| Bani Na'im | |
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| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | بني نعيم |
| • Also spelled | Kafr Barik (official) Bani Nu'aym (unofficial) |
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Bani Na'im
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| Coordinates: | |
| Governorate | Hebron |
| Government | |
| • Type | City |
| • Head of Municipality | Issa Hassan al-Khdour |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 20,084 |
| Website | Bani Na'im Municipality |
Bani Na'im (Arabic: بني نعيم, Banî Na‘îm) is a Palestinian town in the southern West Bank located 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) east of Hebron in the Hebron Governorate. The town had a population of 20,084 inhabitants in 2007.[1] It is situated on a higher elevation than most localities in the area with an altitude of 951 meters (3,120 ft).
Known as Brekke in the pre-Roman era, it was later referred to as "Caphar Barucha" in the 4th-century CE, while Palestine was ruled by the Byzantine Empire. The town is best known as the burial place of Lot, a prophet in Islam and a righteous person in Judaism and Christianity. Following the Muslim conquest, its name was Arabicized as "Kafr al-Barik." The tomb of Lot became a Muslim edifice during Islamic rule and remained so while the town was under Crusader rule. Later, the Arab tribe of "Bani Nu'aym" settled the town and gave it its current name "Bani Na'im" which was first used by Muslim scholar Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi in 1690. Throughout its history, the tomb of Lot served a place of visitation for Muslim and Western travelers alike.
Bani Na'im considerably grew in population at the start of the 20th-century and would come under British Mandatory authority along with the rest of Palestine after World War I. The town became involved in the 1936-39 Arab revolt as the site of a battle between the irregular Palestinian Arab forces of Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni and the British Army. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Bani Na'im was briefly annexed by Jordan until it came under Israeli occupation after Israel captured the West Bank during the Six-Day War in 1967. In 1997, Bani Na'im was transferred to Palestinian administration and consequently became a municipality. Today, it continues to serve as a commercial center for the Hebron area villages, but due to its lack of development, most governmental services are provided by the city of Hebron.
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Bani Na'im was known as "Brekke" in pre-Ancient Roman times.[2] Biblical scholar Edward Robinson confirmed that the present-day Bani Na'im was the "Caphor Barucha" mentioned by Saint Jerome as the burial place of Lot in the 4th-century CE. The modern town was built on the spot of this Roman village which was also known as "Kfar Brosha." Jerome relates to Saint Paula that, departing from Hebron, she stopped upon the height of Caphar Barucha and looked upon the surrounding region, remembering Lot; Abraham is said to have observed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah from that location.[3]
Following the Muslim conquest of Palestine in the mid-7th-century, the town was referred to as "Kafr Breik" or "Kafr al-Barik."[2] Ali of Herat passed through the village in 1173 CE, noting that it was near Hebron and the burial place of Lot.[4] Along with the town of Dura, Kafr al-Barik became a part of the waqf ("endowment") for the Ibrahimi Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron on orders from the Ayyubid ruler of Damascus, al-Mu'azzam Isa on May 2, 1215.[2] 15th-century Muslim geographer Imam al-Suyuti also acknowledged Lot was buried in Kafr al-Barik and that in a cave west of the village, beneath an old mosque, laid "sixty prophets of whom twenty were Apostles." He noted that Lot's tomb was a site of "visitation and veneration from ancient times, the men of the age succeeding those who have gone before."[4]
The name "Bani Na'im" was first used to refer to the town by Muslim scholar Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi in 1690. He wrote that the village had been known as "Kafr al-Barik" and "now it is known as Qaryat Bani Nu'aym in a diminutive form." It received this name from the Arab tribe of Bani Nu'aym, also referred to as Bani Na'im, who settled there and in other areas in southern Palestine after migrating from the vicinity of Petra in Transjordan.[5] The inhabitants, at least until the end of the 19th-century, would still use the early Arabic name, particularly when Western travelers visited the towns.[2] Robinson visited Bani Na'im in 1838, noting that it was probably the "very highest point in the hill country of Judah."[6] According to French traveler Van Guerin, it was a small, nearly deserted village in the 1860s. However, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described it as "a good-sized village" in 1874.[2] Sand from Bani Na'im was an integral component for the production of Hebron glass, making the town a major supplier for that traditional industry which was based in nearby Hebron.[7]
