Farwana
| Farwana | |
|---|---|
  Farwana | |
| Arabic | فرونه |
| Also spelled | Khirbet Farwana, Rohob, Rehob, Tel Rehov |
| Subdistrict | Baysan |
| Coordinates | 32°27′0″N 35°29′50″E / 32.45000°N 35.49722°ECoordinates: 32°27′0″N 35°29′50″E / 32.45000°N 35.49722°E |
| Palestine grid | 196/207 |
| Population | 330[1] (1945) |
| Area | 4,996[1] dunams |
| Date of depopulation | 11 May 1948[2] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Rechov |
Farwana (Arabic: فرونه) was a Palestinian village, located 4.5 kilometers (2.8 mi) south of Bisan, depopulated in 1948.
History
Identified with the ancient city of Rehov, extant during Egyptian rule over Canaan in the second millennium BCE, archaeological sites located on the former village's lands include Tell es-Sarem (i.e. Tel Rehov)[3] and the remains of a synagogue from the third century CE.[4]
Identification of Tel Rehov with the Rehob of the Egyptian texts was based on the preservation of the name at the nearby Islamic holy tomb of esh-Sheikh er-Rihab (1 kilometer to the south of the tel) and the existence of the ruins of a Byzantine era Jewish town of the same name (Rohob), 1 kilometer northwest of Tel Rehov, mentioned by Eusebius as being in the fourth mile from Bisan.[3] Khirbet Farwana (Khirbet meaning "site of ruins" in Arabic) is also associated with Rohob.[3]
At the time of the 1931 census, Farwana had 72 occupied houses and a population of 286 Muslims.[5]
1948 war and its aftermath
Farwana had a population of over 300 people when it was depopulated in the lead up to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.[4] Its Arab inhabitants, along with those of the neighbouring village of al-Ashrafiyya fled to Jordan with the approach of the pre-state Israeli forces of the Golani Brigade during Operation Gideon on 11 May 1948.[4][6] The following day, the more than 72 houses that made up the village were completely destroyed.[4] Farwana's inhabitants never returned to the village, and they and their descendants make up one small part of the current population of more than 4 million Palestinian refugees worldwide.
The Jewish localities of Rechov, Chawwat Eden, and Ein HaNatziv were established on the former lands of Farwana.[4]
See also
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 43
- ↑ Morris, 2004, p xvii village #128. Also give cause for depopulation
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Amihai Mazar (1999). "The 1997-1998 Excavations at Tel Rehov: Preliminary Report". Israel Exploration Journal 49: 1–42.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Khalidi, 1992, pp. 46-47
- ↑ Mills, 1932, p. 78
- ↑ Morris, 2004, p. 227
Bibliography
- Barron, J. B., ed. (1923). Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922. Government of Palestine.
- Hadawi, Sami (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center.
- Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
- Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
- Morris, Benny (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-00967-6.
- Morris, Benny, (second edition 2004 third printing 2006) The Birth Of The Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-00967-7
External links
- Welcome To Farwana
- Farwana, from Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre