Fara

The village of Fara was situated on a relatively high rocky hilltop facing southeast, overlooking Wadi Qara. Two roads, which passed through nearby villages, connected it to Safad.

In the year 1596, Fara was a village in the nahiya of Jira within the liwa’ of Safad, with a population of 281. It paid taxes on various agricultural products, including wheat, barley, and olives, as well as on other resources such as goats, beehives, vineyards, and a press used for extracting oil or grape juice.

By the late 19th century, the nearby settlement of Qara was located at the base of a large hill and had a population of around 100. Its houses were constructed using basalt stone and mud. Fara itself had a rectangular layout, with its two longer sides oriented in a northeast-southwest direction.

The inhabitants of Fara were all Muslims, who earned their livelihood primarily through livestock raising and agriculture. Grains were the village’s principal crop, but residents also cultivated fruit trees. Their orchards were located to the west and southwest of the village.

In 1944, a total of 3,738 dunums of village land was allocated to the cultivation of grains, and 7 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

The village fell under Israeli control on 30 October 1948, during the final phase of Operation Hiram (see: ‘Arab al-Samniyya, District of Acre). According to research by Israeli historian Benny Morris, the village was captured by units of the 7th (Sheva) Brigade as they advanced across the Upper Galilee, moving from Sa'sa' to al-Malikiyya along a route parallel to the Lebanese border.

Morris does not specify what happened to the village’s inhabitants. However, given the pattern of events in nearby villages, it is likely that they were either expelled or fled in fear, possibly after hearing of the massacres that occurred at the beginning of Operation Hiram. Reports of such massacres spread rapidly throughout the Upper Galilee, prompting many residents to flee. Very few remained.

The Village Today

One stone building, possibly a mosque, still stands at the site, along with a few stone terraces. Overall, the area is overgrown with grass and fig trees. Less than one kilometer to the north lies the Israeli settlement of Bar’on (Grid ref. 192275).

Part of the surrounding land has been planted with fruit trees, such as apple orchards, while the lands on the slopes of the valley remain abandoned and uncultivated.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands

There are no Israeli settlements built directly on the lands of the village.

Source: All That Remains by Walid Khalidi.