Kafr Misr
Encyclopedia
Kafr Misr is an Arab
village in north-eastern Israel
. Located near Afula
to the south of the Sea of Galilee
, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bustan al-Marj Regional Council
.
The site of Kafr Misr has been inhabited from at least the late Roman
period, with archeological excavations indicating the existence of Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities, at various periods. The village's jurisdiction in 1924 was about 3,300 dunam
s, but today it is about 1,000 dunams. In 2007, it had a population of 2,400. About 66% of the population is under the age of 18.
on a ridge that overlooks the valley of Wadi
Bireh, also known as Nahal Tabor, through which runs the tributary of Nahal Shumar.
Necho II
. The Crusaders
called the village Kaphar Mazre, and due to its unique fertile area and water supply, it became an agriculture center. In maps dating from 1799, its name is recorded as Mavela which means beauty.
According to Adrian Room, the Arab
village was founded by Egyptian immigrants, hence its name. Its name as recorded by the Palestine Exploration Fund
in 1838 is Kefr Misr, whereas Edward Robinson
and Eli Smith
transliterate it as Kefr Musr in 1841. Zimmerman's map from 1861 records its name as Kefr Masr. The transliteration
of its name into English used in this article was used during the period of the British Mandate in Palestine.
given its proximity to Nein
(ancient Nain) and Endor (Indur
). Meroz is a site mentioned in the Song of Deborah and Barak
as having been cursed by the angel of God
for failing to come to the aid of the Israelites.
at the beginning of the 19th century, when Muhammad Ali
temporarily controlled the area.
During a salvage excavation in September 2006, pottery
fragments dating to the Late Roman
or Byzantine
period were discovered in a layer of plaster for what was interpreted to have served as a small pool designed to collect overflow waters from a nearby spring. A synagogue
thought to have been constructed around the same time, in the 3rd century, was excavated between 1948 and 1987, and provides evidence for the existence of a Jewish community inhabiting Kafr Misr then. Renovated in the 4th century, following damage sustained from an earthquake, a Torah
niche was added, which was later replaced by an apse
, suggesting the edifice was converted into a church.
A trial excavation in 2002, carried out some 100 metres (328.1 ft) to the east of the synagogue structure, revealed a number of ancient walls, constructed of small and medium size rocks and plaster, that were founded on the basalt
bedrock. Artifacts collected during this excavation included the rim of bowl from the late Byzantine period (circa 7th century), a jug handle and the neck of a bottle from the Early Islamic period (8th-9th centuries), and a bronze platter dated to the 11th century. The platter, though dated to the Islamic period, was made in the Byzantine style.
In 2004, another excavation carried out prior to construction in an area described as, "the ancient nucleus of the village," which lies some 70 metres (229.7 ft) from the village mosque
, uncovered the remains of a wall built of basalt and limestone at the level of the basalt bedrock. In the soil overtop, a number of pottery fragments dating to the Early Islamic era were recovered. Other sites, such as a theatre and foundations of public places, show further evidence of Christian
habitation, while still others show additional evidence of Muslim
habitation, particularly during the Mamluk
period in the 13th-14th centuries.
Kafr Misr fell under the rule of Muhammed Ali, the Egypt
ian general, between 1831 and 1840, which resulted in Egyptians coming to settle in the village at that time. The dresses worn by Egyptian women differed from the Palestinian costumes
worn by the natives of Palestine
, and were principally distinguished by the donning of a long Egyptian-style veil that generally had a piece of brass or metal connecting it to the headdress. Such differences could still be seen by travellers visiting the village in 1901.
, Israel Galili wrote to Yosef Weitz
recommending that new settlements be established at the site of a number of Arab villages, including Kafr Misr, 'as soon as possible'. Norman Finkelstein
, quoting Benny Morris
, notes this recommendation was made even though most of the sites had not yet been abandoned by their inhabitants. During the war, on May 20, the Arab Higher Committee
(AHC) ordered the evacuation of Kafr Misr and other villages in the vicinity of Mount Gilboa (al-Dahi, Nein
, al-Tira, Taiyiba, and Na'ura
). According to Benny Morris
, the AHC, "apparently feared that they intended to throw in their lot with the Yishuv
."
Israeli forces of the Golani Brigade
entered Kafr Misr in June 1948, surprising the men of the village, who were asked by the commander to turn over their weapons in half an hour or they would be forced to leave. According to the commander, eight rifles were handed over with a promise to deliver more the next day and the men requested, "permission to continue the harvest and to [be able to] move freely to Nazareth
. I said they would receive an answer after they delivered the arms." Morris notes that elsewhere, other Golani troops behaved differently. The settlement of Ein Dor
was established just adjacent to Kafr Misr that same month.
