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{{Short description|Palestinian village in the West Bank close to Bethlehem}}
{{Infobox Palestinian Authority municipality
{{Infobox settlement
|name=Artas
| name = Artas
|image=The Convent of the Hortus Conclusus or Sealed Garden, Artas West Bank, Palestine.jpg
| translit_lang1 = Arabic
|caption=Convent of the Hortus Conclusus, Artas
| translit_lang1_type = ]
|arname=أرطاس
| translit_lang1_info = أرطاس
|meaning=Urtas, p.n.<ref>Palmer, 1881, p. </ref>
| type = ]
|founded=
| image_skyline = The Convent of the Hortus Conclusus or Sealed Garden, Artas West Bank, Palestine.jpg
|type=mund
| image_caption = Artas, Convent of the Hortus Conclusus
|typefrom=
| pushpin_map = Palestine
|altOffSp=
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Artas within ]
|altUnoSp=
| image_map =
|governorate=bl
| map_caption =
|latd=31|latm=41|lats=21|latNS=N
| coordinates = {{coord|31|41|21|N|35|11|10|E|region:PS|display=inline,title}}
|longd=35 |longm=11|longs=10|longEW=E
| grid_name = ]
|population=3,663
| grid_position = 167/121
|popyear=2007
| subdivision_type = State
|area=4,304
| subdivision_name = ]
|areakm=4.3
| subdivision_type1 = ]
|mayor=Hamdi Aish
| subdivision_name1 = ]
| established_title = Founded
| established_date =
| government_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| government_type = ]
| leader_title = Head of Municipality
| leader_name = Hamdi Aish
| unit_pref = dunam
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 4.3
| area_total_dunam = 4304
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=ARIJp4> ARIJ, p. 4</ref>
| elevation_m = 732
| elevation_min_m =
| elevation_max_m =
| population_footnotes = <ref name="pop2017">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Downloads/book2364-1.pdf |title=Main Indicators by Type of Locality - Population, Housing and Establishments Census 2017 |access-date=2021-01-19 |publisher=] (PCBS) |archive-date=2021-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128121306/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Downloads/book2364-1.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| population_total = 5,745
| population_as_of = 2017

| population_note =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| blank_name_sec1 = Name meaning
| blank_info_sec1 = Urtas, p.n.<ref name=Palmer330>Palmer, 1881, p. </ref>
| website =
| footnotes =
}} }}

'''Artas''' ({{lang-ar|<big>أرطاس</big>}}) is a ] village located four kilometers southwest of ] in the ] in the central ]. According to the ], the town had a population of 3,663 in 2007.<ref name="PCBS"> ]. p.118.</ref>
'''Artas''' ({{langx|ar|أرطاس}}) is a ] village located four kilometers southwest of ] in the ] of ], in the central ]. According to the ], the town had a population of 5,745 in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Downloads/book2364-1.pdf|title=Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census 2017|author=]|date=February 2018|access-date=May 19, 2023|page=76}}</ref>


==Etymology== ==Etymology==
] wrote that: "a couple of leagues from Jerusalem is a place where there are four villages, and there is here a spring of water, with numerous gardens and orchards, and it is called Faradis (or the Paradises), on account of the beauty of the spot." According to le Strange, the name ''Urtas'' is probably a corruption of ''Hortus'', which has the same meaning as ''Firdus'' (Paradise).<ref>Le Strange, 1890, p. </ref> According to ], the name ''Urtas'' is probably a corruption of ''Hortus'', which has the same meaning as ''Firdus'' (Paradise),<ref name=Strange440>Le Strange, 1890, p. </ref> while ] thought it was a personal name.<ref name=Palmer330/> The name might also be derived from Latin ''hortus'' meaning ''garden'', hence the name ] of the nearby ] ].

==Geography==
Artas is located {{convert|2.4|km|mi|sp=us}} (horizontal distance) southwest of ]. It is bordered by ] to the east, ] to the north, ] to the west, and ] to the south.<ref name=ARIJp4/> The ] of ] is located nearby.

