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Welcome To Bayt Jibrin - بيت جبرين (בית ג'יברין)

District of Hebron
Ethnically cleansed days ago
العربية

Google Earth
Picture for Bayt Jibrin Village - Palestine: : That is how the
Gallery (445)
Statistic & Fact Value
Occupation Date October 29, 1948
Distance From District 21 (km) Northwest of Hebron
Elevation 275 (meters)
Before & After Nakba, Click Map For Detailswhat's new
Pre-Nakba Map showing before and after destruction
Pre-Nakba Aerial Viewwhat's new
Pre-Nakba Aerial View
Map Location See location #14 on the map

View from satellite
Military Operation Last stage of Operation Yo'av and in coordination with Operation ha-Har (commanded by the ethnic cleansing champion Yigal Allon).
Attacking Units Giv'ati Brigade
Defenders Egyptian Army
Refugees' Migration Routes Many refugees ended up in refugee camps around Bethlehem and Hebron, and some in 'Aqbit Jabir nearby Jericho. Many of these refugees were cleansed again to Amman's refugee camps after the 1967 war.
Exodus Cause Military assault by Zionist troops
Village Temains Bayt Jibrin was mostly destroyed with the exception of the village Mosque, an unidentified shrine, and few houses, see Pictures section for details.
Ethnically Cleansing Bayt Jibrin inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed.
Pre-Nakba
Land Ownership
Ethnic Group Land Ownership (Dunums)*
Arab 54,962
Jewish 1,008
Public 215
**Total 56,185
*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
**Town Lands' Demarcation Maps
Land Usage
As of 1945
Land Usage Arab (Dunum)* Jewish (Dunum)*
Irrigated & Plantation 2,477 0
Olive Groves 3,500 0
Planted W/ Cereal 30,801 815
Built up 287 0
Arable 33,278 815
Non-Arable 21,612 193
*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
Population
Year Population*
1596 275
19th century 900
1912 1,000
1922 1,420
1931 1,804
1945 2,430
1948 2,819
Est. Refugees 1998 17,310
*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
Number of Houses
Year Number of Houses
1931 369
1948 576
Near By Townswhat's new
Zayta
          ↖
Kudna
↑
(N)
Dayr Nakhkhas
↗        
Bayt Jibrin
            ↙
al-Qubayba
↓
al-Dawayima
↘           
Idna
Town's Name Through History Originally, Bayt Jibrin was founded by the Canaanites, the Israelites referred to it by Beyt Guvrin, the Romans renamed it to Eleutheropolis, then the Crusades called it Beth Giblin.
Places of Warship One mosque (still standing)
Shrines / Maqams One shrine for unknown individual which remains standing to this date.
Nearby Wadies & Rivers Bayt Jibrin is situated south of Wadi Bayt Jibrin
Archeological Sites The village contains mosaic floors from two churches dating to the fourth and sixth centuries, and it was the burial place of Tamim Abu Ruqayya, a companion of the prophet Muhammad.
Exculsive Jewish Colonies
Who Usurped Village Lands		 Beyt Guvrin
Featured Video

Village Before Nakba

The village stood on level ground in the western foothills of the Hebron Mountains, south of a wadi that bore the same name: Wadi Bayt Jibrin. The presence of the wadi facilitated road building and put the village at the intersection of roads leading to Hebron, Jerusalem, Ramla, and al-Faluja (Gaza sub-disctrict). The Arabic name of the village meant 'house of the powerful' and may have been derived from Aramaic. Regional folklore had it that the village was originally inhabited by Canaanites who were said to be a race of giants. Bayt Jibrin was a prominent town in antiquity. Among the Jews it was known as Beyt Guvrin. Bayt Jibrin was first mentioned in Latin sources by Josephus as Betogabra, a village in the heart of Idumea. In A.D. 200, the emperor Septimius Severus granted the town the status of a Roman colony and renamed it Eleutheropolis. It was also granted a large tract of land, the largest in the country at that time. In the fourth century it became a bishopric. The Muslims captured it toward the end of the reign of the first caliph, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (d. A.D. 634). The village was the burial place of a companion of the prophet Muhammad, Tamim Abu Ruqayya. According to the Muslim traveler al-Maqdisi (d. ca. A.D. 990), in A.D. 985 Bayt Jibrin was an emporium for the towns and villages in the surrounding countryside, even though it was in decline at the time. It was later conquered by the Crusaders -who at first mistook it for Bir al-Sabi', and then called it Beth Giblin and built a castle there (in 1137). Yaqut, writing at the beginning of the thirteenth century, referred to Bayt Jibrin as one of the principal towns in Palestine, with a Crusader castle that had been destroyed by Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin). The Mamluk sultan al-Zahir Baybars (1233-1277) captured Bayt Jibrin, ending the Crusaders' control of the village.