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....
village in north-eastern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located near Afula
Afula
Afula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:...
to the south of the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bustan al-Marj Regional Council
Bustan al-Marj Regional Council
The Bustan al-Marj Regional Council is a regional council in northern Israel. Its territory lies adjacent to the Jezreel Valley and north of Afula. The area includes four Arab villages:*Ed Dahi*Kafr Misr*Nein*Sulam-External links:* *...
.
The site of Kafr Misr has been inhabited from at least the late Roman
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....
period, with archeological excavations indicating the existence of Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities, at various periods. The village's jurisdiction in 1924 was about 3,300 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, but today it is about 1,000 dunams. In 2007, it had a population of 2,400. About 66% of the population is under the age of 18.
Location
The village of Kafr Misr is situated about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southeast of Mount TaborMount Tabor
-Places:*Mount Tabor, a hill in Israel near Nazareth believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of ChristIn the United States:*Mount Tabor, Indiana, an unincorporated community...
on a ridge that overlooks the valley of Wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
Bireh, also known as Nahal Tabor, through which runs the tributary of Nahal Shumar.
Name
The Bustan El Marj Regional Council website transcribes the village's name as Kufur Masser and translates kufur as "village" and masser as "Egypt", writing that the name originated with the ancient Egyptians who invaded the area in 605 BC under the rule of the PharaohPharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Necho II
Necho II
Necho II was a king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt .Necho II is most likely the pharaoh mentioned in several books of the Bible . The Book of Kings states that Necho met King Josiah of the Kingdom of Judah at Megiddo and killed him...
. 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...
called the village Kaphar Mazre, and due to its unique fertile area and water supply, it became an agriculture center. In maps dating from 1799, its name is recorded as Mavela which means beauty.
According to Adrian Room, the 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 was founded by Egyptian immigrants, hence its name. Its name as recorded by the Palestine Exploration Fund
Palestine Exploration Fund
The Palestine Exploration Fund is a British society often simply known as the PEF. It was founded in 1865 and is still functioning today. Its initial object was to carry out surveys of the topography and ethnography of Ottoman Palestine with a remit that fell somewhere between an expeditionary...
in 1838 is Kefr Misr, whereas 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:...
and Eli Smith
Eli Smith
Eli Smith was an American Protestant Missionary and scholar, born at Northford, Conn. He graduated from Yale in 1821 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1826. He worked in Malta until 1829, then in company with H. G. O. Dwight traveled through Armenia and Georgia to Persia. They published...
transliterate it as Kefr Musr in 1841. Zimmerman's map from 1861 records its name as Kefr Masr. The transliteration
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
of its name into English used in this article was used during the period of the British Mandate in Palestine.
Biblical associations
In The Lands of the Bible Visited and Described (1847), John Wilson identifies Kefr Muṣr as the site of ancient MerozMeroz
Meroz, Of unknown origin. refugeThought to be a city within the plains of Galilee north of Mt. Tabor in Israel which was cursed by the angel of God in the song of Deborah and Barak; whose inhabitants did not come to help the Israelites in battle against Sisera's army...
given its proximity to Nein
Nein
Nein is an Arab village in Israel that forms part of the Bustan al-Marj Regional Council in the Lower Galilee. Located south of Nazareth, Nein covers a land area of approximately 1,000 dunums. Its total land area consisted of 3,737 dunums prior to 1962. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of...
(ancient Nain) and Endor (Indur
Indur
Indur was a Palestinian village, located southeast of Nazareth. Its name preserves that of ancient Endor, a Canaanite city state thought to have been located to the northeast. The village was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and its inhabitants became refugees, some of whom were...
). Meroz is a site mentioned in the Song of Deborah and Barak
Deborah
Deborah was a prophetess of Yahweh the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, counselor, warrior, and the wife of Lapidoth according to the Book of Judges chapters 4 and 5....
as having been cursed by the angel of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
for failing to come to the aid of the Israelites.
History
Ancient sites in the village show the centrality of its role at various times in history. According to the Bustan Al Marj Regional Council, the current inhabitants of Kafr Misr include the descendants of those who have lived there for hundreds, even thousands of years, while others descended from those who came to the village from EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
at the beginning of the 19th century, when Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali of Egypt
Muhammad Ali Pasha al-Mas'ud ibn Agha was a commander in the Ottoman army, who became Wāli, and self-declared Khedive of Egypt and Sudan...
temporarily controlled the area.