Artas and the surrounding area is characterized by the diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna due to its location at a meeting place of ecosystems.<ref>{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> From a spring below the village an aqueduct used to carry water to Birket el Hummam.
<ref>Conder & Kitchener, SWP III, 1883, p. </ref>


From a spring below the village an aqueduct used to carry water to Birket el Hummam by Jebel el Fureidis.<ref>Conder & Kitchener, vol 3, 1883, p. </ref>
==History== ==History==

===Ottoman period===
===Fatimid to Mamluk eras===
According to ], professor of early Islamic history at ], two inscriptions found in the village show the great interest in Artas from leaders in the ] and ] states, as well as the wealth of the village at that time.<ref>], 1997, pp. - </ref>

] (1004–1088) wrote that "a couple of leagues from Jerusalem is a place where there are four villages, and there is here a spring of water, with numerous gardens and orchards, and it is called Faradis (or the Paradises), on account of the beauty of the spot."<ref name=Strange440/>

During the ], the village was known as ''Artasium'', or ''Iardium Aschas''. In 1227, ] confirmed that the village had been given to the Church of Bethlehem.<ref>Röhricht, 1893, p. , no 983; cited in Pringle, 1993, p. </ref> Remains of the Crusader church were torn down in the 19th century.<ref>Baldensperger, 1913, p. </ref>

===Ottoman era===
] ]
In 1596, Artas appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the '']'' of Quds of the '']'' of Quds. It had a population of 32 Muslim households.<ref>Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 116</ref> Artas was incorporated into the ] in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the ] as being in the '']'' of ] of the '']'' of Quds. It had a population of 32 ] households. The villagers paid a fixed amount of 5,500 ] in taxes, and all of the revenue went to a ].<ref>Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 116</ref>


The village was reportedly destroyed twice during the Ottoman period: first, between 1600 and 1744, and again in the late 18th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grossman |first=David |title=מחקרי שומרון: קובץ מחקרים |publisher=הקיבוץ המאוחד |year=1986 |location=Ra'anana |pages=366 |language=he |trans-title=Shomron Studies |chapter=תהליכי התפתחות ונסיגה ביישוב הכפרי בשומרון וביהודה בתקופה העות'מאנית |trans-chapter=Oscillations in the Rural Settlement of Samaria and Judaea in the Ottoman Period}}</ref>
Until the 19th century, the Artas' residents were responsible for guarding the ], a unique water system conducting water to Bethlehem and ] and the ] or ] in ]. The village had a tradition of hosting foreign and local scholars, not a few of whom were women.<ref></ref> As a result, there is a great body of work on all aspects of the village,<ref></ref>


Until the 19th century, Artas residents were responsible for guarding ], a water system conducting water to Bethlehem, ], and the ] or Haram al-Sharif in ]. The village had a tradition of hosting foreign and local scholars, not a few of whom were women.<ref>{{usurped|1=}}</ref> A large body of research thus exists on many aspects of life in the village.<ref>{{usurped|1=}}</ref>
In the mid-19th century, ], the British Consul of Jerusalem (1846-1863),<ref></ref> and his wife ], bought land in Artas to establish an experimental farm where they planned to employ poverty-stricken Jews from the ] of ]. Johann Gros Steinbeck (grandfather of the author ]) and his brother Friedrich, settled there under the leadership of ], a converted Jew and member of a British missionary society.<ref>]]</ref> ] also lived in Artas in 1851 and 1853.


The residents of Artas refused to pay tributes to ] in 1831 under the pretext that they had been exempt since the time of ]. He responded by demolishing their homes, which they later rebuilt<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bagatti |first=B.|author-link=Bellarmino Bagatti |title=Ancient Christian Villages of Judaea and Negev |publisher=Franciscan Printing Press |year=2002 |location=Jerusalem |pages=61}}</ref>
In the 1870s the ] and ] visited the village and remarked that it was "a small village perched against hill-side...with a good spring behind it whence an acqueduct led to Jebel Furedis...remains of a reservoir Humman Suleiman."<ref>Conder and Kitchener, 1883, Vol III, 'Urtas'. p. .</ref>


In 1838, ] and ] described Artas as a ] village south of '']''.<ref>Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 3, 2nd appendix, p. </ref> The place was inhabited but many houses lay in ruins. Robinson also found many signs of antiquity, including foundations of a square tower.<ref>Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 2, p. </ref> He further noted the fine fountain above it, which watered many gardens.<ref>Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 2, p. </ref>
===British Mandate ===
The ] ] ] who arrived at Artas in the 1920s as part of her research on the women of the Old Testament. She "arrived in Palestine in order to find the Jewish ancestors of Scripture. What she found instead was a Palestinian people with a distinct culture and way of life. She therefore changed the focus of her research to a full investigation of the customs, habits and ways of thinking of the people of that village. Granqvist ended up staying till 1931 documenting all aspects of village life. In so doing she took hundreds of photographs."<ref> 24 - 30 May 2001 ] Weekly Online</ref> Her many books about Artas were published between 1931 and 1965, making Artas one of the best documented Palestinian villages.


