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Surigao del Norte

Surigao del Norte (Surigaonon: Probinsya nan Surigao del Norte; Amihanang Surigao; Tagalog: Hilagang Surigao), officially the Province of Surigao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region of Mindanao. The province was formerly under the jurisdiction of Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) until 1995. Its capital is Surigao City. The province comprises two major islands—Siargao and Bucas Grande—in the Philippine Sea, plus a small area at the northeastern tip of mainland Mindanao and other surrounding minor islands and islets. This mainland portion borders Agusan del Norte – between the Municipality of Alegria in Surigao del Norte and the Municipality of Kitcharao in Agusan del Norte; and the province of Surigao del Sur, to the south.

Surigao del Norte is the second northernmost of the Mindanao provinces and is an important commerce and transportation hub between Visayas and Mindanao. Numerous ferries cross the Surigao Strait between Surigao and the island of Leyte transporting vehicles, cargoes, and passengers between Liloan in Southern Leyte and Surigao City.

Etymology
There are two presumptions on the original meaning of "Surigao" among linguists, depending on the original root word. If the root word was taken to be sulig ("sprout" or "spring up"), then Surigao may have derived from  ("spring water"), likely referring to the Surigao River (known as "Suligaw" in Mandaya) that empties at the northern tip of the island of Mindanao. Early historical accounts record the name of the river as, Surigao, or Zurigan.

Another possibility is that it is derived from Visayan "surogao" or "suyogao," meaning "water current". From suyog (also sulog or ), "current". Other Visayan words derived from the same root include Sinulog, Sulu, and Tausug (Suluk).

Spanish colonial era
Rajah Siawi and Rajah Kulambo, members of the nobility of the Surigaonon and Butuanon people, respectively, were encountered by the Magellan expedition in 1521 on the island of Limasawa (which was a hunting ground for the rulers). Antonio Pigafetta describes them as being tattooed and covered in gold ornaments. Pigafetta also records the name of the Surigao region as "Calagan".

The explorer Ruy López de Villalobos headed an expedition to Surigao in 1543, an attempt at subjugation which failed because of the resistance of the natives. At that time the island of Mindanao was given the name Caesarea Caroli, in honor of Carlos V of Spain. Jesuit missionaries visited Butuan in 1597 but did not make much progress in Christianizing the people. It was not until 1609, when a full-dress expedition was launched, that Spanish authority was imposed to Tandag. In 1622, the arrival of the Recollect missionaries in Tandag commenced the establishment of a permanent mission in Surigao.

The area of Surigao del Norte was once part of an ancient district referred to as "Caraga" during the Spanish colonial period named after its chief inhabitants, the Caraga tribe or Caragans who were largely concentrated in a settlement called Caraga. The ancient district of Caraga, which was established in 1609 comprised all of the present day provinces of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur, the northern part of Davao Oriental and eastern Misamis Oriental. The seat of government was at Tandag until it was transferred to the town of Surigao in 1848. Six Spanish military districts were established in Mindanao in 1860 and the areas of present-day Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur (collectively called Agusan back then), including the territory lying between present day Butuan and Caraga bays, formed the third district called the "East District" which was changed in 1870 to "Distrito de Surigao". By the end of the Spanish rule in 1897, Agusan had been organized as a single politico-military comandancia named "Butuan", within the administrative jurisdiction of Distrito de Surigao.

Surigao during the Philippine Revolution
On December 23, 1898, the last Spanish Governor of Surigao turned his authority over to a provisional Filipino "Junta Provincial" Peacefully. The Spanish Government along with the Spanish community soon left Surigao by the next day on December 24 leaving behind Spanish missionaries. They were sent off with the sound of music and goodwill by the locals. The Junta Provincial elected Jantoy Gonzalez to serve as the Provisional head while waiting for the arrival of the new authority from Luzon that was sent by Aguinaldo.

