Hebron

Location and Historical BackgroundThe village of Zayta was situated on a hill approximately one kilometer north of Wadi Zina. A dirt path connected it to ‘Iraq al-Manshiyya, which lay along the main east–west road between the coastal city of al-Majdal and Bayt Jibrin. The earlier village, known as Khirbat Zina al-Kharab, was located about 1.5 kilometers south of the village, on the southern bank of the wadi. The population was relocated to the new site during the British Mand

Location and Historical BackgroundThe village of Zakariyya was located on the western slopes of the Hebron mountains, built on undulating land underlain by soft white limestone from the Eocene geological era. It lay adjacent to the road connecting Bayt Jibrin to the Jerusalem–Jaffa highway, and was linked by secondary roads to Bethlehem and several neighboring villages, including Deir al-Dubban, ‘Amur, and Tall al-Safi. The village’s name reflects the cultural continuity of t

Khirbat Umm Burj was located atop a hill that offered a commanding view in all directions. The village’s name likely derives from a tower (Arabic: "burj") that once stood at the center of the site. In the late 19th century, the area was described as a ruined village with a central tower, mistakenly thought at the time to be of recent construction. It is possible that the original, now-lost name included the Greek word "Pyrgos", meaning "tower." Two unpaved roads connected the

The village of Tall al-Safi stood atop a hill rising approximately 100 meters above the surrounding plain, located on the southern edge of Wadi ‘Ajjur, in the western foothills of the Hebron Mountains. A secondary road connected it to the main highway between al-Majdal and the Jerusalem–Jaffa road, which passed to the northwest of the village. Tall al-Safi is one of the many Palestinian sites continuously inhabited since ancient times. It remained populated from the third mil

Location and Historical OverviewThe village of Ra‘na was located on the eastern slopes of the western hills of the Hebron mountains. A secondary road passed through the village, connecting it to the villages of Kudna and Bayt Jibrin to the south. This road led northwest toward the villages of Deir al-Dubban and ‘Ajjur, eventually linking with the main Jerusalem–Jaffa road. According to the American biblical scholar Edward Robinson, who passed through the village in 1838, the

The village of Al-Qubayba was built on a sedimentary elevation in the central coastal plain. A connecting route linked it to the main coastal road located to its west, which led to Gaza, al-Ramla, and other towns. In the late 19th century, Al-Qubayba was described as a mud-brick village situated on a rise of land, surrounded by cultivated orchards and fields bordered with cactus hedges. During the British Mandate period, houses were constructed from mud brick or stone and wer

The village of Mughallis stood atop an elongated hill stretching from east to west, surrounded by a shallow valley. The village overlooked the expanse of the coastal plain to the west and faced the broad mountain range of Jerusalem to the east. A nearby secondary road, once a route for caravans between Bayt Jibrin and al-Ramla, connected these two centers in earlier times. In the year 1596, Mughallis was recorded as a village in the Gaza subdistrict (nahiya) of the Gaza distr

The village of Kedna was situated on the lower slopes of the Hebron Mountains. A secondary road connected it to Bayt Jibrin, located 4 kilometers to the south, and from there extended to Hebron, Bethlehem, and al-Faluja. Other similar secondary and unpaved roads linked the village to neighboring villages in the region. During the Crusader period, Kedna was known by the name Kitna. By the late 19th century, it was a small village situated on a low hill, surrounded by olive tre

The village was built on the summit of a hill underlain by a hard and bright limestone layer overlooking the Beit Jibrin Valley to the north. It was located south of the Hebron–Beit Jibrin–Majdal ‘Amal road and was connected by several secondary roads to neighboring villages. It is possible that the second part of its name is derived from a common Semitic word meaning “copper.” In 1596, Deir Nakhas was a village in the Nahiya of Hebron (district of Jerusalem), with a populati

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing The village was located on a sloping hill at the edge of the western foothills of the Hebron Mountains. Two secondary roads connected it to the nearby villages of 'Ajjur to the northeast and Tall al-Safi to the northwest. These roads eventually led to the main highways linking the cities of Hebron, Ramla, Gaza, and Jerusalem. The village's name is derived from the Arabic word dubbān, meaning "flies." This raises the question of whether, in anci

The village was spread atop a broad rocky ridge on the western slopes of the Hebron Mountains, overlooking Wadi Qubayba to the north and viewing higher hills from the east. Although the terrain generally slopes toward the southern coastal plain, this view was not clearly visible from within the village, as the hills to its west obscured it. The village lay at the crossroads of two secondary roads: one connecting northeast to the village of Idna, and another northwest to the v

The village is located on one of the peaks of the Hebron Mountains' western region, overlooking the west coast, and facing the eastern mountain range. Beit Nattif is one kilometer north of the Bethlehem main road. Some scholars believe that it was located on the site of Taffuh mentioned in the Old Testament (Joshua 15:34). Its modern name is derived from Beyt Letepha which was given to the site during the Roman era. According to Ottoman sources from 1596, Beit Nattif was a vi

Bayt Jibrin was a historic Palestinian village located on flat land near fertile valleys, named after Wadi Bayt Jibrin. It was situated at a crossroads connecting major cities like Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Hebron. The village name is believed to be of Aramaic origin, meaning "house of the mighty." Bayt Jibrin has a deep historical significance, with roots in Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Crusader, and Ottoman eras. During Roman rule (2nd century CE), it became a colony named El

The village was situated on a hill that sloped down from the western foothills of the Hebron Mountains toward the northwest. A dirt road, which became a secondary route near the village of Summil to the southwest, connected Barqusiya to the main road running between the coastal city of al-Majdal and the city of Hebron. In the late 19th century, Barqusiya was a medium-sized village with a pentagonal shape, and its houses were built of stone and mud. In the early decades of the

The village of ‘Ajjur was spread across a hilly area on the western slopes of the Hebron Mountains. A secondary road connected it to the main road running between Bayt Jibrin and the Jerusalem–Jaffa highway. It is believed that two nearby ruins—Jannaba al-Fawqa and Jannaba al-Tahta—were the site of the famous Battle of Ajnadayn in 634 CE, in which Muslim forces defeated the Byzantines. The old architectural style of the village, especially the Waqf building, suggests that mod