Rantiya
Encyclopedia
Rantiya was a Palestinian
village, located 16 kilometers east of Jaffa
. During the British Mandate in Palestine, it had a population of approximately 600 inhabitants.
Those inhabitants became refugee
s after a 10 July 1948 assault by Israel
i forces from the Palmach
's Eighth Armored Brigade and the Third Infantry Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
.
Of the over 100 houses that made up the village, only three remain standing today. The Jewish localities of Mazor
, Nofekh
, and Rinatia
are located on Rantiya's former lands.
and Semsem were the site of Hospitaller castles of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta.
During early Ottoman rule in Palestine, the revenues of the village of Rantiya were in 1557 designated for the new waqf
of Hasseki Sultan Imaret
in Jerusalem, established by Hasseki Hurrem Sultan (Roxelana
), the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent
. In 1596, Rantiya was a village in the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Ramla ( liwa'
("district") of Gaza), with a population of 132. Villagers paid taxes to the authorities for the crops that they cultivated, which included wheat
, barley
, fruit, and sesame
as well as on other types of property, such as goat
s and beehive
s.
In the late nineteenth century, Rantiya was described as a small village built of adobe
bricks. At that time a main road passed right next to it.
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 16 kilometers east of Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
. During the British Mandate in Palestine, it had a population of approximately 600 inhabitants.
Those inhabitants became 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...
s after a 10 July 1948 assault by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i forces from the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
's Eighth Armored Brigade and the Third Infantry Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade
Alexandroni Brigade
The Alexandroni Brigade is an Israel Defense Forces brigade that fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Along with the 7th Armoured Brigade both units had 139 killed during the first battle of Latrun - Operation Ben Nun Alef .The unit is currently a reserve unit.-Katz controversy:In 1998, Teddy Katz...
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...
.
Of the over 100 houses that made up the village, only three remain standing today. The Jewish localities of Mazor
Mazor
Mazor is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Sharon plain around three kilometres south-east of Petah Tikva and covering 2,300 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2007, it had a population of 1,100....
, Nofekh
Nofekh
Nofekh is a communal Israeli settlement in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 371....
, and Rinatia
Rinatia
Rinatia is a moshav in central Israel. Located between Petah Tikva and Yehud, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 854....
are located on Rantiya's former lands.
History
During the Crusader era, Rentie, along with other coastal towns such as DeirelcobebeAl-Qubayba
al-Qubayba was a Palestinian village, located 24 kilometers northwest of Hebron.-History:Known in Crusader times as Deirelcobebe, the ruins of the ancient Canaanite city of Lachish lay adjacent to the village, which was subject to extensive archaeological excavations by the British Mandatory...
and Semsem were the site of Hospitaller castles of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta.
During early Ottoman rule in Palestine, the revenues of the village of Rantiya were in 1557 designated for the new waqf
Waqf
A waqf also spelled wakf formally known as wakf-alal-aulad is an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law, typically denoting a building or plot of land for Muslim religious or charitable purposes. The donated assets are held by a charitable trust...
of Hasseki Sultan Imaret
Hasseki Sultan Imaret
Hasseki Sultan Imaret was an Ottoman public soup kitchen established in Jerusalem to feed the poor during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent...
in Jerusalem, established by Hasseki Hurrem Sultan (Roxelana
Roxelana
Haseki Hürrem Sultan was the wife of Süleyman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire.-Names:Sixteenth-century sources are silent as to her maiden name, but much later traditions, for example Ukrainian folk traditions first recorded in the 19th century, give it as "Anastasia" , and Polish...
), the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
. In 1596, Rantiya was a village in the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Ramla ( 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 Gaza), with a population of 132. Villagers paid taxes to the authorities for the crops that they cultivated, which included wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, fruit, and sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
as well as on other types of property, such as goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s and beehive
Beehive
A beehive is a structure in which bees live and raise their young.Beehive may also refer to:Buildings and locations:* Bee Hive, Alabama, a neighborhood in Alabama* Beehive , a wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings...
s.
In the late nineteenth century, Rantiya was described as a small village built 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. At that time a main road passed right next to it.
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 Rantiya
- Rantiya 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...