Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 21:05, 15 April 2009

Template:Infobox Former Arab villages in Palestine

Bayt Dajan (Template:Lang-ar, Template:ArTranslit, also known as Dajūn) was a Palestinian Arab village situated approximately Template:Km to mi southeast of Jaffa. It is thought to have been the site of the biblical town of Beth Dagon, mentioned in the Book of Joshua and in ancient Assyrian and Egyptian texts.

In the mid-16th century, Bayt Dajan formed part of an Ottoman waqf established by Roxelana, the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, and by the late 16th century it was part of the nahiya of Ramla in the liwa of Gaza. Villagers paid taxes to the Ottoman authorities for property and agricultural goods and animal husbandry conducted in the villages, including the cultivation of wheat, barley, fruit, and sesame, as well as on goats, beehives and vineyards. The village women were also locally renowned for the intricate, high quality embroidery designs, a ubiquitous feature of traditional Palestinian costumes.

By the time of the British Mandate in Palestine, the village housed two elementary schools, a library and an agronomic school. After an assault by the Alexandroni Brigade during Operation Chametz on 25 April 1948 in the lead up to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the village was entirely depopulated. The Israeli locality of Beit Dagan was founded at the same site in October 1948.

History

The village has a millennia long history. It is mentioned in Assyrian and Ancient Egyptian texts as "Bīt Dagana" and bet dgn respectively. Its Arabic name, Bayt Dajan, preserves its ancient biblical name. Beth Dagon appears in the Bible's Book of Joshua 15:41 among a list of "the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward." It also appears in Joshua 19:27 and in the Tosephta (Ohalot 3:4) transcribed as "Beth Dagan". Moshe Sharon writes that this latter spelling, which corresponds exactly to the Arabic name, may have arisen after the village was conquered by Judea. With Dagon being a head deity in the Philistine pantheon of gods, Sharon speculates that under Judean control, his name was changed to Dagan, meaning "wheat", a symbol of prosperity.

Eusebius describes the village in the 4th century CE as "very large", noting its name then as "Kafar Dagon" or "Caphardagon", situating it between Diospolis (Lydda) and Yamnia (Yibna). Bayt Dajan also appears on the 6th century Map of Madaba under the name o Dagana. Another Bayt Dajan, not to be confused with this one, is located southeast of Nablus.

The nearby site of Khirbet Dajūn, a tel with ruins to the southwest of Bayt Dajan, preserves the Dagon rather than Dagan spelling. In Arabic literature, there are many references to Dajūn, which was also used to refer to Bayt Dajan itself. Al-Muqaddasi mentions a road in the Ramla area, darb dajūn, as connecting to the town of Dajūn which had a Friday mosque, and in a separate entry he adds that most of the town's inhabitants were Samaritans. Yaqut al-Hamawi writes that it was "one of the villages in the district of Ramlah" and devotes the rest of his discussion of it to Ahmad al-Dajani, also known as Abu Bakr Muhammad, a renowned Muslim scholar who hailed from there. By the 10th century, one of the eight gates to the city of Ramla was also named "Dajūn".

In the 11th century, Bayt Dajan served as a headquarters for the Fatimid army in Palestine. During the Crusader period, Richard the Lionheart built a small castle in the village in 1191. Known as Casal Maen (or Casal Moein), it "was the utmost limit of inland occupation allowed by Saladin," and was destroyed by Saladin following the signing of the Treaty of Jaffa on 2 September 1192.

During early Ottoman rule in Palestine, the revenues of the village of Bayt Dajan were in 1557 designated for the new waqf of Hasseki Sultan Imaret in Jerusalem, established by Hasseki Hurrem Sultan (Roxelana), the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent. In 1596, Bayt Dajan was a village in the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Ramla, part of the Liwa of Gaza, with a population of 633. Villagers paid taxes to the authorities for the crops that they cultivated, which included wheat, barley, fruit, and sesame as well as on other types of agricultural products, such as goats, beehives and vineyards. An Arabic inscription on marble dating to 1762 was found in Bayt Dajan. Held in the private collection of Moshe Dayan, Moshe Sharon identified it as a dedicatory inscription for a Sufi maqam for a popular Egyptian saint, Ibrahim al-Matbuli, who was buried in Isdud. Also in Dayan's private collection was a headstone made of limestone with a poetic inscription in Arabic dating to 1842.

