Tuqu' | |
---|---|
Other transcription(s) | |
• Arabic | تقوع |
• Also spelled | Taqua (official) Teqoa (unofficial) |
A sketch of Tuqu'[1] | |
Tuqu'
|
|
Coordinates: | |
Governorate | Bethlehem |
Government | |
• Type | Municipality |
• Head of Municipality | Khaled Ahmad Hamida |
Area (built-up) | |
• Jurisdiction | 899 dunams (0.9 km2 / 0.3 sq mi) |
Population (2007) | |
• Jurisdiction | 8,881 |
Name meaning | "the place for pitching tents" (probable) |
Tuquʿ (Arabic: تقوع, Hebrew: תקוע) is a Palestinian town in the Bethlehem Governorate, located 12 km southeast of Bethlehem in the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Tuqu' had a population of 8,881 in 2007.[2]The town is a part of the 'Arab al-Ta'amira cluster, along with Za'atara, Beit Ta'mir, Hindaza, Khirbet al-Deir and al-Asakra. Tuqu's built-up area consists of 899 dunams.[3]
Contents[hide] |
According to biblical sources, Ephrathites from Bethlehem and the Calebites from Hebron founded Tekoa. It served as an administrative center and was fortified by Rehoboam King of Judah against invasion from the south.[4]
Tekoa was the birthplace of Ira son of Ikkesh, one of King David's Warriors, and of the Hebrew prophet Amos.[5] It was where Joab procured a "wise woman" to induce David to bring back Absalom to Jerusalem. Some residents of Tekoa took part in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity.[6]
Tekoa continued to be important until after the Crusader period where it served as a benefice to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. William of Tyre relates that the Christians of the village aided the Crusaders during the Siege of Jerusalem in 1099, by guiding them to local springs and food sources. Many of the villagers also joined the Crusader army.[5] Zengid forces captured Tekoa in 1138. The Knights Templar under Robert the Burgundian recaptured the town easily, but the Zengid Muslim forces counterattacked, leaving the town "strewn with Templar bodies" according to William of Tyre.[7] Yaqut al-Hamawi described it as "a village famous for its honey" during a visit there in 1225.[8]
In 1596, Tuqu appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa of Quds. It had a population of 62 Muslim households and 5 Christian households. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, vines or fruit trees, and goats or beehives.[9]
The modern town of Tuqu' was relocated approximately two kilometers west of the ancient site and most of its original inhabitants migrated north to Bethlehem.[4]
In May 2001, after the bodies of two 14-year-old Israeli boys were found bludgeoned to death near Tuqu',[10] the town was temporarily sealed off by the Israel Defense Forces. Consequently, residents could not reach their jobs in Bethlehem and Israel, and shepherds could not reach grazing lands outside the village.[11]
The tomb of the Hebrew prophet Amos is located in the village and several years after his death, the tomb became sacred; The Byzantines erected a church around 300 AD in his honor,[5] which is visible today through its remains. The ruins consist of a double cave over what was a baptismal font, mosaic floors, and a Monophysite monastery is located near the tomb.[4]
Just outside Tuqu' is Wadi Khreiton ("Chariton Valley"). The valley is notable for containing three prominent caves inhabited since the Paleolithic era: Umm Qatfa, Umm Qala'a and Erq al-Ahmar. The latter was inhabited since 8,000 BCE and traces of fire have been found in Umm Qala'a, dating back 500,000 years.[12] Erq al-Ahmar is also believed to host the oldest surviving stove in history.[13] In nearby Khirbet Tuqu', there are the remains of a Byzantine church and monastery.[14]
Various ruins were seen at the site in around 1875. These included the walls of houses, cisterns, broken columns and heaps of building stones, some of which had “bevelled edges” which supposedly indicated Hebrew origin.[15]
According to a 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Tuqu' had a population of 4,890 inhabitants. There were only 24 Palestinian refugees, making up 0.5% of the population.[16] There were 2,534 males and 2,356 females.[17] In 2004, Tuqu's total population rose to 6,265 and in 2006 there was an estimated population of 6,669 inhabitants.[2] The majority of Tuqu's Christian inhabitants emigrated to Bethlehem in the eighteenth century, thus Tuqu' currently has a Muslim majority.[4] Tuqu's Christian emigrants formed Bethlehem's Qawawsa Quarter.[14]
In 2006, 65% of the village inhabitants worked in construction jobs in Israel, 20% in agriculture, 8% in trade and commerce and 7% in governmental sectors.[13] Efforts have been made to attract tourists. A municipal center was built near the ruins of a Byzantine church in Tuqu'. [11]Tuqu' is well known for its vegetables.[4]
Tuqu' has been located in Area B since 1995, thus giving the Palestinian National Authority control over its administration and civil affairs. Originally, twelve tribal elders managed the town, but unable to plan and carry out internal improvements, they ceded their power to a council of younger men. Tuqu's first mayor, Suleiman Abu Mufarreh, initiated the construction of the municipal hall (baladyeh) and recovered Tuqu's stolen baptismal font, relocating it to be positioned in front of the municipal building.[18]
It is governed by a municipal council consisting of eleven members, including the mayor. In the 2005 Palestinian municipal elections, the Hamas-backed Reform list the majority of the seats (eight), while the Independent local United Tuqu' list won three. Reform member Khaled Ahmad Hamida won the post of mayor, succeeding Raed Hamida.[19]
|