Bani Na'im houses the tomb of Lot, a prophet in Islam and a righteous person in Judaism and Christianity, in the center of the town.[8] The tomb is located within a rectangular-shaped mosque that contains an inner court and minaret. The lintel of the mosque's northern gate is built from stones dating to the Byzantine era when a church had possibly stood at the site. Lot's tomb was first mentioned by Saint Jerome, then by John of Wirtzburg in 1100, and Ali of Herat in 1173. While the Crusaders, who ruled the area from 1148 to 1187, were aware the tomb belonged to Lot, it remained a Muslim sanctuary unlike other Muslim edifices in Palestine which were converted to Christian use.[9] In 1322, writer Sir John Mandeville writes "two miles from Hebron, is the grave of Lot, Abraham's brother."[2] Ibn Battuta noted in 1326 that the tomb was covered by a "fine building" made of white stone and without columns.[9] Muslim writers al-Suyuti and Mujir ad-Din wrote in the 15th and 16th centuries, respectively, that Lot was buried in Bani Na'im.[2] Tawfiq Canaan, a researcher of Palestinian popular heritage, described the golden embroidered writing on the red silk cloth covering the tomb as reading, "This is the tomb of prophet Lut, peace be upon him."[10]
Islamic-era Kufic inscriptions on the front entrance to the mosque state that the Muslim scholar Abdullah bin Muhammad declared "the hills, the plains, the buildings, the paths, the gardens, the trees and the passage that transverses it [Bani Na'im]" are an endowment "for the prophet Lot, the son of Haran brother of Ibrahim (Abraham), the friend of the Compassionate (Allah), may the blessings of Allah be upon them ..."[11] According to Muslim tradition, Lot lived in Bani Na'im before moving to Sodom.[12] The shrine encasing the tomb was restored in 1410 by the Mamluk sultan Nasir al-Faraj, son of Sultan Barquq. The restoration work was entrusted by him to Shams al-Din al-Ansari, a member of the prominent Ansari family which specialized in religious endowments (waqf).[11]
The tomb of Lot's daughters are on an opposite hill nearby.[8] To the southeast of Bani Na'im is a separate shrine dedicated to Lot, known as Maqam an-Nabi Yatin ("Shrine of the Truthful Prophet.") Local legend claims Lot prayed at the site and imprints of his feet in a rock there are visible.[12] According to Muslim and Christian tradition, Bani Na'im is the place where Abraham, after the departure of the angels, saw the smoke of Sodom and Gomorrah "rising as the smoke of a furnace."[8]
Bani Na'im grew considerably in population during the early 20th-century.[2] Following World War I, a British Mandatory Authority was established over Palestine, including Bani Na'im. An Arab revolt against the British authorities and Jewish immigration to Palestine broke out in 1936 and lasted roughly three years. In December 1937, British forces ordered the demolition of a house in the town owned by two Arabs whom they accused of "bad character" and participation in an anti-British incident near the town. They fined Bani Na'im's mukhtars (town chiefs) 50 British pounds and had a number of town residents and the owners of the house carry 200 kilograms of explosives to the building for its demolition. They then gathered Bani Na'im's inhabitants to the edge of the town to witness the explosion as a deterrent measure.[13]
Palestinian Arab irregulars led by Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni and his local commander, Abd al-Halim Jawlani, battled British Army forces in Bani Na'im in December 1938. According to British military accounts, a resident of Bani Na'im called for intervention when the rebels entered the town.[14] Israeli scholar Hillel Cohen wrote that it was Fakhri Nashashibi, a political rival of al-Husayni, who told the British that three rebel units entered Bani Na'im and were forcing its inhabitants (who Cohen claimed were supporters of the Nashashibi family) to join the revolt after being notified by the inhabitants.[15] The British responded immediately and confronted around 100 irregulars. As a result of British Air Force assistance, al-Husayni's troops dispersed and fled east of Bani Na'im where they were later pinned down. British forces pursued and decisively defeated the rebels, killing 60 and capturing 15. One British soldier was killed.[14]