In the late 19th century, Bayt Dajan was described as moderate-sized village surrounded by olive trees. Philip Baldensperger noted of Bayt Dajan in 1895 that:

The inhabitants are very industrious, occupied chiefly in making mats and baskets for carrying earth and stones. They own camels for carrying loads from Jaffa to Jerusalem, cultivate the lands, and work at building etc., in Jaffa or on the railway works. The women flock every day to Jaffa and on Wednesday to Ramleh - to the market held there, with chickens, eggs and milk.

In 1903, a cache of gold coins were found in Khirbet Dajun by villagers from Bayt Dajan, who used this site as a quarry. The discovery prompted R.A. Macalister to visit the site. Based on his observations detailed in a report for the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF), Maclister concludes:

"Thus we have three epochs in the history of Beth-Dagon — the first on an as yet unknown site, from the Amorite to the Roman periods; the second at Dajiin, extending over the Roman and early Arab periods; the third at the modern Beit Dejan, lasting to the present day. It is probable that the present population could, had they the necessary documents, show a continuous chain of ancestry extending from the first city to the last."

By the 20th century, the village had two elementary schools, one for boys, and one for girls. The school for boys was established during the British Mandate in Palestine in 1920. It housed a library of 600 books and had acquired 15 dunums of land that were used for instruction in agronomy. In 1934, when Fakhri al-Nashashibi established the Arab Workers Society (AWS) in Jerusalem, an AWS branch was also opened in Bayt Dajan. By 1940, 353 males and 102 females attended the schools. In 1944-45 a total of 7,990 dunums of land was used for citrus and banana cultivation, 676 dunums for cereals and 3,195 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.

1948 War and aftermath

The village of Bayt Dajan was depopulated in the weeks leading up to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, during the Haganah's offensive Mivtza Hametz (Operation Hametz) 28-30 April 1948. This operation was held against a group of villages east of Jaffa, including Bayt Dajan. According to the preparatory orders, the objective was to "opening the way to Lydda". Though there was no explicit mention of the prospective treatment of the villagers, the order spoke of "cleansing the area" .The final operational order stated: "Civilian inhabitants of places conquered would be permitted to leave after they are searched for weapons." On the 30 Apr. it was reported that the inhabitants of the Bayt Dajan had left, and that Iraqi irregulars had moved into the village.

Bayt Dajan was one of at least 8 villages destroyed by Israel's First Transfer Committee between June and July 1948 under the leadership of Joseph Weitz. On 16 June 1948, Ben-Gurion, almost certainly based on a progress report from Weitz, noted Bayt Dajan as one of the Palestinian villages that they had destroyed.

On 23 September 1948 General Avner named Bayt Dajan as a suitable village for settlement for new Jewish immigrants ("olim") to Israel.

There are four Israeli settlements on village lands; Beyt Dagan, established six months after the conquest, Mishmar ha-Shiv'a established in 1949, Chemed built in 1950, and Gannot, built in 1953.

The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the village in 1992: "A number of houses remain; some are deserted, others are occupied by Jewish families, or used as stores, office buildings, or warehouses. They exhibit a variety of architectural features. One inhabited house is made of concrete and has a rectangular plan, a flat roof, rectangular front windows, and two arched side windows. Another has been converted into the Eli Cohen synagogue; it is made of concrete and has a flat roof and a round-arched front door and window. Stars of David have been painted on its front door and what appears ato be a garage door. One of the deserted houses is made of concrete and has a gabled, tiled roof that is starting to collapse; others are sealed and stand amidst shrubs and weeds. Cactuses and cypress, fig, and date palm trees grow on the site. The land in the vicinity is cultivated by Israelis."

Culture

Bayt Dajan was known to be among the wealthiest communities in the Jaffa area, and their embroideresses were reported to be among the most artistic. A center for weaving and embroidery, it exerted influences on many other surrounding villages and towns. Costumes from Beit Dajan were noted for their varied techniques, many of which were adopted and elaborated from other local styles.

White linen garments inspired by Ramallah styles were popular, using patchwork and appliqued sequins in addition to embroidery. A key motif was the nafnuf design: a floral pattern thought to be inspired by the locally grown orange trees. The nafnuf design evolved after World War I into embroidery running down the dress in long panels known as "branches" (erq). This erq style was the forerunner of the "6 branch" style dresses worn by Palestinian women in different regions today.

In the 1920s, a lady from Bethlehem named Maneh Hazbun came to live in Bayt Dajan after her brother bought some orange-groves there. She introduced the rashek (couching with silk) style of embroidery, a local imitation of the Bethlehem style.

The jillayeh (the embroidered outer garment for wedding costume) used in Bayt Dajan was quite similar to those of Ramallah. The difference was in decoration and embroidery. Typical for Bayt Dajan would be a motif consisting of two triangles, mirror-faced, with or without an embroidered stripe between them, and with inverted cypresses at the edges. A jillayeh from Bayt Dajan (c. 1920s) is exhibited at the British Museum. The caption notes that the dress would be worn by the bride at the final ritual of wedding week celebrations, a procession known as 'going to the well'. Accompanied by all the village women in their finest dress, the bride would go to the well to present a tray of sweets to the guardian of the well and fill her pitcher with water to ensure good fortune for her home.

There are also several items from Bayt Dajan and the surrounding area is in the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) collection at Santa Fe, USA.

Artistic representations

Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour made Bayt Dajan the subject of one of his paintings. The work, named for the village, was one of a series of four on destroyed Palestinian villages that he produced in 1988; the others being Yalo, Imwas and Yibna.

See also

• Beit Dagan
• List of villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
• Palestinian costumes
• Sakher Habash

External links

• Palestine Remembered - Bayt Dajan
• Black Beit Dajan dress, with a rare embroidered scarf
• Detail of a sleeve from a Beit Dajan thob al abayed, 1920's - 30's (Tareq Rajab Museum, Kuwait)
• Beit-Dajan dress, together with costumes from Safryieh and Asdoud
• Thob of Beit Dajan (Jaffa District). This "thob" is rich in embroidery, main colour is red touched with lilac and green. It has "manajel" on the sides, and is worn with a belt.

References

1. "Welcome to Bayt Dajan". Palestine Remembered. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
2. Gelber, 2006, p. 394.
3. ^ Sharon, 1997, p. 89-90.
4. ^ Smith, 1854, p. 396.
5. Wheatley, 2000, p. 486.
6. Levy, 1995, p. 492.
7. Gil and Broido, 1997, p. 727.
8. Stubbs and Hassell, 1902, p. 362.
9. Ambroise et al., 2003, p. 125.
10. Singer, A. (2002), p.50
11. Hütteroth, Wolf-Deiter and Kamal Abdulfattah (1977), Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. p. 155. Quoted in Khalidi 1992, p. 237
12. Conder, Claude Reignier and H.H. Kitchener: The Survey of Western Palestine. London:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.(1881) II:251. Quoted in Khalidi, p.237
13. Weir, p.207, citing Philip Baldensperger (1895): "Beth-Dejan", in Palestine Exploration Fund Quartely
14. R.A. Macalister (1903). "Quarterly Statement for 1903". J. Paul Getty Museum Library. Retrieved 2009.03.13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
15. Khalidi, p.237
16. Matthews, 2006, p. 228.
17. Khalidi, p. 237
18. HGS\Operations to Alexandroni, etc., "Orders for Operation "Hametz", 26 Apr. 1948. IDFA 6647\49\\15. Cited in Morris (2004), p. 217, 286
19. Operation Hametz HQ to Givati, etc., 27 Apr. 1948, 14:00 hours, IDFA 67\51\\677. See also Alexandroni to battalions, 27 Apr. 1948, IDFA 922\75\\949. Cited in Morris (2004), p 217, 286
20. 54th Battalion to Givati, "Subject: Summary for 29.4.48", 30 Apr. 1948, IDFA 1041\49\\18. Cited in Morris (2004), p 176, 269
21. Morris (2004), p. 314
22. Fischbach, 2003, p. 14.
23. Entry for 16 June 1948, DBG-YH II, 523-24. Cited in Morris (2004), p. 350, 398
24. Protocol of Meeting of Military Government Committee, 23 Sep. 1948, ISA FM 2564\11. Cited in Morris (2004), p. 394, 413
25. Khalidi (1992), p. 238
26. Khalidi (1992), p. 238
27. Jane Waldron Grutz. "Woven Legacy, Woven Language". Saudi Aramco World. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite web}}: Text "date-January/February 1991" ignored (help)
28. ^ "Palestine costume before 1948: by region". Palestine Costume Archive. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
29. Weir, 1989, p. 225, 227.
30. ^ Stillman, 1979, p. 66, 67.
31. "Explore - Highlights: Coat dress". British Museum. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
32. Ankori, 2006, p. 82.

Bibliography

• Ambroise; Ailes, Marianne; Barber, Malcolm (2003), The history of the Holy War: Ambroise's Estoire de la guerre sainte (Illustrated ed.), by Boydell Press, ISBN 1843830019, 9781843830016 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Ankori, Gannit (2006), Palestinian Art, Reaktion Books, ISBN 1861892594 {{citation}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); External link in |title= (help)
• Fischbach, Michael R. (2003), Records of dispossession: Palestinian refugee property and the Arab-Israeli conflict (Illustrated ed.), Columbia University Press, ISBN 0231129785, 9780231129787 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Gelber (2006). Palestine, 1948: war, escape and the emergence of the Palestinian refugee problem (2nd, illustrated ed.). Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 1845190750, 9781845190750. {{cite book}}: |first1= missing |last1= (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Gil, Moshe; Broido, Ethel (1997), A History of Palestine, 634-1099, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521599849, 9780521599849 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Khalidi, Walid. All that Remains. Washington DC: Institute for Palestine Studies. ISBN 0887282245.
• Levy, Thomas Evan (1995), The archaeology of society in the Holy Land (Illustrated ed.), Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0718513886, 9780718513887 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Matthews, Weldon C. (2006), Confronting an empire, constructing a nation: Arab nationalists and popular politics in mandate Palestine (Annotated ed.), I.B.Tauris, ISBN 1845111737, 9781845111731 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Morris, Benny (2004), The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521009677, 9780521009676 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Rajab, Jehan S. (1989). Palestinian Costume, London: Kegan Paul International. ISBN 0-7103-0283-5.
• Sharon, Moshe (1997), Corpus inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, (CIAP) (Illustrated ed.), BRILL, ISBN 9004110836, 9789004110830 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Singer, A. (2002). Constructing Ottoman Beneficence: An Imperial Soup Kitchen in Jerusalem. Albany: State of New York Press.
• Smith, William (1854), Dictionary of Greek and Roman geography, Little, Brown & Co.
• Stillman, Yedida Kalfol (1979), Palestinian Costume and Jewelry, ISBN 0826304907
• Weir, Shelagh (1989), Palestinian Costume, British Museum Publications Ltd., ISBN 0714125172 {{citation}}: Text "exhibition catalog; see also chapters five and six (p. 203-270) on "Changing Fashions in Beit Dajan" and "Wedding Rituals in Beit Dajan"." ignored (help)
• Stubbs, William; Hassall, Arthur (1902), Historical Introductions to the Rolls Series. Collected and Edited by Arthur Hassall, Adamant Media Corporation, ISBN 1402148313, 9781402148316 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Wheatley, Paul (2000), The places where men pray together: cities in Islamic lands, seventh through the tenth centuries (Illustrated ed.), University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0226894282, 9780226894287 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)

Additional reading

• Widad Kawar/Shelagh Weir: Costumes and Wedding Customs in Bayt Dajan
• Sharon, Moshe (1997): Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae (Bayt Dajan p 89-93) ISBN 9004110836,

• Villages depopulated prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
• District of Jaffa