"First and Official Flag Raising in Mindanao. Father Alberto Masoliver, S.J., during his stint as the parish priest of Surigao in 1898, kept a compilation of his diaries, entitled Diario de la Casa de Surigao. His diaries are currently stored in the Jesuit archives at Centro Borja, Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain. He thus wrote on December 26, 1898, 'Before 10:00 AM, the tri-color was hoisted from Casa Real seat of provincial government) and the Tribunal … without any formalities … without anybody's attention being drawn…..these people have no idea of what it is all about, and if they have… how peaceful and without malice they are.'. Surigao then was the cabecera and the seat of government of the province of Caraga which had jurisdiction over Surigao, Butuan and Cagayan de Misamis (Cagayan de Oro). Alejandro (Jantoy) Gonzalez was the president of the Junta Provincial of Surigao during the time of the first flag hoisting."

The New Authority under Aguinaldo's Supreme Revolutionary Government arrived in Surigao by January 12, 1899, they were the brothers Simon and Wenceslao Gonzales, children of Jantoy Gonzales.

Confiscation of Church Estate
Immediately after the arrival of the Gonzalez Brothers, they carried the orders of the Malolos Leadership which included the imprisonment of Spanish Missionaries, Confiscation of Church funds and other church properties.

Garcia Coup
by March 24, 1899, a new military and political figure appeared in Surigao. Don Prudencio Garcia staged a coup which resulted in the imprisonment of the Gonzalezes (Jantoy, Simon, and Wencaslao), and were killed shortly after in Cortez (now Surigao Del Sur). "Finally, on April 2, 1899, at 12 midnight they were put in a boat, well handcuffed, and shipped out to the Pacific, and upon arriving at Cortes they shot them down. They had been guarded by soldiers and officials who were all personal enemies of the Gonzalezes. In Cortes they were put under the custody of a mestizo, Hilarion Marinez, whom the Gonzalezes had maltreated by words and deeds. He avenged himself by having them fusilated. That was the Tragic end of our enemies ('Apuntes...' p. 116)"The news of what led to the deaths of the Gonzalezes did not reach Aguinaldo as they were given false information to their deaths. Aguinaldo was given a message from an "unknown correspondent" which stated"'General Simon Gonzales and his brother Wencaslao, the Governor of Surigao has been assassinated for collecting excessive contribution in money for the war, and their successors have also been assassinated by the Moros who form a greater part of the population and who have revolted against Filipino rule' (Philippine Insurgent Record 1039.5 in Taylor)"the letter stated that the Gonzales were assassinated, and that the Moros were blamed for the deaths of the predecessors despite having barely any Moros in Surigao by that time.

Narciso v. Garcia
After the execution of the Gonzalezes, Hermenegildo Narciso (A former ally of Garcia) grabbed the position of Governor. By around July 1899, around 400 men armed against Garcia took position outside the Provincial Capital (Surigao City) with 80 men in the trenches near the exit of the town. On July 8, 1899, Garcia returned to Surigao from Banganga with all the honors befitting as a General. Governor Narciso (who was still in Manila) was expected to return to Surigao to take full control of the Provincial Junta.

July 6, 1899, Soldiers (Garcia) began defending the Government house and Military Quarters in Provincial Capital, and at 6 o'clock Garcia's Soldiers and Narciso's soldiers had a shooting exchange. By 7 o'clock Garcia prepared to leave Surigao via sea. The soldiers of Narciso began their offensive when the boat started loading equipment. They took position behind the Acacia trees, and once they were discovered both sides exchanged fire. Garcia's soldiers retreated to the port and those who were not able to ride the boat with General Garcia were forced to hide and surrender. The area of the conflict is at the present day Surigao Luneta Park and alongside the street of Borromeo. The Province of Surigao would then be engulfed in Military rivalry between Governor Narciso and General Garcia, with Surigao and Butuan held by Narciso while Placer, Cantilan, and Tandag being held by Garcia. This Military Rivalry would be put to a close by the American Occupation of the Province.

