| Shahma | |
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Shahma
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| Arabic | شحمة |
| Also Spelled | Shameh[1] |
| District | Ramla |
| Coordinates | |
| Population | 280[2] (1945) |
| Area | 6,875[2] dunums
6.9 km² |
| Date of depopulation | May 14, 1948[3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Influence of nearby town's fall |
Shahma (Arabic: شحمة) was a Palestinian Arab village located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) southwest of Ramla.[4] Depopulated on the eve of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the village lands today form part of a fenced in area used by the Israeli Air Force.[3][5]
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The village was situated on the coastal plain, 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) southwest of Ramla, in a flat area that was slightly higher that the terrain to the south and southeast. Wadi al-Sarar ran about 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) southwest of it, and a secondary road linked Shahma to al-Ramla. Durind World War II, the British built RAF Aqir military airport just north of the village, Shahma military base lay to the north and east.[4]
In the late nineteenth century, Shahma was described as a small village built of adobe bricks, whose inhabitants drew their water from a well to the south of the village.[6]
In the British Mandate -era, the village was classified as a hamlet by the Palestine Index Gazetteer. During this time the village was divided into two sections, north and south of a secondary road. Some of its houses were built in part with stone remains from previous settlements.[4]
In 1944/45 the village had a population of 280. A total of 152 dunums of village land was used for citrus and bananas, 4,911 dunums were used for cereals, and 33 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.[4][7]
The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the place in 1992: "The site has been incorporated into a fenced-in military airfield. It is marked by cactuses and bushes that are visible from the outside."[5]
