Deir Dibwan
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| Deir Dibwan | |
| Arabic | دير دبوان |
| Name Meaning | "Devan's Monastery" |
| Government | Village Council |
| Also Spelled | Deir Debwan (officially)
Dayr Debwan (unofficially) |
| Governorate | Ramallah & al-Bireh |
| Population | 6,930 (2006) |
| Jurisdiction | dunams |
Deir Dibwan (Arabic: دير دبوان is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics the town had a population of approximately 6,930 inhabitants in mid-year 2006.[1] There 5,016 people from Deir Dibwan living abroad.[2] Deir Dibwan was built on the ruins of Tel-Ai after it was destroyed by Joshua in 1090 B.C.
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[edit] Name
The word "Deir" means monastery (church or temple) and the word "dibwan" came from the name of the missionary "devan" or "debwa" or "bwan" that was in charge of this monastery. In the old days, monasteries were named after the missionary name and that’s where "Deir Dibwan" was derived from.
[edit] Archeological discoveries
Et-Tell is a mound located about 10 mi north-northeast of Jerusalem – just west of the village of Deir Dibwan. The site was excavated at various times by different anthropologists. The most prominent remains – very extensive – are from the Early Bronze Age. There was a small unwalled village here during the Iron Age. This site, primarily because of its location in relation to Beitin (biblical Bethel), is often identified with biblical Ai – a ruin or city that is mentioned in the Patriarchal and Joshua narratives. The problem with this identification is that no one was living here at the time of the conquest of Joshua (ca. 1400 B.C. [early date] or 1250 B.C. [late date]). Alternative sites for "Ai" have been suggested, but it is still the most probable site.
[edit] Economy
Deir Dibwan was originally founded as an agricultural village that has grown dramatically over the last ten years and developed into a thriving town. Deir Dibwan is filled with supermarkets, delis, a sweet shops, restaurants, bakeries, a hospital, clinics, banks, schools and a pharmacy. Most of Deir Dibwan's economy has been sustained by money from migrants in the United States, but it was after the Second Intifada that the town's economy grew dramatically. With the closure of strategic routes, many people from the surrounding villages and within the town began investing and spending their money in the town. As a result, the town's GDP and trade has increased widely. Ironically, the town has benefited greatly while other villages, towns and cities in the West Bank have been dealt a recession.
[edit] Deir Dibwan Association
In the United States, there is The Deir Dibwan Association headquartered in San Francisco. Membership is not limited to any specific clan and it has representatives from each clan as well as refugee groups living in the town. The association serves to provide a link to the town, a source of identity to its members, to increase their members' honor and increase the town's honor as well. This association provides a source of honor for those in the United States and for relatives in the town.
[edit] Notes
not a sexist town, the town experiences many freedoms that are not offered in other towns of the west bank.
[edit] Source
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