In the mid-19th century, ], the British Consul of Jerusalem (1846–1863),<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3209937|jstor = 3209937|last1 = Webster|first1 = Gillian|title = Elizabeth Anne Finn|journal = The Biblical Archaeologist|year = 1985|volume = 48|issue = 3|pages = 181–185|doi = 10.2307/3209937|s2cid = 163343573}}</ref> and his wife ], bought land in Artas to establish an experimental farm where they planned to employ poverty-stricken Jews from the ] of ]. Johann Adolf Großsteinbeck (1828–1913; grandfather of the author ]) and his brother Friedrich, settled there under the leadership of ], a converted Jew and member of a British missionary society.<ref name=Despair>{{cite news |last= Friedman |first= Lior |title= The Mountain of Despair |newspaper=] |location= Tel Aviv |date= 4 April 2009 |url= https://www.haaretz.com/1.5032780 |access-date=2 February 2021}}</ref> ] also lived in Artas in 1851 and 1853.
In the ], conducted by the ], Urtas had a population of 433, 192 male and 197 female Muslims, and 1 male and 43 female Christians.<ref>{{cite book | editor = J. B. Barron | title = Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922 | publisher = Government of Palestine | year = 1923 | at = Table VII, Sub-district of Bethlehem}}</ref> In the ] the population of Artas was a total of 619 in 123 inhabited houses. There were 272 male and 273 female Muslims, while there was 5 male and 69 female Christians.<ref name="Census1931">{{cite book | editor = E. Mills | title = Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas | publisher = Government of Palestine | location = Jerusalem | year = 1932 | url = http://ia701204.us.archive.org/15/items/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas/PalestineCensus1931.pdf | page = 35}}</ref>


When the French explorer ] visited in July 1863,<ref>Guérin, 1869, p. ff</ref> he found 300 inhabitants. Many of the houses appeared to be built of ancient materials.<ref>Guérin, 1869, p. </ref> An official Ottoman village list from about 1870 showed 18 houses and a population of 60, though the population count included only men.<ref>Socin, 1879, p. It was noted in the Hebron district</ref><ref>Hartmann, 1883, p. </ref>
In 1945 the population of Artas was 800, all Arabs, who owned 4,304 ]s of land according to an official land and population survey.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in S. Hadawi, ''Village Statistics, 1945''. PLO Research Center, 1970, p. </ref> Of this, 894 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 644 for cereals,<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in S. Hadawi, ''Village Statistics, 1945''. PLO Research Center, 1970, p. </ref> while 54 dunams were built-up (urban) land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in S. Hadawi, ''Village Statistics, 1945''. PLO Research Center, 1970, p. </ref>


In 1883, the ]'s '']'' described Artas as "a small village perched against hill-side...with a good spring behind it whence an aqueduct led to ''Jebel Furedis''...remains of a reservoir ''Humman Suleiman''."<ref>Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, 'Urtas'. p. .</ref>
==Geography==

Artas and the surrounding area is characterized by the diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna due to its location at a meeting place of ecosystems.<ref></ref>
In 1896 the population of Artas was estimated to be about 120 persons.<ref>Schick, 1896, p. </ref>

===British Mandate era===
] to weave a hammock cradle for ], c. 1944]]

According to German explorer and orientalist ], in the early 20th-century, Artas supplied the Jerusalem marketplace with ], ] and green ].<ref>] (2013), vol. 2, pp. 388, 578</ref>

The ] ] ] came to Artas in the 1920s as part of her research on the women of the Old Testament. She "arrived in Palestine in order to find the Jewish ancestors of Scripture. What she found instead was a Palestinian people with a distinct culture and way of life. She therefore changed the focus of her research to a full investigation of the customs, habits and ways of thinking of the people of that village. Granqvist ended up staying till 1931 documenting all aspects of village life. In so doing she took hundreds of photographs."<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820125721/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2001/535/cu1.htm |date=August 20, 2007 }} 24–30 May 2001 ] Weekly Online</ref> Her many books about Artas were published between 1931 and 1965, making Artas one of the best documented Palestinian villages.


