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Bani Zeid (Arabic: بني زيد) is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, located 22 kilometers northwest of Ramallah in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of approximately 6,200 inhabitants in mid-year 2006.[1] Bani Zeid's municipal boundaries include the villages of Deir Ghassaneh and Beit Rima.[2]
[edit] History
The town is named after the Arab tribe of Bani Zeid, who settled in the town during Ayyubid rule of Palestine in the 1100s. They formed a part of the Bedouin forces from the Hejaz in Saladin's army. After the Siege of Jerusalem, Saladin's Muslim forces captured the city and the Ayyubid army was garrisoned there.[2]
In order for Saladin to persuade the Arab tribes — that came from the Hejaz to join his army — to remain in Palestine, he offered each tribe to settle and govern some villages captured from the Crusaders. The Bani Zeid settled in the town, as well as, the nearby town of Qarawat Bani Zeid in 1293, after the Mamluks came to power.[2]
[edit] References
