al-Zuq al-Tahtani

The village of Al-Zuq al-Tahtani was located near the Lebanese border, in an area that sloped southward toward the Hula Plain. It lay approximately one kilometer east of the main road connecting Safad (Safed) and Tiberias, at the intersection of secondary roads that linked it to numerous neighboring villages.

The origin of the first part of the village’s name, Al-Zuq, is uncertain, though it may derive from the Syriac word "Zuq", meaning “town.” The second part of the name, al-Tahtani (meaning “Lower”), distinguished it from its namesake, Al-Zuq al-Fawqani (“Upper”), located to the southeast.

Al-Zuq al-Tahtani had a circular layout, with houses built along several roads radiating outward from the village center. Several springs flowed to the northwest of the village. In the southern part of the village stood a water-powered mill. The residents cultivated olive trees on the northern and western slopes, and fruit trees to the west.

In 1944, a total of 1,286 dunums of land was used for cereal cultivation, and 503 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. The presence of reused stone columns, wall remnants, and an olive press indicates that the site was inhabited in antiquity. Within a 2-kilometer radius, several ruins and hills further attest to the historical appeal of the area as a place of settlement.

Occupation and Depopulation

The psychological warfare campaign launched by the Palmach during Operation Yiftach accelerated the departure of many residents of Eastern Galilee, including those of Al-Zuq al-Tahtani. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, a direct military assault on the village contributed to the population’s displacement. This attack took place on 21 May 1948.

The Village Today

Scattered stones from destroyed homes remain across the site, now overgrown with wild grass, thorns, and patches of cactus. Residents of the nearby Israeli settlement of Yuval cultivate part of the surrounding land; the rest is divided between forested areas and grazing fields.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands

There are no Israeli settlements established entirely on the lands of the former village. However, the settlement of Yuval, established in 1952, lies very close to the site to the northeast. It is situated at the junction of lands that once belonged to the villages of Abil al-Qamh, al-Sittariyya, and Al-Zuq al-Tahtani. The settlement of Kfar Giladi, founded in 1916, is located approximately one kilometer west of the village site.

Source: All That Remains by Walid Khalidi.