==Culture==
] ]


In the ], conducted by the ], "Urtas" had a population of 433, 192 male and 197 female Muslims, and 1 male and 43 female Christians.<ref>Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Bethlehem, p. </ref> In the ] the population of Artas was a total of 619 in 123 inhabited houses. There were 272 male and 273 female Muslims, while there was 5 male and 69 female Christians.<ref name="Census1931">Mills, 1932, p. </ref>
Across the valley from the village is the Christian Convent of the Hortus Conclusus.<ref></ref> The Artas Folklore Center (AFC) was established in 1993 by Mr. Musa Sanad <ref> By Leyla Zuaiter</ref> to document, preserve and share the rich heritage of the village. The village has a small folklore museum, a ] and a drama troupe. The Artas Lettuce Festival has been an annual event since 1994. Artas is a popular destination for visitors to Bethlehem who want to experience traditional Palestinian life and groups interested in ].<ref></ref>


In 1944, archaeologist ], while researching Palestinian weaving techniques, recorded two lullabies being sung in Artas:<ref>{{cite book|last= Crowfoot |first=Grace |title= Handcrafts in Palestine: Jerusalem hammock cradles and Hebron rugs |year=1944 |publisher= Palestine Exploration Quarterly January–April, 1944}} p. 122</ref>
==References==

{{Reflist}}
{{poemquote|O pigeon of the rivers,
{{commonscat|Artas}}
Give sleep to both eyes.
===Bibliography===
O pigeon of the wilderness,
{{Refbegin}}
Give sleep in the cradle.
*{{Cite book|last1=Conder|first1=Claude Reignier|authorlink1=Claude Reignier Conder|last2=Kitchener|first2=Herbert H.|authorlink2=Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|year=1883|url=http://www.archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp03conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology|location=London|publisher=]|volume=3}}
O pigeon of the valley,
*{{Citation|title=Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine|url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html|first1=Sami|last1=Hadawi|authorlink=Sami Hadawi|year=1970|publisher=Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center}}
Give sleep to my son.}}
*{{cite book | first1 = Wolf-Dieter | last1= Hütteroth | first2 = Kamal |last2= Abdulfattah | title = Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century | year = 1977 | publisher = Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft}}

*{{cite book | editor = E. Mills | title = Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas |url=http://ia701204.us.archive.org/15/items/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas/PalestineCensus1931.pdf | publisher = Government of Palestine | location = Jerusalem | year = 1932}}
{{poemquote|O bird, O pigeon,
*{{Cite book|last=Palmer|first=E. H.|authorlink=Edward Henry Palmer|year=1881|url=http://www.archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp00conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer|publisher=]}}
My darling wants to sleep.
*{{cite book |title=Domestic life in Palestine|url=http://archive.org/details/domesticlifeinpa00rogerich|first1=Mary Eliza|last1=Rogers|year=1865|publisher=Poe & Hichcock}}
And I'll slay the pigeon for thee,
*{{Citation|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, Vol. I, A |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=j1rSzWgHMjoC|first1=Moshe|last1=Sharon|year=1997|publisher=BRILL|ISBN=90-04-10833-5}} (Artas; )
O pigeon, do not fear,
*{{Citation|title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500|url=http://www.archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft |first1=Guy|last1=le Strange|year=1890|publisher=Committee of the ]}}, London,
I'll but laugh the child to sleep.}}
{{Refend}}

In the ] the population of Artas was 800; 690 Muslims and 110 Christians,<ref name=DoS1945>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. </ref> who owned 4,304 ]s of land according to an official land and population survey.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. {{Webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080805000658/http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Jerusalem/Page-056.jpg |date=2008-08-05 }}</ref> Of this, 894 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 644 for cereals,<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in 1970, p. </ref> while 54 dunams were built-up (urban) land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. </ref>

===Jordanian era===
In the wake of the ], and after the ], Artas came under ]ian rule. It was ] in 1950.

In 1961, the population of Artas was 1,016,<ref>Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. </ref> of whom 68 were Christian, the rest Muslim.<ref>Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, pp. </ref>

===Post-1967===
Since the ] in 1967, the town has been under ]. The population in the 1967 census conducted by the Israeli authorities was 1,097.<ref name=67census>{{cite web |url=http://www.levyinstitute.org/pubs/1967_census/vol_1_tab_2.pdf |title=The 1967 Census of the West Bank and Gaza Strip: A Digitized Version |author=Perlmann, Joel |date=November 2011 – February 2012 |website=] |access-date=24 June 2016 }}</ref>

After the ], 66.7% of Artas land was classified as ], 0.06% as ], the remaining 33.3% as ]. According to ], Israel has ] about 421 ]s of Artas land for the ] of ].<ref>, ARIJ, p. 17</ref>

