. The village was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
and its inhabitants became refugees, some of whom were internally displaced. In Israel
today, there are a few thousand Internally displaced Palestinians
who hail from Indur, and continue to demand their right of return
.
city of Endor
mentioned in the Bible
as the place King Saul encountered a known medium
. While a few scholars believe that Indur is the actual site of ancient Endor, many believe that Khirbet Safsafa, located 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) to the northeast, is a more likely candidate.
("district") of Lajjun
with a population of twenty-two. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley and olive
s, as well as goats and beehives.
By the late nineteenth century, the village was made of adobe
bricks, built against a steep hillside. To the east of the village there were several caves.
In Ottoman
era Palestine
, an elementary school was founded in Indur, but was closed during the British Mandate in Palestine. Sheikh Tawfiq Ibrahim, one of the leaders of the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine and an associate of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
, was from Indur.
The village was occupied by Israel
's Golani Brigade
on May 24, 1948. The Golani Brigade went on "cleansing and defending" the area until early June.
held by Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel
, the annual right of return
march led to Indur. Jewish Israelis joined in the march and the event received coverage by Israeli cable and Arab satellite TV stations.
Endor's former residents and their descendents number a few thousand from among the tens of thousands of internally displaced Palestinians
within Israel today.
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...
village, located 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi) southeast of Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
. Its name preserves that of ancient Endor
Endor (village)
Endor was a Canaanite city which is listed in the Book of Joshua as one of the cities with its dependencies that the Israelites failed to dispossess. It is located between the Hill of Moreh and Mount Tabor in the Jezreel Valley....
, a Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
ite city state thought to have been located 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) to the northeast. The village was depopulated 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...
and its inhabitants became refugees, some of whom were internally displaced. In Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
today, there are a few thousand Internally displaced Palestinians
Internally displaced Palestinians
A present absentee is a Palestinian who fled or was expelled from his home in Palestine by Jewish or Israeli forces, before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, but who remained within the area that became the state of Israel. Present absentees are also referred to as internally displaced...
who hail from Indur, and continue to demand their right of return
Palestinian right of return
The Palestinian right of return is a political position or principle asserting that Palestinian refugees, both first-generation refugees and their descendants, have a right to return, and a right to the property they or their forebears left or which they were forced to leave in what is now Israel...
.
Etymology
The name of this village preserves that of the ancient CanaaniteCanaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
city of Endor
Endor (village)
Endor was a Canaanite city which is listed in the Book of Joshua as one of the cities with its dependencies that the Israelites failed to dispossess. It is located between the Hill of Moreh and Mount Tabor in the Jezreel Valley....
mentioned in the Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
as the place King Saul encountered a known medium
Witch of Endor
The Witch of Endor, sometimes called the Medium of Endor, was a woman who called up the ghost of the recently deceased prophet Samuel, at the demand of King Saul of the Kingdom of Israel in the First Book of Samuel, chapter...
. While a few scholars believe that Indur is the actual site of ancient Endor, many believe that Khirbet Safsafa, located 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) to the northeast, is a more likely candidate.
History
In 1596, Indur was a part of the Ottoman nahiya ("subdistrict") of Shafa under the liwa'Liwa (arabic)
Liwa or Liwa is an Arabic term meaning district, banner, or flag, a type of administrative division. It was interchangeable with the Turkish term "Sanjak" in the time of the Ottoman Empire. After the fall of the empire, the term was used in the Arab countries formerly under Ottoman rule...
("district") of Lajjun
Lajjun
Lajjun was a Palestinian Arab village of nearly 1,300 people located northwest of Jenin. The village along with nearby Umm al-Fahm and seven hamlets, had a total land area of 77,242 dunams or , of which were built-up, while the rest was used for agricultural purposes...
with a population of twenty-two. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley and olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s, as well as goats and beehives.
By the late nineteenth century, the village was made of adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
bricks, built against a steep hillside. To the east of the village there were several caves.
In Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
era Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, an elementary school was founded in Indur, but was closed during the British Mandate in Palestine. Sheikh Tawfiq Ibrahim, one of the leaders of the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine and an associate of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Sheikh Muhammad Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was a Tijani Sufi who led militant activities against British, French, and Zionist organizations in the Levant in the 1920's and 1930's.-Early life:...
, was from Indur.
The village was occupied by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's Golani Brigade
Golani Brigade
The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the...
on May 24, 1948. The Golani Brigade went on "cleansing and defending" the area until early June.
Today
During the 2004 commemorations of Nakba DayNakba Day
Nakba Day is generally commemorated on May 15, the day after the Gregorian calendar date for Israeli independence day...
held by Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel refers to citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, and whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab....
, the annual right of return
Palestinian right of return
The Palestinian right of return is a political position or principle asserting that Palestinian refugees, both first-generation refugees and their descendants, have a right to return, and a right to the property they or their forebears left or which they were forced to leave in what is now Israel...
march led to Indur. Jewish Israelis joined in the march and the event received coverage by Israeli cable and Arab satellite TV stations.
Endor's former residents and their descendents number a few thousand from among the tens of thousands of internally displaced Palestinians
Internally displaced Palestinians
A present absentee is a Palestinian who fled or was expelled from his home in Palestine by Jewish or Israeli forces, before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, but who remained within the area that became the state of Israel. Present absentees are also referred to as internally displaced...
within Israel today.
See also
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
- List of villages depopulated during the Arab-Israeli conflict
External links
- Welcome To Indur
- The District of Nazareth at Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
- Ndoor Dr. Moslih Kanaaneh