| Khiyam al-Walid | ||
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Khiyam al-Walid
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| Arabic | خيام الوليد | |
| Name Meaning | "the tents of al-Walid" | |
| District | Safad | |
| Coordinates | ||
| Population | 280 (1945) | |
| Area | 4,215 dunums
4.2 km² |
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| Date of depopulation | May 1, 1948[1] | |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting | |
| Current localities | Lehavot HaBashan[2] | |
Khiyam al-Walid (Arabic: خيام الوليد) was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad located 25.5 kilometers (15.8 mi) northeast of Safad along the Syrian border. It was on situated on a hill 150 meters (490 ft) above sea level on the eastern edge of the Hula Valley. In 1945, there were 280 predominantly Muslim inhabitants. It was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine War.[2]
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The name of the village in Arabic is translated as "the tents of al-Walid", believed to be a reference to the tents of Khaled ibn al-Walid's army which conquered the Levant from the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century.[2] According to local tradition, within the village was tomb for a Muslim sage, Shaykh ibn al-Walid. The tomb was enclosed by a shrine that formed part of Khiyam al-Walid's mosque.[2]
In modern times, Khiyam al Walid was classified as a hamlet by the Palestine Index Gazeteer. During the British Mandate period, it had rectangular layout with its 42 houses lined up along the road leading to the nearby village of az-Zawiya. Khiyam al-Walid expanded to the east where spring water—which was preferred over the malaria-infested marshes of Lake Hula—was available. In a 1945 survey, the village was made up of a total 4,215 dunams. Despite its entire population being Arab, 92% of its land was Jewish-owned.[2]
According to an Israeli military report in June 1948, Khiyam al-Walid's inhabitants had fled the village on May 1 due to fears of a military attack by Haganah or other Jewish forces. It was occupied in the same relative period during the last stages of Operation Yiftach. Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi wrote of the remains of the village in 1992, saying "The site is deserted and overgrown with grass and thorns. There are a few carob trees, piles of stones, and crumbled terraces."[2]