| I'billin | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • Hebrew | אעבלין |
| • ISO 259 | ʔiˁblin |
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | إعبلين |
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 I'billin
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| Coordinates: 32°49′20.64″N 35°11′31.77″E / 32.8224000°N 35.1921583°ECoordinates: 32°49′20.64″N 35°11′31.77″E / 32.8224000°N 35.1921583°E | |
| District | North |
| Government | |
| • Type | Local council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 18,000 dunams (18 km2 or 7 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 11,000 |
I'billin (Hebrew: אעבלין, Arabic: إعبلين)[1] is an Arab town in the Northern District of Israel, near Shfaram.[2] In December 2006, the population was 11,000. 'Ibillin was granted municipal status in 1960. The municipality's area is 18,000 dunams. Most of the residents are Arab Israelis, both Muslim and Palestinian Christian.
Contents |
History[edit]
Archaeological excavations in the centre of the village has indicated a continuos inhabitation from the Iron age (9th century BCE) to the Mamluk period (14th century CE).[3]
Nasir Khusraw visited the place in 1047 C.E.: "From Damum we passed south to another village, called A'bilin, where there is the tomb of Hud -peace be upon him! -which I visited. Within the enclosure here is a mulberry tree, and there is likewise the tomb of the prophet Uzair -peace be upon him! -which I also visited."[4]
The population in 1859 was stated by Consul Rogers to have been 800 souls, and the tillage fifty feddans.[5]
In 1875, the French explorer Victor Guérin visited the village. He estimated the population at 600, divided equally between Moslems and "Greek Christians", the latter subdivided into United Greeks and "Schismatic Greeks". He noted that the latter had a church dedicated to St. George.[6]
In 1881, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it as "A village on high ground with gardens beneath it on the south, and a spring ('Ain 'Afieh) about half a mile to the south. There is a minaret to the mosque which is a conspicuous object. This mosque and a wall to the town are said to have been built by el Hajj Yusef, one of the family of the Zeidaniyin, according to an Arabic inscription on the wall of the mosque. The houses in the village are principally of stone; wells occur south of the hill, with olives near them. Some of the inhabitants are Greek Christians."[5]
The village is sacred to Catholics as the birthplace of Mariam Baouardy, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1983.[7]
Akil Aga, a Bedouin sheikh from Egypt who ruled the area, built a fortress in Ibillin.[8] He is buried in the village, as well as the family of Dhaher el-Omar.
In 1945 the population of I'billin was 1,660, all Arabs, who owned 18,632 dunams of land according to an official land and population survey.[9] 2,367 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 8,628 used for cereals,[10] while 95 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[11]
Education[edit]
In 1965 Abuna Elias Chacour, an Arab Christian from Kafr Bir'im, later Archbishop of Galilee, established a school open to all local children, regardless of religious affiliation. This developed into the Mar Elias Educational Institutions, an educational complex consisting of a kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, high school, college and university. The educational complex is located on Jabal al-Ghoul (Hill of Demons), on property belonging to the Melkite Church. The hill has been renamed Jabal al-Nour (Hill of Light).[12]
"Mar Elias University" was established in 2003, claiming to be the first Arab university in Israel, though it is not officially holding a University status. It is recognized by the Council for Higher Education in Israel as a campus and operates as a branch of the University of Indianapolis in the United States.[12]
Notable residents[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ From a personal name, according to Palmer, 1881, p. 105
- ^ Kashti, Or (2008-09-08). "Mar Elias schools: Investing in excellence". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
- ^ Abu Raya, 2012, ‘Ibillin Preliminary Report
- ^ Nasir Khusraw quoted in le Strange, 1890, p. 382.
- ^ a b Conder and Kitchener, 1881, p. 269
- ^ Guérin, 1880, p. 420 -421, as translated by Conder and Kitchener, 1881, p. 270
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Sailors in the Holy Land". Books.google.co.il. 2005-05-15. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in S. Hadawi, Village Statistics, 1945. PLO Research Center, 1970, p. 48
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in S. Hadawi, Village Statistics, 1945. PLO Research Center, 1970, p. 90
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in S. Hadawi, Village Statistics, 1945. PLO Research Center, 1970, p. 140
- ^ a b "On campus at Ibillin". Mec.sahrat.net. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
Bibliography[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: I'billin |
- Abu Raya, Rafeh (2012-04-19), ‘Ibillin Preliminary Report (124), Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel
- Conder, Claude Reignier; Kitchener, Herbert H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology 1. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Guérin, Victor (1880). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine. Vol 3; Galilee, pt. 1.
- Hadawi, Sami (1970), Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine, Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center
- Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
- Palmer, E. H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- le Strange, Guy (1890), Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500, Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, London,
External links[edit]
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