Statistic/Fact	Value
Israeli occupation date	October 19, 1948
Distance from district center	21 (km) West of Jerusalem
Elevation from the sea	300(meters)
Map location	See location number #31 on the map
Defenders	Local militia and Egyptian Army/Muslim Brotherhood Battalion
Refugees' migration route	Population most likely ethnically cleansed eastwards to Bethlehem or to the Hebron hills.
Exodus Cause	Military assault by Jewish troops
Village remains after destruction by Israelis	Deir Abban was completely destroyed and defaced, and only house rubble left behind.
Ethnically cleansing by Israelis	Dayr Aban inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed.
Land ownership before occupation	Ethnic Group Land Ownership (Dunums) Arab 21,578 Jewish 376 Public 780 Total 22,734
Land usage in 1945	Land Usage Type Arab (Dunum) Jewish (Dunum) Irrigated & Plantation 1,580 162 Area planted w/ olives 530 0 Planted W/ Cereal 14,925 19 Built up 51 0 Cultivable 16,505 181 Non-Cultivable 5,799 195
Population before occupation	Year Population 1596 127 1922 1,214 1931 1,534 1945 2,100 1948 2,436 Est. Refugees 1998 14,960
Number of houses	Year Number of houses 1931 321 1948 509
Town's name through history	The Romans referred to the Deir Abban by Abenezer.
Religious institutions	Dayr Abban had a mosque called al-'Umari mosque.
Water supplies	A pipeline was constructed to transport water from 'Ayn Marjalayn (5 km to the east).
Archeological sites	Dayr Abban contains three khirbats: Khirbat Jinna'ir, Khirbat Haraza, and Khirbat al-Suyyag.
Exculsive jewish colonies on town's lands	Tzor'a, Machseya, Beyt Shemesh, and Yish'i
Related Maps	خرائط تفصيلية للمحافظة View from satellite Help us map this town at WikiMapia
More Information	Language External Links Arabic PalGates Hebrew Nakba-Online

Bibliography and References

Town Today

According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are:
High piles of stone rubble, collapsed roofs, iron rafters, and parts of standing walls are visible on the site (see photo). A cave at the northern edge has a gate topped with a circular arch. A well with a metal cover can be seen next to a stone arch that stands alone; the rest of this structure is gone.

• Nakba Oral History Podcast: Interview with Abdel Hadi Abdullah Yousef Raba'(Abu Muhamad)
• Nakba Oral History Podcast: Interview with Lafi Uthman Yousef Raba' (Abu Uthman)
• Video Nakba Oral History: Interview with Muhammad Jadallah Shreim