Division of Surigao
Distrito de Surigao became a chartered province on May 15, 1901 (Philippine Commission Act 127). The territorial expanse of the Surigao province was further reduced in 1907 when the politico-military of Butuan, then a sub-province of Surigao, was created into a separate province and officially named it Agusan with present-day Butuan as its capital.

Philippine independence
On September 18, 1960, through Republic Act 2786 dated June 19, 1960, the province of Surigao was divided into the present-day provinces of Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur. Agusan province was later dissolved and divided into the present-day provinces of Agusan del Norte (retains present day Butuan as capital) and Agusan del Sur in 1967 by Republic Act No. 4979. The town of Surigao became a city on August 30, 1970, pursuant to RA 6134.

Contemporary
Dinagat Islands had been a part of the First District of Surigao del Norte until becoming a province on its own on December 2, 2006, with the approval of Republic Act No. 9355, the Charter of the Province of Dinagat Islands, in a plebiscite. Between February 2010 and March 2011, the islands were part again of Surigao del Norte after declaring RA 9355 unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, then were reinstated as a separate province.

Geography

Surigao del Norte is an archipelago province situated at the rim of the Asian continental shelf. It is located at the northeastern tip of Mindanao and faces the Philippine Trench. The province is bounded by the Dinagat Islands on the north, east by the Philippine Sea, south by the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Sur, and on the west by the Surigao Strait.

The province, with an area of 1,972.93 km2, comprises the mainland situated at the northeastern tip of Mindanao and several offshore islands, the largest of which include Siargao and Bucas Grande. The mainland is generally mountainous.

The province has many caves and tunnels in its islands. Some are half-submerged in water most of the time and could be accessed only during low tides like the Sohoton Cove at Bucas Grande Island.

Its biggest islands are usually mountainous and rich in minerals. Nonoc Island has one of the world's largest deposits of nickel. The smaller ones either rest on sand and gravel or have a limestone base bonded by boulders, reefs and sandbars. Some islets which include those in Del Carmen in Siargao Island are a cluster of rock formations jutting out from the sea covered with shrubs and coconut trees.

Climate
Surigao del Norte has no pronounced dry season, receiving maximum rainfall from November to January. It is among the top 20 most vulnerable provinces to climate change in the Philippines.

Administrative divisions
Surigao del Norte comprises 20 municipalities and 1 component city, organized into two legislative districts and further subdivided into 335 barangays. The 1st legislative district comprises nine municipalities on the islands of Siargao and Bucas Grande (plus smaller islands); the 2nd legislative district comprises Surigao City and eleven other municipalities on the mainland of Mindanao. Surigao City has the most number of Barangays with 54, while the Municipalities of Burgos and San Benito has the least number of Barangays each with six.

Provincial capital and component city

Municipality

Demographics
The population of Surigao del Norte in the 2020 census was 534,636 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

The inhabitants of the province is mostly of pure/mixed Austronesian stock, with some people of Chinese and Arab heritage. Spanish and American ancestries are also evident, albeit a minor percentage.

Some 95.80% of the people speak Surigaonon as a parent language. Cebuano and its dialect Boholano are also present. Waray is spoken by a small percentage. A majority are able to speak Tagalog and English as second languages. A small minority of the population are also speakers of Kamayo and Manobo languages, as well as Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Maranao, Maguindanaon and Tausug languages.

Religion
The dominant religion is Roman Catholicism with 60 percent adherence. Other religions include Iglesia Filipina Independiente with 30 and 10 for Protestant Churches.

Flora and fauna
Mangroves are the major vegetation in the coastal areas of the province, which form interminable marine forests covering 175 km2 along the coasts of the mainland and the islands of Siargao and Bucas Grande. The province is host to a variety of marine ecosystems like the lush seagrass beds and coral reefs which are relatively healthy and intact, supporting a rich diversity of marine flora and fauna.

