Nisf Jubeil

Nisf Jubeil
Other transcription(s)
  Arabic لﻴﺒﺠ ﻑﺼِﻨ
  Also spelled Nisf Jbeil (official)
Nisf Jubayl (unofficial)

Nifs Jubeil, 1936
Nisf Jubeil

Location of Nisf Jubeil within Palestine

Coordinates: 32°16′58″N 35°13′14″E / 32.28278°N 35.22056°ECoordinates: 32°16′58″N 35°13′14″E / 32.28278°N 35.22056°E
Palestine grid 170/187
Governorate Nablus
Government
  Type Local Development Committee
  Head of Municipality Adil Barakat[1]
Population (2007)
  Jurisdiction 394
Name meaning "The Watershed"[2]

Nisf Jubeil (Arabic: لﻴﺒﺠ ﻑﺼِﻨ also spelled Nisf Jbeil or Nisf Jubayl) is a Palestinian village in the Nablus Governorate in the northern West Bank, located northwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) census, it had a population of 394 in 2007. There were a total of 83 households and 17 business establishments.[3]

Geography

Nisf Jubeil is situated on a terrace along the Wadi Nib outlet of the Sebastiya Valley, with an approximate elevation of 400 meters above sea level. It is 2.5 kilometers east of the town of Sebastia.[4] Other nearby localities include Ijnisinya to the south, Yasid to the east and Beit Imrin to the north.[5] The nearby Ein Sharqiya spring serves as a source of water and there are 30 cisterns in the village.[4]

History

Ottoman era

In 1596, Nisf Jubeil appeared in Ottoman tax registers as "Jubayl", a village in the nahiya of Jabal Sami in the liwa of Nablus. It had a population of 30 Muslim households and 36 Christian households, and paid taxes on wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and beehives.[6]

In 1838 there were approximately 200 Christians, including a priest living in the village.[7] Victor Guérin found an ancient sarcophage in Nisf Jubeil, used as a trough. He estimated there were 300 inhabitants, including some Christians.[8] In 1882, Nisf Jubeil was described as "A small village in an open valley, with a spring to the east and olives. Some of the inhabitants are Greek Christians."[9]

British Mandate period

In 1922 its population was 162 (including 88 Christians)[10][7] increasing to 210 (including 105 Christians[11]) in the 1931 census by the British Mandate of Palestine.[1]

Its total land area in 1945 was recorded as 5,054 dunams.[12]

1948-1967

In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Nisf Jubeil came under Jordanian rule.

1967-present

After the Six-Day War in 1967, Nisf Jubeil has been under Israeli occupation. In 1979 Nisf Jubeil's built-up area amounted to 25 dunams. Its village center contained a few old houses, two Greek Orthodox churches and a mosque,[4] called the Nisf Jubeil Mosque.[13] The mayor of the village is currently Adil Barakat.[1] Nisf Jubeil has a mixed population of Christians and Muslims.[14]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Nisf Jubeil Profile. Jerusalem Media and Communication Center.
  2. Palmer, 1881, p. 189
  3. 2007 PCBS Census. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. p. 108
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Zertal, 2004, p. 451.
  5. Map of Nisf Jubayl. Google Maps. Map depicts various localities surrounding Nisf Jubeil.
  6. Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 129
  7. 7.0 7.1 Ellenblum, 2003, p. 249
  8. Guerin, 1875, p. 210
  9. Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 160
  10. Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Nablus, p. 24
  11. Mills, 1932, p. 63
  12. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 60
  13. Supplementary List of Moslem Holy Places in Palestine outside the area of Jerusalem. United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine. 1949-11-28.
  14. Saadeh, Youssef Jubran. Christianity in Nablus. Zajel. 2004-06-27.

Bibliography

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External links