Cannabaceae

Al-Burayj
البريج'
Etymology: The little tower[1]
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Al-Burayj (click the buttons)
Al-Burayj is located in Mandatory Palestine
Al-Burayj
Al-Burayj
Location within Mandatory Palestine
Coordinates: 31°44′25″N 34°55′52″E / 31.74028°N 34.93111°E / 31.74028; 34.93111
Palestine grid143/127
Geopolitical entityMandatory Palestine
SubdistrictJerusalem
Date of depopulationNot known[4]
Area
 • Total19,080 dunams (19.08 km2 or 7.37 sq mi)
Population
 (1945)
 • Total720[2][3]
Current LocalitiesSdot Micha[5]Sdot Micha Airbase[5]

Al-Burayj or Bureij, lit. 'little tower',[6] was a Palestinian Arab village in the Jerusalem Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on October 19, 1948, during the first phase of Operation Ha-Har. The village was located 28.5 km west of Jerusalem.

History[edit]

Late Ottoman period[edit]

In 1838 el-Bureij was noted as a Muslim village, located in er-Ramleh district.[7]

In 1863 Victor Guérin noted it as a village of 200 inhabitants. The Sheikh's house was described as "fairly large and fairly constructed"; the others, less so. Tobacco plantations were spread around. He also noted large ancient blocks, which, it was said, originated from Kh[irbet] Tibneh, just to the north.[8]

Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 that buredsch had a population of 116 in a total of 41 houses, though that population count included men, only. It was further noted that it was located between Mughallis and Saydun.[6] Hartmann found that el-buredsch had 40 houses.[9]

In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described El Bureij as: "A small village on high ground, having a high house or tower in the middle, from which it is named."[10]

British Mandate[edit]

In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Buraij had a population of 398; all Muslims,[11] increasing in the 1931 census to 621; 7 Christians and 614 Muslims, in a total of 132 houses.[12]

In the 1945 statistics, the village had a population of 720; 10 Christians and 710 Muslims,[2] with a total of 19,080 dunums of land.[3] Of this, 31 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 77 were for irrigable land or plantations, 9,426 for cereals,[13] while 14 dunams were built-up (urban) Arab land.[14]

Al-Burayj's had a mosque named al-'Umari Mosque, and it was also home to a Greek Orthodox monastery.[15]

1948, aftermath[edit]

During Operation Ha-Har, between the 19 and 24 October 1948, the Harel Brigade captured several villages, among them Bureij. The villagers fled, or were expelled eastwards.[16]

Following the war, the area was incorporated into the State of Israel. In 1955 the moshav of Sdot Micha was established on land that had belonged to al-Burayj, south of the village site.[5]

Large part of the village land is now a military base called Sdot Micha Airbase, which is inaccessible to the public.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 267
  2. ^ a b Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 24
  3. ^ a b c Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 56 Archived 2008-08-05 at the Library of Congress Web Archives
  4. ^ Morris, 2004, p. xix, village #272. Gives both cause and date of depopulation as "Not known"
  5. ^ a b c d Khalidi, 1991, p. 282
  6. ^ a b Socin, 1879, p. 149
  7. ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 120
  8. ^ Guérin, 1869, p. 30
  9. ^ Hartmann, 1883, p. 140
  10. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 8
  11. ^ Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramleh, p. 21
  12. ^ Mills, 1932, p. 19
  13. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 102
  14. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 970, p. 152
  15. ^ Khalidi, 1991, pp. 281-282
  16. ^ Morris, 2004, p. 466

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

One thought on “Cannabaceae

  1. Well, that’s interesting to know that Psilotum nudum are known as whisk ferns. Psilotum nudum is the commoner species of the two. While the P. flaccidum is a rare species and is found in the tropical islands. Both the species are usually epiphytic in habit and grow upon tree ferns. These species may also be terrestrial and grow in humus or in the crevices of the rocks.
    View the detailed Guide of Psilotum nudum: Detailed Study Of Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern), Classification, Anatomy, Reproduction

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