Over 23 different species are caught the whole year round. Marlin, tuna, lapu-lapu, mollusks, crabs, even squids, stingrays and octopuses can be bought from fish vendors and fishermen.

The unique "magcono" (ironwood) forests of Surigao del Norte are one of the watersheds most productive resources. By its nature, it is slow growing and adapted to a mineralized soil.

Education

 * Alegria National High School

Culture
Surigao is home to the Mamanwa ethnic tribe. Their dances are showcased in a local festival called "Bonok-Bonok", held at the feast of San Nicolas de Tolentino which is held annually on September 10. The Bonok-Bonok depicts the native folks' merry-making to show gratitude to God for bountiful harvest and good health.

A collection of ancient archaeological diggings like burial coffins, jars and Chinese ceramics unearthed in Panhutungan, Placer, is on public display at the Surigaonon Heritage Mini-Museum located at the Boulevard in Surigao City.

Tourist attractions
Surigao City, the provincial capital, is dubbed as the "Gateway to Mindanao". The ferry landing terminal in Lipata links Mindanao to Luzon through Eastern Visayas. It annually showcases its distinct cultural heritage through the Bonok-Bonok Maradjao Karadjao Festival.

On the northern side of the province are Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands, known for their long stretch of sugar-fine beaches, vast mangrove forest, and deep waters teeming with marine life.

The Panhutongan and Amoslog archeological excavations in Placer would give a glimpse of the origins of the province and its people.

Notable people

 * Erlinda Lavandia – considered as one of the greatest javelin throwers in the history of the Southeast Asian Games. In 1977, Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, she won the gold medal on a record throw of 45.22 meters. In 1979 in Jakarta, she improved the SEA Games record at 45.78 meters and broke the record two years later at 46.20 meters in Manila Sea Games.
 * Martin Andanar – former Secretary for Presidential Communications Operations Office under President Rodrigo Duterte
 * Robert Barbers – former Secretary for the Department of Interior and Local Government, served as Philippine Senator in 1998 and was the first police officer to be elected senator
 * Jose Sering – former head of the Philippine Olympic Committee POC under President Ferdinand E. Marcos and multi-elected Governor of Surigao del Norte.
 * Rhee Timbang – former Obispo Maximo (Supreme Bishop) of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente from 2017 to 2023.

title: Surigao del Norte


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Al-Dawayima

Al-Dawayima, Dawaymeh or Dawayma (الدوايمة) was a Palestinian town, located in the former Hebron Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine, and in what is now the Lakhish region, some 15 kilometres south-east of Kiryat Gat.

According to a 1945 census, the town's population was 3,710, and the village lands comprised a total land area of 60,585 dunums of which nearly half was cultivable. The population figures for this town also included the populations of nearby khirbets, or ancient villages. During the 1948 Palestine war, the al-Dawayima massacre occurred. According to Saleh Abd al-Jawad an estimated 80-200 civilian men, women and children were killed. According to John Bagot Glubb, a UN report said that 30 women and children were killed.

In 1955, the ruins of the town were replaced by the Israeli moshav of Amatzia.

History
It has been occasionally identified with the Old Testament town of Bosqat, the home of Josiah's mother Jedidah (2 Kings, 22:1) though the association has not found widespread acceptance.

Al-Dawayima's historical remains encompass a long period from the Bronze Age, through to the Persian and Hellenistic, down to the Ottoman period. Bulldozing what remains of the Palestinian village to prepare a new Israeli village has revealed an ancient olive press, a columbarium cave, a villa from the Second Temple era, and both mikvehs and cisterns.

The "core clan" of Al-Dawayima were the Ahdibs, who traced their origin to the Muslim conquest and settlement of Palestine in the seventh century.

Ottoman era
In the late Ottoman era, in May, 1838, Edward Robinson visited during harvesting time. He noted that Al-Dawayima was situated on a hill, with a view of several villages to the east. During the harvest, several Christians from Beit Jala were employed here as labourers; the barley harvest was coming to an end, while the wheat harvest was just beginning. He further noted it as a Muslim village, between the mountains and Gaza, but subject to the government of el-Khulil.

