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Welcome To 'Ayn Karim - عين كارم (עין כארם)

District of Jerusalem
Ethnically cleansed days ago

العربية

Google Earth
Picture for 'Ayn Karim Village - Palestine: : A tour of Palestinian homes that were looted by the
Gallery (962)
Statistic & Fact Value
Occupation Date July 18, 1948
Distance From District 7.5 (km) West of Jerusalem
Elevation 650 (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 #20 on the map

View from satellite
Attacking Units Irgun Zvai Leumi, Gadna (Haganah Youth Battalions) and the Home Guard.
Defenders Local militia
Exodus Cause Military assault by Zionist troops
Village Temains Ein Karim mostly survived the destruction which plagued the neighboring villages, many of its houses are currently occupied by Israeli Jewish settlers, and some house are occupied by Palestinian Chistians families who were ethnically cleansed out of Iqrit, northeast of Acre.
Ethnically Cleansing Some 150 Palestinian internal refugees families were resettled in the village, however, the original residents were completely ethnically cleansed.
Clans The clans of Zagaab, al-Harith, al-Thouwar, Hazin, & Ali.
Pre-Nakba
Land Ownership
Ethnic Group Land Ownership (Dunums)*
Arab 13,449
Jewish 1,362
Public 218
**Total 15,029
*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
**Town Lands' Demarcation Maps
Land Usage
As of 1945
Land Usage Arab (Dunum)* Jewish (Dunum)*
Irrigated & Plantation 7,953 7
Olive Groves 4,300 0
Planted W/ Cereal 1,175 24
Built up 1,024 680
Arable 9,128 31
Non-Arable 3,515 651
*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
Population
Year Population*
1596 160
1922 1,735
1931 2,637
1945 3,180
1948 3,689
Est. Refugees 1998 22,653
*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
Number of Houses In (1931): 555 (includes 'Ayn al-Rawwas and 'Ayn al-Khandaq)
Near By Townswhat's new
al-Qastal
         
Qalunya

(N)
Dayr Yasin
       
Sataf  
   Jerusalem
           
al-Jura
           
al-Maliha
Town's Name Through History During the Crusades period, Ein Karim was known as St. Jehan de Bois.
Schools Ein Karim had two elementary schools, one was for boys and the other for girls.
Town's Notable People al-Shaykh 'Isa Mannun, who was dean of the Islamic Foundation College at al-Azhar University in Egypt, and also Salih al-Sobani the first Palestinian martyr in 1936 rebellion (1st intifadah).
Local Council 'Ayn Karim had a local council which ran its administrative affairs.
Places of Warship Since 'Umar Ib al-Khatab visited and prayed in the village soon after the Muslim Arab conquest in the 7th century, a mosque has been erected for this occasion (which remains standing to this date). The village also has several churches and monasteries including a Church for John the Baptist, the Franciscan monastery, the Church of the Visitation, the Convent of Saint Zecharia, and the Church of the Lady of Sahyun and her tombs, see Pictures section for details.
Nearby Wadies & Rivers Wadi Ahmad crossed the village.
Water Supply The spring or 'Ayn Maryam used to provide the village with fresh water supplies.
Exculsive Jewish Colonies
Who Usurped Village Lands
Beyt Zayit, Even Sapir, 'En Karem, the home for Hadassah hospital, and the municipality of West Jerusalem.
Featured Video

Village Before Nakba

The village was divided into a terraced upper section and a lower section that lay in a valley, below and west of the upper section. The terrace projected from hills that rose above the site to the east. Below the site to the west was a broad, flat valley; the hills themselves faced west (see photos). The westward-flowing Wadi Ahmad crossed the village and irrigated the olive orchards in the village's northern lands. Ayn Karim was considered a suburb of Jerusalem and was linked by a paved road to the Jerusalem−Jaffa highway, which passed 3 km to the north of it. Archaeological evidence indicates that the village site was occupied as early as the second millenium B.C. Tradition identifies Ayn Karim as the birthplace of John the Baptist, and it is also said that Christ and the Virgin Mary visited Ayn Karim several times. It is believed that the third caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, passed by the village and held prayers in it at some time during the Islamic conquest. During the Crusades the village was called St. Jehan de Bois. Ottoman records indicate that in 1596 Ayn Karim was a village in the nahiya of Jerusalem (liwa' of Jerusalem) and had a population of 160. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat and barley, as well as on other types of produce and property, such as goats, beehives, molasses, and vineyards.