During a salvage excavation in September 2006, pottery
Palestinian pottery
Pottery in Palestine refers to pottery produced in Palestine throughout the ages, and pottery produced by modern-day Palestinians.-Continuity through the ages:...
fragments dating to the Late Roman
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....
or Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
period were discovered in a layer of plaster for what was interpreted to have served as a small pool designed to collect overflow waters from a nearby spring. A synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
thought to have been constructed around the same time, in the 3rd century, was excavated between 1948 and 1987, and provides evidence for the existence of a Jewish community inhabiting Kafr Misr then. Renovated in the 4th century, following damage sustained from an earthquake, a Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
niche was added, which was later replaced by an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
, suggesting the edifice was converted into a church.
A trial excavation in 2002, carried out some 100 metres (328.1 ft) to the east of the synagogue structure, revealed a number of ancient walls, constructed of small and medium size rocks and plaster, that were founded on the basalt
Basalt
Basalt 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...
bedrock. Artifacts collected during this excavation included the rim of bowl from the late Byzantine period (circa 7th century), a jug handle and the neck of a bottle from the Early Islamic period (8th-9th centuries), and a bronze platter dated to the 11th century. The platter, though dated to the Islamic period, was made in the Byzantine style.
In 2004, another excavation carried out prior to construction in an area described as, "the ancient nucleus of the village," which lies some 70 metres (229.7 ft) from the village 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...
, uncovered the remains of a wall built of basalt and limestone at the level of the basalt bedrock. In the soil overtop, a number of pottery fragments dating to the Early Islamic era were recovered. Other sites, such as a theatre and foundations of public places, show further evidence of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
habitation, while still others show additional evidence of 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...
habitation, particularly during 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...
period in the 13th-14th centuries.
Kafr Misr fell under the rule of Muhammed Ali, the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian general, between 1831 and 1840, which resulted in Egyptians coming to settle in the village at that time. The dresses worn by Egyptian women differed from the Palestinian costumes
Palestinian costumes
Palestinian costumes are the traditional clothing worn by Palestinians. Foreign travelers to Palestine in the 19th and early 20th centuries often commented on the rich variety of the costumes worn, particularly by the fellaheen or village women...
worn by the natives of 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....
, and were principally distinguished by the donning of a long Egyptian-style veil that generally had a piece of brass or metal connecting it to the headdress. Such differences could still be seen by travellers visiting the village in 1901.
1948 war
Prior to the outbreak of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war1948 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...
, Israel Galili wrote to Yosef Weitz
Yosef Weitz
Yosef Weitz was the director of the Land and Afforestation Department of the Jewish National Fund. From the 1930s, Weitz played a major role in acquiring land for the Yishuv, the pre-state Jewish community in Palestine.-Biography:...
recommending that new settlements be established at the site of a number of Arab villages, including Kafr Misr, 'as soon as possible'. Norman Finkelstein
Norman Finkelstein
Norman Gary Finkelstein is an American political scientist, activist and author. His primary fields of research are the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust. He is a graduate of Binghamton University and received his Ph.D in Political Science from Princeton University...
, quoting Benny 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...
, notes this recommendation was made even though most of the sites had not yet been abandoned by their inhabitants. During the war, on May 20, the Arab Higher Committee
Arab Higher Committee
The Arab Higher Committee was the central political organ of the Arab community of Mandate Palestine. It was established on 25 April 1936, on the initiative of Hajj Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, and comprised the leaders of Palestinian Arab clans under the mufti's...
(AHC) ordered the evacuation of Kafr Misr and other villages in the vicinity of Mount Gilboa (al-Dahi, Nein
Nein
Nein is an Arab village in Israel that forms part of the Bustan al-Marj Regional Council in the Lower Galilee. Located south of Nazareth, Nein covers a land area of approximately 1,000 dunums. Its total land area consisted of 3,737 dunums prior to 1962. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of...
, al-Tira, Taiyiba, and Na'ura
Na'ura
Na'ura is an Israeli-Arab village located in Israel's North District. It lies within the municipal jurisdiction of the Gilboa Regional Council. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 1,700 inhabitants in 2005....
). According to Benny 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...
, the AHC, "apparently feared that they intended to throw in their lot with the Yishuv
Yishuv
The Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
."
Israeli forces of the 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...
entered Kafr Misr in June 1948, surprising the men of the village, who were asked by the commander to turn over their weapons in half an hour or they would be forced to leave. According to the commander, eight rifles were handed over with a promise to deliver more the next day and the men requested, "permission to continue the harvest and to [be able to] move freely to 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...
. I said they would receive an answer after they delivered the arms." Morris notes that elsewhere, other Golani troops behaved differently. The settlement of Ein Dor
Ein Dor
Ein Dor is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 688.-History:...
was established just adjacent to Kafr Misr that same month.