Al-Dawayima

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al-Dawayima
Arabic	الدوايمة
Also Spelled	ad-Dawayima
District	Hebron
Population	3,710 (1945)
Jurisdiction	60,585 dunams (60.6 km²)
Date of depopulation	October 29, 1948
Cause(s) of depopulation	Military assault by Jewish forces
Current localities	Amatzya

al-Dawayima (Arabic: الدوايمة‎) was a Palestinian town, located 18 kilometers northwest of the city of Hebron. It is identified with the Old Testament town of Bosqat. According to a 1945 census, the town's population was 3,710, and the village lands comprised a total land area of 60,585 dunums of which nearly half was cultivable. The population figures for this town also included the populations of nearby khirbats, or ancient villages.

1 Culture
2 1948 Arab-Israeli War
3 The Town Today
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Culture

A womans thob (loose fitting robe with sleeves) dated to about 1910 that was produced in Al-Dawayima is part of the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) collection at Santa Fe. The dress is of handwoven blue indigo linen. The embroidery is in predominantly red silk cross-stitch, with touches of violet, orange, yellow, white, green and black. The upper half of the qabbeh (the square chest panel) is embroidered with alternating columns of diamonds, (a pattern known as el-ferraneh), and eight-pointed stars, (called qamr ("moons")). The lower half of the qabbeh is in the qelayed ("necklaces") pattern. The side-panels of the skirt are completely covered with embroidered columns. Among the patterns used here are: nakhleh ("palm") motif, ward-wil-aleq ("rose-and-leech") and khem-el-basha ("the pashas tent"). Each column is topped with various trees. There is no embroidery on the long, pointed sleeves. (Stillman, p. 56-57)

[edit] 1948 Arab-Israeli War

Al-Dawaymima was captured by Israel's Eighth Brigade led by the founder of the Palmach, Yitzhak Sadeh, during Operation Yoav on October 29, 1948. It was the site of the al-Dawayima massacre in which 80-100 people were killed including women and children. The Jewish town of Amatzya is located on lands belonging to the former town.

[edit] The Town Today

According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi :

"The site has been fenced in. A cowshed, a chicken coop, and granaries have been built at its center (which has been levelled). The southern side of the site contains stone terraces and the remnants of a house. The eastern side is occupied by the residential area of the moshav."

[edit] References

Morris, Benny (2003). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-00967-7
Stillman, Yedida Kalfon (1979): Palestinian costume and jewelry, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, ISBN 0-8263-0490-7 (A catalog of the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) at Santa Fe's [1] collection of Palestinian clothing and jewelry.)