In the early nineteenth century the British traveler James Buckingham reported that there were Christians in this small village, and that the valleys in its vicinity abounded with olive trees. Later in that century, travelers noted the presence of the Franciscan Church of St. John, which was housed in a convent to the east. Another convent (for the Sisters of Zion) and a recently built chapel flanked the village on the west and south. The Survey of Western Palestine notes that, further to the west, a Russian hospice was under construction in 1882, that the Franciscans had established a school for boys, and that the Sisters of Zion ran a school and an orphanage for girls. At the turn of the century, several people who were born in the village went on to achieve positions of prominence, including Shaykh 'Isa Mannun, who at one point was dean of the College of Islamic Foundations at al-Azhar University in Egypt. Ayn Karim is said to have been the secret operations center for the forces of the well-known Palestinian leader Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini from 1936 to 1939.

Ayn Karim was the largest village in the Jerusalem sub-disctrict, both in area and population. Its houses were built of limestone and chalk and with typically arched frames over their doors and windows. Of the estimated 3,180 people who lived in Ayn Karim in 1945, 2,510 were Muslims and 670 were Christians. The population was made up of five clans or hamula s; each had a courtyard where members of the hamula and their guests gathered to socialize and celebrate special occasions. Drinking water was supplied by a number of springs. The village had two elementary schools (one for boys and another for girls), a bookstore, and a pharmacy. It also had several athletic and social clubs, including a boy scouts organization. The villagers attended theatrical performances, including plays by the Palestinian artist and singer Nuh Ibrahim, who had been exiled to Ayn Karim from his hometown in northern Palestine because he had been active in the struggle against the British Mandate. Other sources of entertainment and information in the village included an open air movie theater and a radio in the village cafe, which was hooked up to loudspeakers so that large numbers of people could listen to it. ['Atiyya, forthcoming]"

Ayn Karim had a local council which ran its administrative affairs. Although the village was situated in a mountainous area, there were some flat lands to the north (especially in an area called al-Marj), where vegetables and fruit trees were planted. The villagers built terraces on the slopes in order to maximize agricultural production. Olive and fruit trees and vineyards were planted on the mountain slopes. In 1944 a total of 1,175 dunums was allocated to cereals; 7,953 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. In addition to agriculture, the people of 'Ayn Karim engaged in handicrafts and a few small-scale industries; for example, the village had a plant for bottling mineral water. There were several monasteries and churches, the most prominent among them the Church of John the Baptist (also called the Church of St. Johanna) which is said to be built on the grotto where he was born. Other Christian institutions included the Franciscan monastery, the Church of the Visitation, the Convent of Saint Zecharia, and the Church of the Lady of Sahyun and her tombs. There was also a mosque, named after 'Umar, the second Muslim caliph, with a minaret near Ayn Maryam.

Village Occupation and Ethnic Cleaning

Ayn Karim was encircled by a military unit whose members were drawn from a variety of forces, including the Irgun Zvai Leumi, Gadna (Haganah Youth Battalions) and the Home Guard. This occurred during the Ten Days between the two truces of the war (9−18 July 1948), when the Israelis strove to consolidate their position southwest of Jerusalem. The History of the War of Independence states that the village was first bombarded from two nearby hilltops that overlook it, one of which was later named Mount Herzl. But while Israeli historian Benny Morris claims that its residents 'abandoned' the village on 11 July, the Haganah account indicates. that it fell around a week later. An Israeli spokesman announced on 13 July that their forces had occupied Ayn Karim, but a later New York Times report indicated that the village was occupied the following week, during the morning of 18 July. The Israeli commander of the Jerusalem area was quoted on 22 July as saying that the 'crusader's fortress of Ein Karim' was captured between the truces. Arab officials charged that the attack on Ayn Karim was a violation of the Jerusalem truce, but the Israeli army reportedly reached agreement with the Truce Commission that the village was not covered by the special ceasefire for the Holy City.