==Religious institutions==
Across the valley from the village is the Christian Convent of the ] (lit. "Enclosed Garden", a name relating to both the ] and the ]).<ref>{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Cultural institutions==
The Artas Folklore Center (AFC) was established in 1993 by Mr. Musa Sanad<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724171316/http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=1263&ed=100&edid=100 |date=2011-07-24 }} By Leyla Zuaiter</ref> to document, preserve and share the rich heritage of the village. The village has a small folklore museum, a ] and a drama troupe. The Artas Lettuce Festival has been an annual event since 1994. Artas is a popular destination for visitors to Bethlehem who want to experience traditional Palestinian life, and for groups interested in ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bethlehem.ps/ |title=Welcome To Bethlehem.ps<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615062854/http://www.bethlehem.ps/ |archive-date=2008-06-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Citations ==
{{reflist|25em}}

==General references==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book|title=The Immovable East: Studies of the People and Customs of Palestine|url=https://archive.org/details/immovableeaststu00balduoft|first=P.J.|last=Baldensperger|year=1913|location=Boston}}
*{{cite book |editor= Barron, J.B. |title= Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922 |url= https://archive.org/details/PalestineCensus1922 |publisher= Government of Palestine |year= 1923 }}
*{{cite book|last=Canaan|first=T.|author-link=Tawfiq Canaan|url=http://digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA003475/00002/9j|title=Mohammedan Saints and Sanctuaries in Palestine|year=1927|location=London|publisher=Luzac & Co.|access-date=2015-04-09|archive-date=2019-05-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516015019/https://digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA003475/00002/9j|url-status=dead}} (pp. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003025722/http://digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA003475/00002/79j |date=2017-10-03 }} )
*{{cite book|last1=Conder|first1=C.R.|author-link1=Claude Reignier Conder|last2=Kitchener|first2=H.H.|author-link2=Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|year=1883|url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp03conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology|location=London|publisher=]|volume=3}}
*{{cite book |author-last=Dalman |author-first=G. |author-link=Gustaf Dalman |title=Work and Customs in Palestine |volume=I/2 |translator=Nadia Abdulhadi Sukhtian |location=Ramallah |publisher=Dar Al Nasher |year=2013 |language=en |url=https://www.amazon.com/Customs-Palestine-Translation-Gustaf-2013-08-02/dp/B01K3MCDFE |oclc=1040774903 |isbn=9789950385-01-6 }}
*{{cite book | title = First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population | author = Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics | year = 1964 | url = http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensus1961bits.pdf }}
*{{cite book|title=Village Statistics, April, 1945|url=http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nli/Hebrew/library/Pages/BookReader.aspx?pid=856390|author=Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics|year=1945}}
*], 1931: . Helsingfors: Societas Scientiarum Fennica
*], 1935: . Helsingfors: Societas Scientiarum Fennica
*{{cite book|last=Guérin|first=V.|author-link=Victor Guérin|title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine|url=https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr06gugoog|volume=1: Judee, pt. 3|year=1869|publisher=L'Imprimerie Nationale|location=Paris|language=fr}}
*{{cite book|title=Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine|url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html|first=S.|last=Hadawi|author-link=Sami Hadawi|year=1970|publisher=Palestine Liberation Organization Research Centre|access-date=2012-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208215837/http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html|archive-date=2018-12-08|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite journal | last = Hartmann | first = M. | author-link = Martin Hartmann | title = Die Ortschaftenliste des Liwa Jerusalem in dem türkischen Staatskalender für Syrien auf das Jahr 1288 der Flucht (1871) | journal = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins | volume = 6 | pages = –149 | url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_BZobAQAAIAAJ | year = 1883 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Hütteroth|first1=W.-D.|author-link1=Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth |first2=K. | last2=Abdulfattah |author-link2=Kamal Abdulfattah|title=Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ |year=1977 |publisher=Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft |isbn=3-920405-41-2 }}
*{{cite book|title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500|url=https://archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft|first=G.|last=Le Strange|author-link=Guy Le Strange|year=1890|publisher=Committee of the ]|location=London}}
*{{cite book | editor = Mills, E. | title = Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas | url = https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas | publisher = Government of Palestine | location = Jerusalem | year = 1932 }}
*{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=E.H.|author-link=Edward Henry Palmer|year=1881|url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp00conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer|publisher=]}}
*{{cite book|title=The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A-K (excluding Acre and Jerusalem)|volume=I|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgQ6AAAAIAAJ|last=Pringle|first=D.|author-link=Denys Pringle|year=1993|isbn=0-521-39036-2|publisher=]}} .
*{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearc00smitgoog|title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838|location=Boston|publisher=]|volume=2}}
*{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft|title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838|location=Boston|publisher=]|volume=3}}
*{{cite book|title=Domestic life in Palestine|url=https://archive.org/details/domesticlifeinpa00rogerich|first1=Mary Eliza|last1=Rogers|year=1865|publisher=Poe & Hichcock}}
*{{cite book|last=Röhricht|first=R.|author-link=Reinhold Röhricht|title=(RRH) Regesta regni Hierosolymitani (MXCVII-MCCXCI)|url=https://archive.org/details/regestaregnihie00rhgoog|year=1893|publisher=Libraria Academica Wageriana|location=Berlin|language=la}}
*{{cite book|last=Saulcy|first=L.F. de|author-link=Louis Félicien de Saulcy|title=Narrative of a journey round the Dead Sea, and in the Bible lands, in 1850 and 1851|url=https://archive.org/details/narrativeajourn01warrgoog|volume=2, new edition|year=1854|publisher=R. Bentley|location=London}}
*{{cite journal | last = Schick | first = C. | author-link = Conrad Schick | title = Zur Einwohnerzahl des Bezirks Jerusalem | journal = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins | volume = 19 | pages = –127 | url = https://archive.org/details/zeitschriftdesde19deut | year = 1896 }}
*{{cite book|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, A|volume=I|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j1rSzWgHMjoC|first1=M.|last1=Sharon|author-link=Moshe Sharon|year=1997|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-10833-5}}
*{{cite journal | author = Socin, A. | author-link = Albert Socin | title = Alphabetisches Verzeichniss von Ortschaften des Paschalik Jerusalem | journal = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins | volume = 2 | pages = –163 | url = https://archive.org/details/zeitschriftdesde01deut | year = 1879 }}
*{{cite book |last=Tobler |first=T. |author-link=Titus Tobler |title=Dr. Titus Toblers zwei Bucher Topographie von Jerusalem und seinen Umgebungen |url=https://archive.org/details/drtitustoblersz02toblgoog |volume=2 |year=1854 |publisher=G. Reimer |location=Berlin |language=de }} (pp. - 955)
{{refend}}