In 1863 Victor Guérin  visited twice, and he estimated  that the village contained 900 inhabitants, while an  Ottoman village list from about 1870 found that Dawaime had  only a population of 85, in a total of  34  houses, though the population count included men, only. It also noted that it was located west  of Hebron.

In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described al-Dawayima as a village on a high stony ridge that had olive groves beneath it. On a higher ridge to the west stood a shrine that was topped by a white stone.

The people of al-Dawayima were Muslims. They maintained several religious shrines, chief among them the shrine of Shaykh ´Ali. This shrine had a large courtyard, a number of rooms, and one large hall for prayers, and was surrounded by fig and carob trees and cactuses. It attracted visitors from the neighboring villages. A mosque was located in the village center, it was maintained by the followers of al-tariqa al-khalwatiyya, a Sufi mystic order founded by Shaykh Umar al-Khalwati (d.1397)

British Mandate era
In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, AI Dawaima had a population of 2,441 inhabitants, all Muslims, increasing in  the 1931 census to 2,688, still all Muslim, in a total of  559 houses.

The villagers expanded and renovated the village mosque in the 1930s, and added a tall minaret.

In the 1945 statistics, Al-Dawayima  had a population of 3,710 Muslims, with  a total land area of 60.585 dunums of land. By 1944/45, 21,191 dunums of village land were allotted to cereals, 1,206 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards, while 179  dunams were built-up (urban) areas.

The Institute for Palestine Studies and The Palestinian Museum note the following about the town's built environment:"'Shops were scattered throughout the various neighborhoods of the village center. Houses were made of stone and mud, separated by narrow streets and alleys. The older houses were clustered closely together. Each set of houses shared a hawsh, a large courtyard that provided space for women to do their domestic chores, for children to play, and for families to gather in the evening and on special occasions. As the village expanded people began to build new houses outside of the village core. These new houses were larger and built of whitewashed stone some of them had thick, stone walls and were called jidaris (from the Arabic word for wall, jidar)....Each house had two levels: the upper level was occupied by the family members and the lower level by their animals. The houses of the well-to-do villagers had their own courtyards and large guest rooms, in addition to animal stables.'"

1948 war and aftermath
Al-Dawaymima was captured by Israel's Eighty Ninth Battalion (commanded by Dov Chesis) of the 8th Armored Brigade led by the founder of the Palmach, Yitzhak Sadeh, after Operation Yoav on 29 October 1948, five days after the start of the truce. It was the site of the al-Dawayima massacre in which 80–200 civilians were killed, including women and children. According to Lieutenant-General John Bagot Glubb, a British officer stationed with Jordanian's Arab Legion in Bethlehem and Hebron at that time, the massacre was calculated to drive out the villagers and had been reported by UN observers to involve 30 deaths. The massacre was cited by Yigal Allon as the reason for the halting of the creeping annexation that included Bayt Jibrin, Qubeiba and Tel Maresha. It was also seen as a reprisal by the Israelis for the massacre of Jews in Kfar Etzion months before, on May 13, 1948, by Palestinian fighters and some members of the Arab Legion.

The moshav of Amatzia was established in 1955 on land that had belonged to Al-Dawayima. According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi :"'The site has been fenced in. A cowshed, a chicken coop, and granaries have been built at its center (which has been leveled). The southern side of the site contains stone terraces and the remnants of a house. The eastern side is occupied by the residential area of the moshav.'"

In 2013, the whole area, apart from some ancient Jewish remains, was bulldozed to pave the way for the erection of a new community called Karmei Katif, which was completed in 2016 and which houses evacuees of the Gaza Strip settlements. The new name is reminiscent of Gush Katif.