Bani Na'im along with the rest of the West Bank was annexed by Jordan following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Since the occupation of the West Bank by Israel—which began in June 1967 as a result of the Jordanian defeat in the Six-Day War—the residents of Bani Na'im have been affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 1982, Jewish settlers from nearby Kiryat Arba shot dead an 18-year-old resident of the town.[16] Five years later, a popular committee against the Israeli occupation was set up in Bani Na'im during the First Intifada (1987-93.)[17] In May 1988, two Palestinians were shot and killed by the Israeli Army (IDF) in the center of the town.[18] As a result of the 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement, control over Bani Na'im was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in 1997. On August 31, 2010, four Jewish settlers from Kiryat Arba were killed on a road outside Bani Na'im by militants from the Palestinian paramilitary group Hamas. The attack was condemned by Israel and the PNA.[19]
Bani Naim forms a generally rough rectangular layout, and widens in the northwest and southwest.[20] The town covers a mountainous area, with an average altitude of 958 meters (3,143 ft) above sea level. It is 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) to 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) southeast of Hebron, however the two localities have virtually merged with each other. The Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba is situated northwest of Bani Na'im, between it and Hebron. To its south lies the village of Hureiz and the town of Yatta, to the north are Sa'ir and ash-Shuyukh, while Halhul and the forest of Hebron lie to the west. Bani Na'im's lands extend east to the mountains that overlook the Dead Sea.[20]
Bani Na'im's total land area is about 157,000 dunams, but the town's built-up areas amount to roughly 2,500 dunams. The town itself is mostly located in Area A (Palestinian security and civilian administration) and Area B (Palestinian civil administration and Israeli military control.) The nearby town of ar-Rawa'in to the east is located within Bani Na'im's municipal jurisdiction and is under Area A. However, the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Hever which was established in 1982, has a population of 400 and is also located within the Bani Na'im's municipal borders, comes under full Israeli control.[21] Most of Bani Na'im's lands (59.6%) fall under "Area C," or full Israeli security and civilian administration.[22]
Average annual rainfall in Bani Na'im is 369 millimeters (14.5 in). The average temperature is 16 °C (61 °F) and the average annual humidity is 61%.[21]
In a 1922 survey conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Bani Na'im had a population of 1,179 inhabitants, rising to 1,646 in a 1931 census.[20] By 1945, it increased to 2,160 according to a land and population survey by Sami Hadawi.[23] Under Jordanian rule, in 1952, the population surged to 5,778, partly due to large numbers of Palestinian refugees who settled in the town as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Later, the number of inhabitants declined due to the emigration of refugees from the town to other parts of the West Bank and Jordan. By 1967, there were 4,271 inhabitants in the town, gradually increasing to 6,703.[20] In 1987, the population rose to roughly 7,600 people.[24] In the 1997 census carried out by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Bani Na'im had 13,535 inhabitants of which 604 were refugees.[25] The gender distribution was 6,779 males and 6,756 females.[26]
In the 2007 census, there were 20,084 people living in the town and 217 in nearby Masaferet Bani Na'im which is located within the municipal jurisdiction. The gender makeup of Bani Na'im's population was 50.2% male and 49.8% female. There were 3,490 housing units and the average household size consisted of 6.5 family members.[1] Bani Na'im's inhabitants accounted for 3.67% of the Hebron Governorate's population and the town is officially considered an urban area. The inhabitants are Muslims and 16 mosques are present throughout the town. The main families are al-Manasrah (the largest), Zeidan, Trayrah, Humeidat, Ubeid, Harahsheh and Amr.[21]
Bani Na'im was established as a village council in 1971. After most of the built-up areas of Bani Na'im were transferred to "Area A," giving the Palestinian National Authority full control of the town, a municipal council was established on May 20, 1997. The first council was formed from the old members of the previous village council. The council was made up of seven members, while there were 18 municipal employees.[21]
