'Arura

‘Arura (Arabic: عاروره, ‘Arūrā) is a Palestinian town located in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the northern West Bank, north of Ramallah. Most of the village is situated 500 meters above sea level.[3]

'Arura
Municipality type C
Arabic transcription(s)
'Arura
'Arura
'Arura is located in State of Palestine
'Arura
'Arura
Location of 'Arura within Palestine
Coordinates: 32°02′30″N 35°10′18″E
Palestine grid166/160
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateRamallah and al-Bireh
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total3,107
Name meaningp.n.[2]

History

Pottery sherds from the IA I, IA II, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Crusader/Ayyubid eras have been found here.[4]

Near, and within the village are three shrines dedicated to Sheikh Radwan, Sheikh Ahmad, and al-Khidr. Al-Khidr's shrine, in the center of the village, has no relation to al-Khidr, and his simply dedicated to a holy man with the same name. Al-Khidr or Saint George is revered throughout Palestine in several towns and villages. Sheikh Ahmad's shrine is to the west of 'Arura.[5]

The Shrine of Sheikh Radwan bin 'Ulayl al-Arsufi, built during the Ayyubid rule of interior Palestine, is located to the southwest of the village situated on a hill roughly 600 meters (2,000 ft) above sea level. Not much is known about Radwan, except that his family was from Arsuf and he was an important man in the area that died in Egypt and was transferred to 'Arura for his burial. Muslim scholars suggested that Sheikh Radwan was from the 'Ulayl family. An Arabic inscription written in typical rural Ayyubid style, on the shrine's surface reads that he was transferred to "blessed Syria" (in early Islamic times, Palestine was a province of Syria). A mosque was constructed adjacent to the shrine.[5]

Pottery sherds from the Mamluk era have also been found here.[4]

Ottoman era

In 1596 'Arura appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa of Quds. It had a population of 62 households, all Muslim, who paid a fixed tax rate of 33,3% on agricultural products, including on wheat, barley, olive trees, vineyards and fruit trees, goats and/or beehives; a total of 12,000 akçe. 1/6 of the revenue went to a Waqf.[6][7]

In 1838 'Arurah was noted as a Muslim village, part of the Beni Zeid area, located north of Jerusalem.[8]

Victor Guérin visited the village in the late 19th century, and found it to have about 350-400 inhabitants. He also observed fragments of columns and other indications of an ancient town. There were also threshing-floors which appeared ancient.[9]

Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 that Arura had a total of 91 houses and a population of 300, though the population count included men, only.[10][11]

In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described the village, called Arara, as being a small, on high ground, and remarkable for having five sacred places on the west side of the village.[12]

In 1896 the different parts of Arura was estimated to have about 237, 99 and 204 inhabitants; in all a population of 540 persons.[13]

British Mandate era

In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, 'Arura had a population of 426 Muslim,[14] increasing in the 1931 census to 566 Muslim, in 131 houses.[15]

The 1945 statistics found 660 Muslim inhabitants,[16] with a total land area of 10,978 dunams.[17] Of this, 7,095 were used for plantations and irrigable land, 787 for cereals,[18] while 26 dunams were classified as built-up areas.[19]

Jordanian era

In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, 'Arura came under Jordanian rule.

In 1961, the population of 'Arura was 1,337.[20]

Post 1967

Since the Six-Day War in 1967, 'Arura has been under Israeli occupation.

There was a sharp decrease in the population from 1961 to 1982, caused by nearly half of 'Arura's inhabitants fleeing the village in the 1967 Six-Day War.[3] In 1997, 'Arura had a population of 2,087, of which 30 residents (1.4%) were Palestinian refugees.[21] The gender make-up was 1,069 males and 1,018 females.[21]

Shrines

Near and within 'Arura are three shrines dedicate to Sheikh Radwan, Sheikh Ahmad, and al-Khidr. Al-Khidr's shrine, in the center of the village, has no relation to al-Khidr and his simply dedicated to him. Al-Khidr or Saint George is revered throughout Palestine in several towns and villages. Sheikh Ahmad shrine is to the west of 'Arura.[22]

The Shrine of Sheikh Radwan bin 'Ulayl al-Arsufi, built during the Ayyubid rule of interior Palestine, is located to the southwest of the village situated on a hill roughly 600 meters above sea level. Not much is known about Radwan, except that he was an important man — whose ancestors were from Arsuf — in the area that died in Egypt and was transferred to 'Arura for his burial. Muslim scholars suggested that Sheikh Radwan was from the 'Ulayl family. An Arabic inscription written in typical rural Ayyubid style, on the shrine's surface reads that he was transferred to "blessed Syria" (in early Islamic times, Palestine was referred to as a province in Syria). A mosque was constructed adjacent to the shrine.[22]

Geography

'Arura is located in the Bani Zeid area of central Samaria, situated 500 meters above sea level. It is 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest of Ramallah and 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Ajjul. Other nearby localities include Mazari an-Nubani to the northeast, Deir as-Sudan to southeast, Kafr Ein to the east, and Abwein to the southwest.[23] In 1945, 'Arura's total land area was 10,978 dunams, of which was 26 were built-up areas and 2,550 used for olive groves.[24]

Demographics

In the 1922 British survey of Palestine, 'Arura had 426 inhabitants rising to 566 in the 1931 census.[3] There were 660 residents in 1945, according to Sami Hadawi's land and population survey.[24] There was a sharp decrease in the population from 1961 to 1982, caused by nearly half of 'Arura's inhabitants fleeing the village in the 1967 Six-Day War.[3] In 1997, 'Arura had a population of 2,087, of which 30 residents (1.4%) were Palestinian refugees.[25] The gender make-up was 1,069 males and 1,018 females.[26] According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of approximately 2,967 in mid-year 2006 and 3,107 by 2017.[1][27]

References
  1. Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  2. p.n.; "The letters p.n. (proper name) after a name, mean either that it is a common Arabic personal appellation, or that it is a word to which no meaning can be assigned ; the former will be at once recognized by the Arabic scholar, the latter will form interesting problems for future investigation.", according to Palmer, 1881, pp. preface,225
  3. Welcome To 'Arura Palestine Remembered.
  4. Finkelstein, 1997, p. 466
  5. Sharon, 1997, pp. 121 -123
  6. Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 112
  7. Toledano, 1984, p. 288, has 'Arura at location 35°09′50″E 32°02′30″N.
  8. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 125
  9. Guérin, 1875, p. 170, partly translated in Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 303
  10. Socin, 1879, p. 144
  11. Hartmann, 1883, p. 107 noted 80 houses
  12. Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 289
  13. Schick, 1896, p. 124
  14. Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramallah, p. 16
  15. Mills, 1932, p. 47.
  16. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 26
  17. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 64
  18. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 111
  19. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 161
  20. Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 24
  21. Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).
  22. Sharon, Moshe. (1997). Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, Volume I BRILL, pp.121-123.
  23. Satellite view of 'Arura
  24. Hadawi, Sami. (1970). Ramallah District Statistics. p.64.
  25. Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).
  26. Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
  27. Projected Mid -Year Population for Ramallah & Al Bireh Governorate by Locality 2004- 2006 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).

Bibliography
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