The attack on Ayn Karim started at 2:00 a.m. on 18 July, when the Israelis stormed the height of Jabal Rab overlooking 'Ayn Karim. At 9:00 a.m., the village fell 'without a struggle,' according to the New York Times correspondent, who proceeds to tell us that the Arab Legion and Egyptian army stationed there offered only 'feeble resistance.' But it is most unlikely that units of either army (let alone both) would have been in the village at this time. The correspondent, however, implied that the inhabitants of the village, 'the traditional birthplace of John the Baptist,' had left earlier, and only a few shots were fired at a lone Arab 'soldier' as he fled. Morris states that some villagers had already fled Ayn Karim in April, following the massacre at Deir Yasin (Jerusalem sub-district), which is located 2.5 km to the northeast.

The mass movement of Jewish immigrants to Jerusalem began at the end of December 1948. Some 150 families settled in Ayn Karim, which was made a part of the municipal Israeli West Jerusalem.

Zionists Colonies on Village Lands

Israel established the settlements of Beyt Zayit and Even Sapir on village land in 1949. The agricultural school of 'En Karem was also established on village land in 1950. The rest of the village lands were annexed by the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem.

Village Today

'Ayn Karim was one of the very few villages to survive its depopulation with its buildings intact. The others were Tarbikha (Acre sub-disctrict); Ayn Hawd, Balad al-Shaykh, and al-Tira (Haifa sub-disctrict); al-Safiriyya (Jaffa sub-disctrict); and Deir Yasin and al-Maliha (Jerusalem sub-disctrict). The village houses are inhabited by Jewish families. One Christian Arab family, exiled from the village of Iqrit (Acre sub-district) in 1949, lives in the village, in an old school building attached to the Franciscan monastery. Some of the larger houses are beautiful limestone buildings, two or three storeys high, with arched windows and doors recessed into a larger arched facade (see photos section). Some doors open onto balconies with metal railings. There are seven Christian churches and monasteries in the village. There is also a Christian cemetery beside the Russian monastery; a Muslim cemetery in the center of the village, covered with refuse and dirt, contains a prominent tomb with a large structure. The village mosque, in a state of disrepair, still stands with its minaret. The spring of Ayn Maryam flows out of the mosque courtyard. An Israeli hospital, Hadassa, has been built on the village site. Israeli tourist facilities with hotels and swimming pools have been built northeast of the village.

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
Help us map this town at WikiMapia
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More Information مخطط البلد
في كتاب كي لا ننسى
في كتاب بلادنا فلسطين
المزيد من موقع هوية

Bibliography and References

Want to browse more? 80,000 pictures were grouped in these gallaries:

Display Name Clan/Hamolah Country of Residence
Razan Abu Rouza - Jordan, Jordan
Lama Obeid Ali -
ola sulaiman ali -
عبد الرحمن عيد - جبل الهاشمي الشمالي, الأردن jordan
شكري محمود منون الظوار عمان, الاردن
JOHN MURPHY ALI GRAND PRARIRE,USA
سعدي ابوطارق العكرماوي ال على dallas, usa
ابو محمد الحارث عمان, الاردن
Mohammad Ismail - -
محمد المشني علي عمان
عبد الحميد محمد بحلق بشق - زغب الأردن, الأردن
عامر سمرين ال علي -
belal.web.jo آل علي عمان , الاردن
zaid ismail زغب -
Abdullah al-Zoghbi ali Riyadh - Amman, KSA - JORDAN
RAIF HZAYEN ALI DAMMAM , KSA
akram eid ali -
ابو جلال ال حارث الرياض, الرياض
amjad - -
Rasha Mustafa Hamzeh Al Ali -
جمال عوده abo sharaf عوده الصالح jordan, jordan
abuasshad - -
محمود محمد التعمري - الخبر
Anas Farhan Al Dwar -
ابراهيم اسماعيل اسماعيل رام الله, فلسطين
عبد السلام الحارث -
BONITO - amman
محمد درباس زغب الاردن, الاردن
Qusay Hozayen - -
فادي إسعيد زغب DUBAI- U.A.E
leeza zeidan zaghab -
s SUHAILAH DWAR AMMAN, JORDAN
Rana - Ramallah
وليد الغباري السباح -
s - Jordan
Ismail Sumrain Ali nsw, Austuralia
shorouq ismail zaghab -
Anas Saeed زغب -
Mohammad Qasim Ali -
عبدالحميد هادي ال علي Amman, Jordan
راغب قصراوي عمان , الاردن
raed ekermawe eseed zagab amman, jordan
بيت المقدس - الأردن
Rula Ali amman, jordan
Ahmed Waheeb Rabe'ah Zaghab Amman, Jordan
Lubna Wardeh - -
كفاح معروف العكرماوي - -
kefah m al ekrmawi خلف القدس
m-huzayen al ali jordan, jordan
شمس الدين شموسي العكرماوي السباح -
ISLAM ABUSALEM - AMMAN, JORDAN
Isra' Al Bakri zaghab victoria, australia
S.Hz - -
ابوطارق العكرماوي - tx, usa
ammar abu rouza zaghab -
AngieOfdie Al THWAR _AL MASHNE amman, jordan
eslam123 علي ammman, jordan
عطا شحادة الحارث عمان, الاردن
ch3ban yasur -
رحال - jordan, jordan
Murad Hamzeh Ali -
Roula - -
طلال بهاء زكي الزرقا Zaghab,Al-zarka Uae, Dubai
bahaa aLZARKA Za'3ab (AlZarka) -
Sobhi Shaikh Skaikh Qatar, Qatar
Dana Ismail Zaggab Jordan, Jordan
Abo mazen Ali k.s.a (riyadh), k.s.a (riyadh)
nadia Alsoubani soubani/salem -
mahmoud ismail - -
mayoos ali amman
sally omar 2al Zahagb Abu-Dhabi, UAE
Omar 2al Zahgb Amman, Jordan
Palestirebel - Ontario, Canada
Mohammad Ibraheem Mustafa Ali - -
Mohammed Tayseer Abu Hadhood Ali Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Faten Zeidan Zaghab Ontario, Canada
Aladdin Mousa Sabah Sweden
Nida Khallad zagab UAE
mustafa heyaba Ali new jersy, united states
Ibrahim Hzayen Ali California, United States
tariq abusalem abusalem -
eman alsoubani soubani -
Pattol Zeidan Hazin -
james KARMY KARMY USA
Fida Khallad Zaghab -
Stevie Hazin Ali NY, NY
Firas Hamzeh Ali Jordan, Jordan
Abdelhakim Hamzeh Ali -
Legend F - Aleppo, Syria
Mustafa Zeidan Aal Zagaab Victoria, Australia
Ala`a Soubani Al- Dwar Amman, Jordan
Khali Ishabib Ali Dubai, UAE
Tawfic Farhan Al Dwar -
dr.wisam hzayen ali amman, jordan
Hesham Hazin Ali NJ, USA
alladin abdduh Abdduh BC, Canada
mohammad al_a3raj - -
Ignacio Carmi Karmy - Santiago, Chile
Tariq F. Zeidan zaghab ON, Canada
Ghadah Obeid Ali Amman, Jordan
Moustafa Hazin Ali (dar Haboob) NJ, USA
MightyN Zaghab -
Abdallah Wadi WADI U.S.A.
isam shalan ALDWAR KHOBAR, SAUDIA ARABIA
mustafa zeidan Aal Zagaab Ca, USA
hussam huzayen - saudi arabia
Ismail Nowarah - Amman, Amman
Nidal Ismail Hozien Hazin FL, USA
Ribhi Huzien Hazin -
Mohammad Zeidan Zaghab Indiana, USA
Jeffry Jihad - Johore, Malaysia
bilal ghani ocupied teritories, palestine
Yasin AL Sofanah - sa
koko al-eamar amman, jordan
Farhan Naser - Al-Khobar, KSA
0000 lobye saudi arabia, ksa
Lina Waheeb Zaghab Amman, Jordan
mazen asha alhareth -
Moustafa Hazin Haboob USA
bassam nasryah alhareth ksa, saudi arabia
Mahmoud Farhan Al Dwar Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Mansour Al Dwar Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Rafik al-Sabah al-Hareth ksa, Saudi Arabia
Ghassan Hozayen Ali Amman, Jordan
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