The amount of municipal seats was expanded to 13 during the Palestinian municipal elections in 2005.[21] A local group, the Bani Na'im Martyrs list, won the most seats: five. The Al-Aqsa list won three seats, Independent lists also won three and the Hamas-backed Reform and Change list won the remaining two seats. Gender-wise, females won two seats and males eleven. Issa Hassan al-Khdour, member of the Bani Na'im Martyrs, had the most votes (3,281), and thus became the head of the municipality.[27] In addition, the number of municipal employees increased to 30.[21]
The municipal borders of Bani Na'im extend beyond the town and include the following villages: Birin, ar-Rawa'in and Masaferet Bani Na'im. The latter is a grouping of the following hamlets: Mantiqat al-Ein, Mantiqat as-Sahel, Mantiqat Qaber K'heil, Mantiqat Hilmi, Mantiqat al-Hamra, Mantiqat al-Qurun, Mantiqat al-Mathbah, Mantiqat as-Sweidat, Mantiqat Um ar-Raqam and Khor 'Atara. Despite having a municipality, most official services are provided by the city of Hebron. However, Bani Na'im has a police station, a post office, and a local security office.[21]
Fourteen schools are located in Bani Na'im: seven for males, five for females and two are co-educational. In addition, there are two kindergartens. In 2009, the municipality stated that the general school conditions were unfavorable and there exists a shortage of classrooms.[21] The first school was established in 1929. Consisting of one classroom, the enrollment at the time did not exceed 20 female and male students and the highest grade-level was the fourth grade.[20]
According to the 2007 census, 92.2% of the population was literate and most of the illiterate population was female. In the census, it was recorded that 3,613 students were in elementary school, 3,601 in preparatory school, and 1,862 were enrolled in high school. Approximately 958 people received college diplomas, 49 of which were higher than bachelor diplomas.[21] The nearest universities and colleges are located in Hebron, such as Hebron University, the Palestine Polytechnic University, and the Hebron College of Technical Engineering.
Most of Bani Na'im's main health facilities are privately owned and include a obstetrical hospital, five clinics, three dental clinics and physiotherapy center. The Palestinian Ministry of Health runs a childcare center and medical lab in the town while an additional health center as well as an x-ray center are run by a charitable society. In addition, there are five pharmacies in Bani Na'im. In 2009, the town had one ambulance. Residents have to travel to Hebron for emergency treatment.[21]
Bani Na'im a central commerce town in the Hebron area and unlike many of the surrounding towns and villages, trade and commerce plays a major role in the local economy; approximately 50% of the working residents are engaged in the industry which is mostly restricted to the West Bank. About 20% are employed in the Israeli labor market while 19% work in agriculture. The remainder of the employed inhabitants work as civil servants or in the industrial sector. There are four stone-cutting factories, a brick factory, a textile factory, an olive press, eleven metal workshops, four carpentries, seven butcheries, 13 clothing venues, and 110 other shops and stores in Bani Na'im.[21]
The decline in market demand combined with movement restrictions implemented by the Israeli military have led to a deterioration of the local economy, particularly in the trade and the stone-cutting industries. In 2007, unemployment reached 30%. Consequently, many unemployed persons have begun looking into agriculture to earn an income. The most cultivated crops are various grains, especially barley, followed by lentils and chick peas. A sizable segment of the population raise livestock and roughly 10% breed their own domestic animals. In total, there are 144 cows, 7,000 goats, 14,000 sheep, and 500 beehives being raised in the town.[21] Much of the town's agricultural products are sold in Hebron.[20]
There are 4,244 buildings in Bani Na'im, of which 3,452 are houses and 213 are working establishments.[1] Pipe water reaches more than 95% of the residents. The water pipe line, 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) in length, is linked to the main water supply of the Israeli settlement of Efrat, south of Bethlehem. Around 9 kilometers (5.6 mi) of main and sub lines inside the town were recently maintained and repaired. The cost of this project was roughly one million NIS.[21]
Generators previously operated for no more than five hours daily and for house use only, but in 1994, Bani Na'im was linked with electricity. Later, new factories were built and every building in the town is currently linked with electricity. The municipality installed street lights since 1994.[20]
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