Culture
A woman's thob (loose fitting robe with sleeves) dated to about 1910 that was produced in Al-Dawayima is part of the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) collection at Santa Fe. The dress is of hand-woven blue indigo linen. The embroidery is in predominantly red silk cross-stitch, with touches of violet, orange, yellow, white, green and black. The upper half of the qabbeh (the square chest panel) is embroidered with alternating columns of diamonds, (a pattern known as el-ferraneh), and eight-pointed stars, (called qamr ("moons")). The lower half of the qabbeh is in the qelayed ("necklaces") pattern. The side-panels of the skirt are completely covered with embroidered columns. Among the patterns used here are: nakhleh ("palm") motif, ward-wil-aleq ("rose-and-leech") and khem-el-basha ("the pashas tent"). Each column is topped with various trees. There is no embroidery on the long, pointed sleeves.

The village is often featured in the works of Palestinian artist Abdul Hay Mosallam who was expelled from it in 1948.

By 2011, two books about the village history had been published.

In popular culture

 * In the 2008 film Salt of this Sea, Al-Dawayima is the village which Emad, the male protagonist, hails from. The village ruins serve as the temporary residence of the main characters, Emad and Soraya.  The film is dedicated to the memory of the Al-Dawayima massacre.

Families
Lafi
 * Sanwar (سنور)
 * Abd al-dean (عبد الدين)
 * Abu Subaih (أبوصبيح)
 * Abu-Farwa (ابوفروه)
 * Abu-Galyeh (أبوغالية)
 * Abu-Galyoun (أبو غليون)
 * Abu-Halemah(أبوحليمة)
 * Abu-Haltam (أبو حلتم)
 * Abu-Kadra (أبو خضرة)
 * Abu-Matr (أبو مطر)
 * Abu-Me'alish (أبومعيلش)
 * Abu-Rahma (ابورحمة)
 * Abu-Rayan (أبو ريان)
 * Abu-Safyeh (أبو صفية)
 * Abu-Sugair (أبو صقير)
 * Afaneh (عفانه)
 * Al-Absi (العبسي)
 * Al-Adarbeh (العداربة)
 * Al-Aqtash (القطيشات)
 * Al-Atrash (الأطرش)
 * Al-Ayaseh (العيسه)
 * Al-Hijouj (الحجوج)
 * Al-Jamarah (الجمرة)
 * Al-Jawawdeh (الجواودة)
 * Al-Kateeb (الخطيب)
 * Al-Khodour(الخضور)
 * Al-Maqusi(المقوسي)
 * Al-Mallad (الملاد)
 * Al-Manasra (المناصرة)
 * Al-Najaar (النجار)
 * Al-Qaisieh (القيسيه)
 * Al-Sabateen(السباتين)
 * Al-Turk (الترك)
 * Al-Zaatreh (الزعاترة)
 * Asha (عشا)
 * Basbous(بصبوص)
 * Ead (عيد)
 * El-Ghawanmeh (الغوانمه)
 * Ganem (غانم)
 * Hamdan (حمدان)
 * Harb (حرب)
 * Hudaib (هديب)
 * Hunaif (حنيف)
 * Ms'ed (مسعد)
 * Nashwan (نشوان)
 * Sa'adeh (سعادة)
 * Shahin (شاهين)
 * Sundoqa (صندوقه)
 * Zebin (زبن)

Famous residents

 * Musa Hadeib

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Al-Dawayima


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'Ajjur

'Ajjur (عجّور) was a Palestinian Arab village of over 3,700 inhabitants in 1945, located 24 km northwest of Hebron. It became depopulated in 1948 after several military assaults by Israeli military forces. Agur, Tzafririm, Givat Yeshayahu, Li-On, and Tirosh were built on the village lands.

History
Near 'Ajjur, at Khirbet Jannaba al-Fauqa, was a probable site of the Battle of Ajnadayn, waged in the 7th-century CE between the Rashidun Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire, and which resulted in a decisive Rashidun victory, incorporating most of Palestine into the domains of Islam. The village of 'Ajjur itself was built during early Fatimid rule in the region in the early twelfth century CE. A mosque was built during this period and continued to serve 'Ajjur's community until its demise. The village 'Ajjur is believed to be named after "a sort of cucumber."

