| al-Muzayri'a | ||
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al-Muzayri'a
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| Arabic | المُزيرعة | |
| Also Spelled | al-Muzeiri'a | |
| District | Ramla | |
| Coordinates | ||
| Population | 1,160[1] (1945) | |
| Area | 10,822[1] dunums | |
| Date of depopulation | 12 July 1948[2] | |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces | |
| Current localities | Mazor[3][4] Nechalim[4] | |
Al-Muzayri'a (Arabic: المُزيرعة) was a Palestinian village in the district of Ramla, depopulated in 1948.
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Al-Muzayri'a was located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) north-northeast of al-Ramla, on limestone hill, overlooking the coastal plain. A wadi ran along its southern part, and separated it from the village of Qula. The village was about 1 km east of the al-Ramla-Haifa railway line. It was also located to the east of the al-Ramla-Jaffa highway.[4]
The location has a long history of habitation. A Roman mausoleum, still standing, (about 1 km south of the village site) was converted into a mosque dedicated to a prophet, al-Nabi Yahya ("the Prophet John"). About 1 km northeast of the village was Khirbat Zikhrin, a Roman-Byzantine site that was inhabited during Mamluk and Ottoman periods. The place has been excavated since 1982.[4]
In 1596, Al-Muzayri'a was part of the Ottoman Empire, nahiya (subdistrict) of Jabel Qubal under the liwa' (district) of Nablus with a population of thirty-nine. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, and olives, as well as goats, and beehives.[5]
The village was possibly abandoned during the seventeenth century, only to be reoccupied in the eighteenth century by a family from Dayr Ghassana, named al-Rumayh.[4] A. Mansell mentioned passing the village in the early 1860s.[6]
In 1919, a school for boys was founded in the village. By 1945 it had become a full-fledged elementary school, with 207 students, including children of the neighboring villages. 35 dunums of land was attached to the school. A school for girls was founded in 1945, and had an initial enrollment of 78 students.[4]
In 1944/45 the village had a population of 1,160. A total of 953 dunums of village land was used for citrus and bananas, 5,895 dunums were used for cereals, and 35 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.[4][7]
Al-Muzayri'a was located in the territory allotted to the Arab state under the 1947 UN Partition Plan.[8]
The Israeli settlement of Nechalim was founded in 1949 on the northwestern part of village land. The settlement of Mazor was founded the same year on the western part of village land.[4]
The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, described the place in 1992: "The site is largely forested. While a few houses remain, most have been reduced to rubble. Cacti and stone terraces are visible on the site."[4]