==External links== ==External links==
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* * , Welcome to Palestine
* Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: , ]
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* 21 July 2004, POICA
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* , ]
* 02, September, 1999, ARIJ
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* 10, February, 2003, ARIJ

* 21, July, 2004, ARIJ
* 17, May, 2006, ARIJ
*, youtube.com
*, youtube.com
{{Bethlehem Governorate}} {{Bethlehem Governorate}}


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Latest revision as of 20:34, 2 November 2024

Palestinian village in the West Bank close to Bethlehem Municipality type D in Bethlehem, State of Palestine
Artas
Municipality type D (Village council)
Arabic transcription(s)
 • Arabicأرطاس
Artas, Convent of the Hortus ConclususArtas, Convent of the Hortus Conclusus
Artas is located in State of PalestineArtasArtasLocation of Artas within Palestine
Coordinates: 31°41′21″N 35°11′10″E / 31.68917°N 35.18611°E / 31.68917; 35.18611
Palestine grid167/121
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateBethlehem
Government
 • TypeVillage council
 • Head of MunicipalityHamdi Aish
Area
 • Total4,304 dunams (4.3 km or 1.7 sq mi)
Elevation732 m (2,402 ft)
Population
 • Total5,745
 • Density1,300/km (3,500/sq mi)
Name meaningUrtas, p.n.

Artas (Arabic: أرطاس) is a Palestinian village located four kilometers southwest of Bethlehem in the Bethlehem Governorate of Palestine, in the central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 5,745 in 2017.

Etymology

According to le Strange, the name Urtas is probably a corruption of Hortus, which has the same meaning as Firdus (Paradise), while E.H. Palmer thought it was a personal name. The name might also be derived from Latin hortus meaning garden, hence the name Hortus Conclusus of the nearby Catholic Convent.

Geography

Artas is located 2.4 kilometers (1.5 mi) (horizontal distance) southwest of Bethlehem. It is bordered by Hindaza to the east, Ad Duheisha camp to the north, Al-Khader to the west, and Wadi Rahhal to the south. The Israeli settlement of Efrat is located nearby.

Artas and the surrounding area is characterized by the diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna due to its location at a meeting place of ecosystems. From a spring below the village an aqueduct used to carry water to Birket el Hummam.

