| Bayt Daras | |
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Bayt Daras
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| Arabic | بيت دراس |
| Also Spelled | Beit Daras, Baydarās-Badarās, Dāris[1] |
| District | Gaza |
| Coordinates | |
| Population | 2,750[2] (1945) |
| Area | 16,357[2] dunums
16.3 km² |
| Date of depopulation | May 11, 1948[3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Giv'ati[4] |
Bayt Daras (Arabic: بيت دراس) was a Palestinian Arab town located on the Lachish River, 32 kilometers (20 mi) northeast of Gaza and approximately 50 meters (160 ft) above sea level, which was depopulated in 1948.[5]
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Bayt Daras was an archaeological site that contained stone foundations and vaulted rooms. The Crusaders built a castle on the hill that overlooked the village. During the Mamluk rule in Palestine, (1205-1517), Bayt Daras formed part of a mail route from Cairo to Damascus. In this period a khan, or caravanserai, was built in the village.[6]
In 1596, Bayt Daras was part of the Ottoman Empire, nahiya (subdistrict) of Gaza under the Liwa of Gaza, with a population of 319. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat and barley, as well as on goats, beehives and vineyards.[7] In the late 19th century, the village of Bayt Daras was described as being surrounded by gardens and olive groves, and it was bordered to the north by a pond.[8]
Despite being defended by the Sudanese Army and a number of local militiamen, Bayt Daras was captured by military assault on May 11, 1948 by Israel's Givati Brigade during Operation Barak, just prior to the outbreak of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.[5][9] Bayt Daras had a population of 3,190 living in 709 houses in 1948. Structures in the village were made of stone foundations with vaulted rooms. There were also two elementary schools and two mosques, all of which were demolished after its capture.
The Jewish moshav of Giv'ati was built in 1950 on the land Bayt Daras once occupied.[5] Also in 1950 the Israeli settlements of Azriqam and Emunim were established on village land.[6] Later in the 1950s a farm called Zemorot was built on Khirbat Awda, which was also on village land.[10]
A woman's thob (loose fitting robe with sleeves) dated to about 1930 from the village of Beit Daras is part of the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) collection at Santa Fe. The dress fabric is called abu hizz ahmar (black cotton ground with purple, orange and green stipes of cotton and silk), from Majdal. The only embroidery on the front is below the neck opening. The back panel has three horizontal bands of embroidery, and a local version of the khem-el-basha ("the pashas tent") motif along the hem.[11]
