Khiyam al-Walid
Encyclopedia
Khiyam al-Walid was a Palestinian
Arab
village in the District of Safad
located 25.5 kilometres (15.8 mi) northeast of Safad along the Syria
n border. It was on situated on a hill 150 metres (492.1 ft) above sea level on the eastern edge of the Hula Valley. In 1945, there were 280 predominantly Muslim
inhabitants. It was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine War
.
is translated as "the tents of al-Walid", believed to be a reference to the tents of Khaled ibn al-Walid's army
which conquered the Levant
from the Byzantine Empire
in the 7th century. According to local tradition, within the village was tomb for a Muslim
sage, Shaykh ibn al-Walid. The tomb was enclosed by a shrine that formed part of Khiyam al-Walid's mosque
.
In modern times, Khiyam al Walid was classified as a hamlet by the Palestine Index Gazeteer. During the British Mandate period, it had rectangular layout with its 42 houses lined up along the road leading to the nearby village of az-Zawiya
. Khiyam al-Walid expanded to the east where spring water—which was preferred over the malaria
-infested marshes of Lake Hula—was available. In a 1945 survey, the village was made up of a total 4,215 dunam
s. Despite its entire population being Arab
, 92% of its land was Jewish-owned.
According to an Israel
i military report in June 1948, Khiyam al-Walid's inhabitants had fled the village on May 1 due to fears of a military attack by Haganah
or other Jewish forces. It was occupied in the same relative period during the last stages of Operation Yiftach
. Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
wrote of the remains of the village in 1992, saying "The site is deserted and overgrown with grass and thorns. There are a few carob trees, piles of stones, and crumbled terraces."
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 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:...
located 25.5 kilometres (15.8 mi) northeast of Safad along the 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....
n border. It was on situated on a hill 150 metres (492.1 ft) above sea level on the eastern edge of the Hula Valley. In 1945, there were 280 predominantly 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...
inhabitants. It was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine War
1948 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:...
.
History
The name of the village in ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
is translated as "the tents of al-Walid", believed to be a reference to the tents of Khaled ibn al-Walid's army
Rashidun army
The Rashidun Caliphate Army or Rashidun army was the primary military body of the Rashidun Caliphate's armed forces during the Muslim conquests of the 7th century, serving alongside the Rashidun Navy...
which conquered the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
from the Byzantine Empire
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...
in the 7th century. According to local tradition, within the village was tomb for a 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...
sage, Shaykh ibn al-Walid. The tomb was enclosed by a shrine that formed part of Khiyam al-Walid's 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...
.
In modern times, Khiyam al Walid was classified as a hamlet by the Palestine Index Gazeteer. During the British Mandate period, it had rectangular layout with its 42 houses lined up along the road leading to the nearby village of az-Zawiya
Az-Zawiya
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...
. Khiyam al-Walid expanded to the east where spring water—which was preferred over the malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
-infested marshes of Lake Hula—was available. In a 1945 survey, the village was made up of a total 4,215 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. Despite its entire population being 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...
, 92% of its land was Jewish-owned.
According to an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i military report in June 1948, Khiyam al-Walid's inhabitants had fled the village on May 1 due to fears of a military attack by 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 :...
or other Jewish forces. It was occupied in the same relative period during the last stages of Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach was an offensive of the Israeli Haganah between 28 April and 29 May 1948 aimed at capturing the eastern Galilee. The central objectives were the capture of Safed and the securing of the Lebanese and Syrian borders before the British Mandate ended on 14 May 1948...
. 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...
wrote of the remains of the village in 1992, saying "The site is deserted and overgrown with grass and thorns. There are a few carob trees, piles of stones, and crumbled terraces."
External links
- Welcome To Khiyam al-Walid
- Khiayam al-Walid 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...