Welcome To al-Muftakhira - المفتخرة (אל-מופתח'רה)

District of Safad Ethnically cleansed days ago	العربية Google Earth
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Statistic & Fact

Value

Occupation Date

May 16, 1948

Distance From District

25.5 (km) North East of Safad

Elevation

75 (meters)

Before & After Nakba, Click Map For Details

Pre-Nakba Map showing before and after destruction

Map Location

See location #22 on the map

View from satellite

Military Operation

Operation Yiftach (commanded by the ethnic cleansing champion Yigal Allon)

Attacking Units

The Palmach's First Battalion

Exodus Cause

Fear of Jewish attack, or of being caught in the fighting

Village Temains

The village has been completely destroyed, and only house rubble left behind.

Ethnically Cleansing

al-Muftakhira was ethnically cleansed over two phases: the 1st was in early May and the 2nd was on the 16th of May 1948.

Pre-Nakba
Land Ownership

Ethnic Group	Land Ownership (Dunums)*
Arab	5,414
Jewish	3,596
Public	205
**Total	9,215

*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
**Town Lands' Demarcation Maps

Land Usage
As of 1945

Land Usage	Arab (Dunum)*	Jewish (Dunum)*
Irrigated & Plantation	3,597	0
Olive Groves	2	0
Planted W/ Cereal	924	1,843
Arable	4,521	1,843
Non-Arable	1,098	1,753

*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics

Population

Year	Population*
1931	231
1945	350
1948	406
Est. Refugees 1998	2,493

*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics

Number of Houses

Year	Number of Houses
1931	51
1948	89

Near By Towns

al-Salihiyya ↖	al-Dawwara ↑ (N)
al-Zawiya ←	al-Muftakhira	→ Golan Heights
↙ Hulah Lake		↘ Khiyam al-Walid

Schools

The village had a small school

Exculsive Jewish Colonies
Who Usurped Village Lands

Shamir and Lahavot ha-Bashan

Village Before Nakba

The village was located on flat terrain in the central eastern part of the al-Hula Plain. Its closely clustered houses were built initially of adobe brick roofed with cane, but later houses were built of masonry. All of the residents of al-Muftakhira were Muslims. They had a small school and worked primarily in agriculture. They grew a variety of crops, including wheat, corn, onions, and animal fodder, and drew irrigation water for some of these crops from a stream near the site. Some of them also raised livestock and engaged in fishing, while still others were traders. Many went to the weekly Tuesday market in the neighboring village of al-Khalisa to sell their produce. In 1944/45 they planted a total of 924 dunums in cereals; 3,597 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. A nearby khirba contained the remains of building foundations and walls.

Village Occupation and Ethnic Cleaning

According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, the villagers were dispersed in two waves: one on 1 May and another on 16 May 1948. He attributes the dispersal to the villagers' fear of a Jewish attack or an actual mortar or ground assault. Such assaults were common during Operation Yiftach (see Abil al-Qamh, Safad sub-district). [M:124]

Zionists Colonies on Village Lands

The settlement of Shamir (212285), established in 1944, is on village lands, east of the village site. Lahavot ha-Bashan (210283), established in 1945, is close to the site to the southeast; it is on lands that belonged to the neighboring village of Khiyam al-Walid.

Village Today

Only the stone debris of houses and the occasional ruined wall attest to the former presence of the village. A few eucalyptus trees grow on the site. The site has been turned into an archaeological center, and the surrounding lands are cultivated by Israeli farmers

Source

Dr. Walid al-Khalidi, 1992: All That Remains.

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

Nakba Oral History Interview with Hussein Ibrahim al Masri

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Display Name

Clan/Hamolah

Country of Residence

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