Ottoman era
Arab chronicler Mujir ad-Din reported that he passed through 'Ajjur on his way from Gaza to Jerusalem in the early sixteenth century, when the village was a part of the Ottoman Empire. By 1596, 'Ajjur was a part of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Gaza, part of Sanjak Gaza, with 35 Muslim households; an estimated 193 persons. It paid a fine tax rate of 33,3 % on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, fruit, vineyards, beehives, and goats; a total of 5,500 akçe

In 1838 Edward Robinson noted the village as being "small", located in the Gaza district. The villagers were Muslim.

In 1863 Victor Guérin estimated the population to be around 800. Guérin further noted that several houses, including that of the local Sheikh, were built partly with ancient stones. Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 that  'Ajjur had 86  houses and a population of 254, though the population count included men, only. Hartmann found that 'Ajjur  had 120  houses.

In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described  'Ajjur as a small village containing olive trees, with most of its houses clustered together, but some dispersed to the west and south. A private school named Abu Hasan was established in this period.

In 1896 the population of 'Ajjur was estimated to be about 1,767 persons.

British Mandate era
In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, 'Ajjur had a population of 2,073 inhabitants, all Muslim, increasing in the 1931 census to 2,917; 4 Christians and the rest Muslims, in a total of 566 residential houses.

During this period, 'Ajjur became economically active in its vicinity. It held a Friday market or souk that attracted consumers and merchants from nearby towns and villages. A second school was founded in the village in 1934, which served students from nearby villages as well as from 'Ajjur. Like other Arab villages in Palestine at the time, 'Ajjur depended on agriculture, which was the basis of its economy. The main crops were olives and wheat. The second most important economic activity was animal husbandry, in particular, goat herding. Animal ownership was a symbol of social status and pride in the village, and residents gave affectionate names to certain types of animals. Animal herding caused seasonal movement by herders to distant dwellings from the village site, but still in its vicinity such as Khirbet al-Sura and Khirbet al-'Ammuriyya. Shoemaking, carpentry, and tanning were other common occupations in 'Ajjur.

In the 1945 statistics, 'Ajjur had a population of 3,730; 10 Christians and 3,720 Muslims, with a total of 58,074 dunams of land. Of this, 2,428 dunums were irrigated or used for plantations, 25,227 dunams were used for  cereals, while 171 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.

1948 War and aftermath
On 23 October 1948, the Fourth Battalion of Israel‘s Giv'ati Brigade occupied ‘Ajjur in the northern front of Operation Yoav, unifying Israeli military operations in the southern and western fronts. Most of ‘Ajjur’s inhabitants had fled before this assault—their flight was triggered by an earlier attack, on 23 July-24.

In 1992, the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the village: “Only three houses remain; two are deserted and one has been turned into a warehouse. One of the deserted houses is a two-story stone structure with a large, triple-arched front porch.” Petersen, who inspected the place in 1994, noted “a large two-story building with a vaulted arcade on the northern side. The upper part of the building is today used as a house while the lower part appears to be abandoned (although it remains locked). The arcade consists of three cross-vaulted bays resting on two free-standing piers and two engaged piers at either end. On the outer (north) face of each of the two central piers there is a stone carved with two rosettes which appears to be part of a classical entablature. The outer arches are emphasized by a flat hood molding. Each bay is covered with a cross-vault which reaches a height of approximately 4m. [..] The upper floor is reached by an external staircase on the east side leading to a walled terrace above the arcade. [..] The identity or function of this building is not known although its design and orientation indicate that it may be a mosque.” In 2000, Meron Benvenisti observed that: “Three large, beautiful structures, which were located outside the village amid orchards of fruit trees, have been renovated, and Jewish families live in them. In one, chamber music concerts are held.”

title: 'Ajjur


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Surigao del Sur

Surigao del Sur (Surigaonon: Probinsya nan Surigao del Sur; Habagatang Surigao; Timog Surigao), officially the Province of Surigao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is Tandag City. Surigao del Sur is situated at the eastern coast of Mindanao and faces the Philippine Sea to the east.