History

Fatimid to Mamluk eras

According to Moshe Sharon, professor of early Islamic history at Hebrew University, two inscriptions found in the village show the great interest in Artas from leaders in the Fatimid and Mamluk states, as well as the wealth of the village at that time.

Nasir Khusraw (1004–1088) wrote that "a couple of leagues from Jerusalem is a place where there are four villages, and there is here a spring of water, with numerous gardens and orchards, and it is called Faradis (or the Paradises), on account of the beauty of the spot."

During the Crusader period, the village was known as Artasium, or Iardium Aschas. In 1227, Pope Gregory IX confirmed that the village had been given to the Church of Bethlehem. Remains of the Crusader church were torn down in the 19th century.

Ottoman era

Artas, 1940

Artas was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa of Quds. It had a population of 32 Muslim households. The villagers paid a fixed amount of 5,500 akçe in taxes, and all of the revenue went to a Muslim charitable endowment.

The village was reportedly destroyed twice during the Ottoman period: first, between 1600 and 1744, and again in the late 18th century.

Until the 19th century, Artas residents were responsible for guarding Solomon's Pools, a water system conducting water to Bethlehem, Herodium, and the Temple Mount or Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem. The village had a tradition of hosting foreign and local scholars, not a few of whom were women. A large body of research thus exists on many aspects of life in the village.

The residents of Artas refused to pay tributes to Ibrahim Pasha in 1831 under the pretext that they had been exempt since the time of Solomon. He responded by demolishing their homes, which they later rebuilt

In 1838, Robinson and Smith described Artas as a Sunni Muslim village south of Wadi er-Rahib. The place was inhabited but many houses lay in ruins. Robinson also found many signs of antiquity, including foundations of a square tower. He further noted the fine fountain above it, which watered many gardens.

In the mid-19th century, James Finn, the British Consul of Jerusalem (1846–1863), and his wife Elisabeth Ann Finn, bought land in Artas to establish an experimental farm where they planned to employ poverty-stricken Jews from the Old City of Jerusalem. Johann Adolf Großsteinbeck (1828–1913; grandfather of the author John Steinbeck) and his brother Friedrich, settled there under the leadership of John Meshullam, a converted Jew and member of a British missionary society. Clorinda S. Minor also lived in Artas in 1851 and 1853.

When the French explorer Victor Guérin visited in July 1863, he found 300 inhabitants. Many of the houses appeared to be built of ancient materials. An official Ottoman village list from about 1870 showed 18 houses and a population of 60, though the population count included only men.

In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Artas as "a small village perched against hill-side...with a good spring behind it whence an aqueduct led to Jebel Furedis...remains of a reservoir Humman Suleiman."

In 1896 the population of Artas was estimated to be about 120 persons.

British Mandate era

Sitt Hamdiya and Sitt Latifa of Artas demonstrating the use of a ground loom to weave a hammock cradle for Grace Crowfoot, c. 1944

According to German explorer and orientalist Gustaf Dalman, in the early 20th-century, Artas supplied the Jerusalem marketplace with peaches, apricots and green pears.

The Finnish anthropologist Hilma Granqvist came to Artas in the 1920s as part of her research on the women of the Old Testament. She "arrived in Palestine in order to find the Jewish ancestors of Scripture. What she found instead was a Palestinian people with a distinct culture and way of life. She therefore changed the focus of her research to a full investigation of the customs, habits and ways of thinking of the people of that village. Granqvist ended up staying till 1931 documenting all aspects of village life. In so doing she took hundreds of photographs." Her many books about Artas were published between 1931 and 1965, making Artas one of the best documented Palestinian villages.

2006 Annual Artas Lettuce Festival

In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, "Urtas" had a population of 433, 192 male and 197 female Muslims, and 1 male and 43 female Christians. In the 1931 census the population of Artas was a total of 619 in 123 inhabited houses. There were 272 male and 273 female Muslims, while there was 5 male and 69 female Christians.

In 1944, archaeologist Grace M.Crowfoot, while researching Palestinian weaving techniques, recorded two lullabies being sung in Artas:

O pigeon of the rivers,
Give sleep to both eyes.
O pigeon of the wilderness,
Give sleep in the cradle.
O pigeon of the valley,
Give sleep to my son.

O bird, O pigeon,
My darling wants to sleep.
And I'll slay the pigeon for thee,
O pigeon, do not fear,
I'll but laugh the child to sleep.