Bayt Jibrin prospered during the Mamluk period, and in the late thirteenth century served as a postal station between Gaza and al-Karak (today a town in southern Jordan). A Muslim mystic, Muhammad Ibn Nabhan al-Jibrini, set up a hermitage in it and died there in 1343. Bayt Jibrin was subsequently refortified, once by the Ottomans in 1551 and again by the British during the Mandate. In 1596, Bayt Jibrin was a village in the nahiya of Gaza (liwa' of Gaza), with a population of 275. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, and sesame, as well as on other types of produce, such as goats and beehives. The Syrian Sufi traveler al-Bakri al-Siddiqi, who journeyed in the region in the mid-eighteenth century, reported spending a pleasant night in the village.

In the late nineteenth century, Bayt Jibrin was a large village built of stone and mud and situated in a sheltered position on the slope of a valley. Olive groves extended along the valley to the north. The village, which then had an estimated population of 900 to 1,000, was famous for a number of large caverns nearby. A two-storey stone house that belonged to the headman of the village stood in the center of the village. Baedecker, in his handbook , reported that Bayt Jibrin had 1,000 people in 1912 and that it occupied about one-third of the ancient site.

During the Mandate, Bayt Jibrin served as a commercial and service center for the area's villages. Its population consisted entirely of Muslims. It had two schools, a clinic, a bus stop, and a police station. A weekly market was held there on Tuesdays that attracted customers from neighboring communities. The people of Bayt Jibrin cultivated grain and fruit. Olive trees were planted in the hilly areas around the village. Agriculture was primarily rainfed. In 1944/45 a total of 30,613 dunums was allotted to cereals 2,477 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. Archaeologists working on the site of Bayt Jibrin have recovered mosaic floors from two churches dating to the fourth and sixth centuries A.D., in addition to formerly inhabited caves, burial places, and pigeon towers.

Village Occupation and Ethnic Cleaning

In the earlier stages of the war, when Egyptian forces entered Palestine, the First Battalion of the Egyptian army had been ordered to take up positions in Bayt Jibrin (located on the front lines separating Israeli and Egyptian forces) during the second half of May. In early May, the New York Times correspondent had reported that thousands of Jaffa's inhabitants had fled inland to the Hebron area, 'large numbers of them to become cave dwellers in the historic caves of Bayt Jibrin, northwest of Hebron.'

Israeli sources indicate that the occupation of Bayt Jibrin occurred during the last stage of Operation Yoav . Although Operation Yoav was waged mainly in the southern coastal area (where Israeli forces eventually succeeded in occupying al-Majdal and Isdud), it also involved a thrust by the Giv'ati Brigade into the Hebron hills. Moreover, after 18 October, Operation Yoav was coordinated with Operation Ha-Har, which was a thrust into the southern part of the Jerusalem corridor. Both operations were under the command of Yigal Allon, 'who in all his previous campaigns had left no Arab civilian communities in his wake,' in the words of Israeli historian Benny Morris.

During Operation Yoav, the Giv'ati Brigade was charged with moving north and east towards Hebron, while other Israeli forces were pushing southwards in the direction of Gaza and the Negev. Morris says that Bayt Jibrin had been bombed and strafed at the beginning of Operation Yoav on 15-16 October, but the New York Times reported on 20 October that 'Bayt Jibrin was added to the usual targets of the Israeli air force for the first time last night [18 October],' and it was 'pummeled' again over the next few days. These attacks and a preliminary night raid led to what Morris describes as a 'panic flight' from the village.

The New York Times printed an Israeli military spokesman's comments on the overall aims of the operation. He said that the Israeli army had no intention of capturing Egyptian army strongholds in the area, but 'in operations to cut the roads, some places were so weakened that it seemed the obvious thing to take them.'

Villages such as Dayr al-Dubban (some 6 km to the north) were captured during the northwards push on 23-24 October 1948. Morris records an initial attack on Bayt Jibrin during the night of 24 October 1948, but states that it was not occupied until 27 October. The History of the Haganah puts the initial raid on 26 October and confirms that it was occupied the following day.

When Bayt Jibrin was finally occupied, its capture was considered by the Israelis to be an important military advance on the southern front. The 'Faluja pocket' was created upon its occupation.

After most of Operation Yoav had been completed, some Israeli units continued to advance eastwards in the Hebron area. On 30 October, the New York Times correspondent reported that 'Israeli patrols found that several villages in northern Negeb, between Beit Jibrin and Hebron, were empty and occupied them.' In Gaza sub-disctrict, Israeli units sacked the city of al-Majdal along with a number of satellite villages on 4-5 November 1948. This final thrust was preceded by air raids along the entire length of the southern coastal area.

The village does not seem to have been destroyed upon occupation, at least not immediately. Morris cites the case of Bayt Jibrin in describing Israeli prime minister David Ben Gurion's attitude to the destruction of villages: 'In his diary, Ben Gurion occasionally seems to have deliberately tried to put future historians off the scent. Thus, on 27 October.... he found time to insert the following: 'Tonight our army entered Beit Jubrin.... Yigal [Allon, OC Southern Front] asked [permission] to blow up some of the houses. I responded negatively.'''

Zionists Colonies on Village Lands

The settlement of Beyt Guvrin was established on village lands in 1949, north of the village site.

