Sinjil
Encyclopedia
Sinjil is a Palestinian
town located 21 kilometres (13 mi) northeast of Ramallah
in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
in the central West Bank
. The village is surrounded by the village of Turmus Ayya
and the Israeli settlement
of Shilo.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
, the town had a population of approximately 5,236 in 2007. The gender makeup consisted of 2,668 males and 2,568 females. There were 1,029 housing units and the average household size was 5.4.
The French
Count Raymond VI of Toulouse
built a castle in Sinjil to protect the passage of passing caravans. The modern town receives its name from the Crusader town of St. Gilles. Other historical sites in the town include a well for Joseph
and a holy site for Jacob
. The shrine of a holy man, Abu Ouf, is also located there. Abu Ouf is from the time period of the Caliph
Umar Ibn al-Khattab.
During Ottoman
rule in the early 19th century, Sinjil was a village of 206 taxable men, roughly 800 people. One-eight of the population were conscripted into the Ottoman army, but were still taxed for 800 people.
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 located 21 kilometres (13 mi) northeast of Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
The Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate is one of 16 Governorates of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It covers a large part of the central West Bank, on the northern border of the Jerusalem Governorate. Its district capital or muhfaza is the city of al-Bireh.According to the Palestinian Central...
in the central 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...
. The village is surrounded by the village of Turmus Ayya
Turmus Ayya
Turmus Ayya is a Palestinian town located in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the West Bank. Its surrounding villages are Sinjil , Khirbet Abu Falah and the Israeli settlement of Shilo...
and the Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
of Shilo.
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....
, the town had a population of approximately 5,236 in 2007. The gender makeup consisted of 2,668 males and 2,568 females. There were 1,029 housing units and the average household size was 5.4.
The French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Count Raymond VI of Toulouse
Raymond VI of Toulouse
Raymond VI was count of Toulouse and marquis of Provence from 1194 to 1222. He was also count of Melgueil from 1173 to 1190.-Early life:...
built a castle in Sinjil to protect the passage of passing caravans. The modern town receives its name from the Crusader town of St. Gilles. Other historical sites in the town include a well for Joseph
Joseph (Hebrew Bible)
Joseph is an important character in the Hebrew bible, where he connects the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Canaan to the subsequent story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt....
and a holy site for Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
. The shrine of a holy man, Abu Ouf, is also located there. Abu Ouf is from the time period of the Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Umar Ibn al-Khattab.
During 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...
rule in the early 19th century, Sinjil was a village of 206 taxable men, roughly 800 people. One-eight of the population were conscripted into the Ottoman army, but were still taxed for 800 people.