In the 1945 statistics the population of Artas was 800; 690 Muslims and 110 Christians, who owned 4,304 dunams of land according to an official land and population survey. Of this, 894 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 644 for cereals, while 54 dunams were built-up (urban) land.

Jordanian era

In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Artas came under Jordanian rule. It was annexed by Jordan in 1950.

In 1961, the population of Artas was 1,016, of whom 68 were Christian, the rest Muslim.

Post-1967

Since the Six-Day War in 1967, the town has been under Israeli occupation. The population in the 1967 census conducted by the Israeli authorities was 1,097.

After the 1995 accords, 66.7% of Artas land was classified as Area C, 0.06% as Area B, the remaining 33.3% as Area A. According to ARIJ, Israel has confiscated about 421 dunams of Artas land for the Israeli settlement of Efrat.

Religious institutions

Across the valley from the village is the Christian Convent of the Hortus Conclusus (lit. "Enclosed Garden", a name relating to both the Song of Songs and the Virgin Mary).

Cultural institutions

The Artas Folklore Center (AFC) was established in 1993 by Mr. Musa Sanad to document, preserve and share the rich heritage of the village. The village has a small folklore museum, a dabka and a drama troupe. The Artas Lettuce Festival has been an annual event since 1994. Artas is a popular destination for visitors to Bethlehem who want to experience traditional Palestinian life, and for groups interested in ecotourism.

Citations

  1. ^ Artas Village Profile ARIJ, p. 4
  2. "Main Indicators by Type of Locality - Population, Housing and Establishments Census 2017" (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  3. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 330
  4. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (February 2018). "Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census 2017" (PDF). p. 76. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Le Strange, 1890, p. 440
  6. Artas Valley
  7. Conder & Kitchener, SWP III, 1883, p. 161
  8. Sharon, 1997, pp. 117- 120
  9. Röhricht, 1893, p. 259, no 983; cited in Pringle, 1993, p. 61
  10. Baldensperger, 1913, p. 114
  11. Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 116
  12. Grossman, David (1986). "תהליכי התפתחות ונסיגה ביישוב הכפרי בשומרון וביהודה בתקופה העות'מאנית" [Oscillations in the Rural Settlement of Samaria and Judaea in the Ottoman Period]. מחקרי שומרון: קובץ מחקרים [Shomron Studies] (in Hebrew). Ra'anana: הקיבוץ המאוחד . p. 366.
  13. A Century and a Half of Women's Encounters in Artas
  14. Recommended Reading and Selected Bibliography of Artas
  15. Bagatti, B. (2002). Ancient Christian Villages of Judaea and Negev. Jerusalem: Franciscan Printing Press. p. 61.
  16. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 3, 2nd appendix, p. 123
  17. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 2, p. 168
  18. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 2, p. 164
  19. Webster, Gillian (1985). "Elizabeth Anne Finn". The Biblical Archaeologist. 48 (3): 181–185. doi:10.2307/3209937. JSTOR 3209937. S2CID 163343573.
  20. Friedman, Lior (4 April 2009). "The Mountain of Despair". Haaretz. Tel Aviv. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  21. Guérin, 1869, p. 104 ff
  22. Guérin, 1869, p. 108
  23. Socin, 1879, p. 144 It was noted in the Hebron district
  24. Hartmann, 1883, p. 148
  25. Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, 'Urtas'. p. 27.
  26. Schick, 1896, p. 125
  27. Dalman (2013), vol. 2, pp. 388, 578
  28. Other Palestines Archived August 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine 24–30 May 2001 Al-Ahram Weekly Online
  29. Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Bethlehem, p. 18
  30. Mills, 1932, p. 35
  31. Crowfoot, Grace (1944). Handcrafts in Palestine: Jerusalem hammock cradles and Hebron rugs. Palestine Exploration Quarterly January–April, 1944. p. 122
  32. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 24
  33. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 56 Archived 2008-08-05 at the Library of Congress Web Archives
  34. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in 1970, p. 101
  35. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 151
  36. Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 23
  37. Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, pp. 115-116
  38. Perlmann, Joel (November 2011 – February 2012). "The 1967 Census of the West Bank and Gaza Strip: A Digitized Version" (PDF). Levy Economics Institute. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  39. Artas Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 17
  40. Hortus Conclusus (the Sealed Gardens)
  41. Musa Sanad 1949 - 2005 A Modern Day Palestinian Folk Hero Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine By Leyla Zuaiter
  42. "Welcome To Bethlehem.ps". Archived from the original on 2008-06-15. Retrieved 2008-04-22.

General references

External links

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