Village Today

A mosque, an unidentified shrine, and a number of houses are all that remain. The mosque, which is a stone structure, has a flat roof and round-arched high windows on all sides, as well as similarly arched doors. In the back it has a domed porch with a large round arch. It is surrounded by wild vegetation. Some of the houses are inhabited by Jews, while others are deserted. One of the houses-a two-storey stone building with a rectangular door and windows-has been converted into an Israeli restaurant and outdoor cafe, bearing the Arabic name al-Bustan ("the garden"). Prefabricated Israeli houses have been erected near the deserted shrine. The site is overgrown with tall grasses, shrubs, cactuses, and eucalyptus trees. Because of its rich antiquities, the surrounding area has been made into a tourist attraction

Source

Dr. Walid al-Khalidi, 1992: All That Remains.
Related Maps Town Lands' Demarcation Maps
خرائط للقضاء توضح حدود القرى والاودية
Town's map on MapQuest
View from satellite
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More Information مخطط البلد
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Bibliography and References

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Rama Alazzeh Alazzeh Windsor, Canada
كساب كساب -
أويس أبو كريفه حسنية -
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خالد القيسي القيسي بيت لحم, فلسطين
داود الشوابكة - الزرقاء
ابو جواد غطاشة -
Ayman Alshawabkeh - lyon, france
احمد النجار النجار بيت لحم
haya القيسي zarqa, jordan
حمزة غطاشة الشوابكة - عمان , الاردن
طارق يونس الشوابكة AlShawabkeh Amman, Jordan
محمود القيسي القيسي -
راكان القيسي القيسي -
جاسم القيسي القيسي -
الدعاجنة الدعاجنة jordan, jordan
Ayman Alshawabkeh Alshawabkeh -
جمال خليل عبدالعزيز عطاالله عطاالله -
طرشان / الدعاجنه الدعاجنه القدس
مراد غنام الدعاجنة -
نمر امريزيق امريزيق -
Abu Kraifeh ابو كريفه الخليل
خالد الشوابكه الشوابكه il, il
شادي الشوابكة الشوابكة الرياض, السعودية
ابو جنين الشوابكة عمان
AMMAL AL-HMOUZ الحموز AMMAN - JORDAN
خالد امريزيق نمر عطالله امريزيق امريزيق - عمان, الاردن
زاد الحنين لفلسطين - amman, jordan
samih qarqa qarqa berlin
ahmad al - hmouz alhmouz amman, jordan
أبو العبد - -
هيثم أحمد سالم حمّاد الحسنية الحسنية عمان, الأردن
Bayan Abeer Jamil AL AZZEH Belgium, Belgium
حسن العزه العزه الخبر, السعوديه
ghatasheh - عمان, الأردن
محمد عبدالعزيز القيسي القيسي -
عباب العزه الرياض, الرياض
طارق الشوابكة - -
أحمد القيسي - -
سامي اغبارية -
حسان الشوابكة عمان, الاردن
Naman Abou-Awad Abou-Awad Texas, Texas
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نبيل - -
فادي سلمان اشتيلت -
Wesam Abu Diab - -
فارس شحادة اشتيات جرش
بسام غطاشه غطاشه الخليل, الفوار
WASSIM AL AZZEH AL AZZEH UAE, UAE
ناجح العزة بيت لحم
KHALILAZZEH_77 العزه -
abo fahed - amman
azzeh al azzeh -
حسين العره العره الاردن, الاردن
محمد العزة العزة Amman, Jordan
WE WILL RETURN ALAZZEH UAE
عزام صلاح القيسي القيسي جرش, الاردن
محمد مسلم مصلح القيسي القيسي جرش, الجبارات
مهند حسن القيسي القيسي جرش, الجبارات
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بلال القيسي القيسي جرش, الجبارات
محمد القيسي القيسي جرش, الجبارات
مصطفى النجار النجار الزرقاء, الاردن
ريا ض العزه العزه بيت لحم
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وليد غطاشة ghatasheh الاردن
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صلاح هاشم غطاشة شوابكة -
سعيد غطاشة غطاشة -
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ابو اسامة الغبارية الاردن, الاردن
Lubna Al-Azzeh - karnataka, India
تيسير عمرو عمرو دورا
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فراس احمد غطاشة غطاشة الاردن
Ahlam Daraghmeh Daraghmeh Texas, Texas
محمود الحموز - عمان, الاردن
Khalil Atallah Atallah Amman
Wasim - Ramallah, Palestine
rawad al hmouz ALHMOUZ Amman, JORDAN
Dr jihad dadarah joradan, joradan
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مهند العزة العزة فلسطين, فلسطين
عبدالهادي الشوبكي - -
نيفين العزة العزة jordan, الاردن
محمد ابوطربوش - -
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barhamoov ابوطربوش -
Mohammad Hisham Talab Al-azzeh - -
alazahnaser Al-Azzah Aqaba, Jordan
sami alazzeh alazzeh -
Mohammed Abufasha Abufasha أبوفاشه NJ, USA
Osama Alshihabi Alshahaiba Canada, Ontario,
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Abu Basel alazzeh H.K.of Jordan, jordan
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Ahmed Alhmouz - Australia
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