Etymology
There are two hypotheses on the original meaning of "Surigao" among linguists, depending on the original root word. If the root word was taken to be sulig ("sprout" or "spring up"), then Surigao may have derived from ("spring water"), likely referring to the Surigao River (known as "Suligaw" in Mandaya) that empties at the northern tip of the island of Mindanao. Early historical accounts record the name of the river as, Surigao, or Zurigan.

Another possibility is that it is derived from Visayan or suyogao, meaning "water current". From suyog (also sulog or ), "current"; cf. Sinulog, Sulu, and Tausug (Suluk).

Early history
In precolonial times, the region of Surigao was inhabited by the Visayan Surigaonon people in the coastal areas, as well as Lumad groups in the interiors like the Mandaya, Mansaka, Mamanwa and Manobo.

Spanish colonial era
During the Spanish Occupation in 1860, six military districts were created in Mindanao, with Surigao and Agusan forming the "East District". In 1870, the district was renamed to "Distrito de Surigao".

American invasion era
In 1901, Distrito de Surigao became chartered province. Agusan became an independent province in 1907 during the American era, when it was separated from Surigao.

Foundation
Surigao del Sur was created as the 56th Philippine province on June 19, 1960, through Republic Act 2786, separated from its mother province, Surigao, on September 18, 1960.

At the time of its inception, it was classified as 4th Class province with an annual income of over ₱300,000.00. Seven years later, because of rapid increase of revenue collection particularly from the logging ventures, it has been reclassified as Ist Class B and in 1980 as Ist Class A with an estimated annual income of around ₱13,000,000. It has been reclassified as 2nd Class with a revenue adding up to ₱315,888,300.63.

Recaredo B. Castillo was the appointed first governor and subsequently elected governor while Vicente L. Pimentel was the first elected congressman.

The province was formed with 13 municipalities. Six more were added, raising the number to 19 with Tandag as the capital. Two of its municipalities have been elevated to cities; the first was Bislig City.

Contemporary
The capital town Tandag became a component city by virtue of Republic Act No. 9392 which sought to convert the town into a city. The law was ratified on June 23, 2007. However, the cityhood status was lost twice in the years 2008 and 2010 after the LCP questioned the validity of the cityhood law. The cityhood status was reaffirmed after the court finalized its ruling on February 15, 2011 which declared the cityhood law constitutional.

House Bill No. 2336 of the 19th Congress seeks to separate the southern part of the province to be formed as the new Province of Surigao Oriental.

Geography
Surigao del Sur is located along the northeastern coast of Mindanao facing the Philippine Sea between 125°40' to 126°20' east longitudes and 7°55' and 9°20' north latitudes. It is bounded on the northwest by the province of Surigao del Norte, on the southeast by Davao Oriental, on the west and southwest by Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur.

Situated west is the Diwata Mountain Range, isolating the province from the rest of Mindanao. To the east lies the Philippine Sea. The Mindanao Deep, one of the deepest trenches in the world, is situated a few kilometers east of the coastline.

Land area

The land area of the province is 4,932.70 km2 representing 27.75 percent of the total land area of Caraga Administrative Region and about 5.14 percent and 1.74 percent of the total land area of Mindanao and Philippines, respectively. The province is elongated in shape, extending from the northeastern portion at Carrascal to the southernmost municipality of Lingig. It is approximately 300 km in length and 50 km at its widest point which runs from Cagwait to San Miguel.

Municipal-wise, San Miguel has the biggest land area accounting for NaN% (558) of the total provincial land area while Bayabas has the smallest constituting only about NaN% (117.84).

Of the 5,230.50 km2 land, only 1,703.72 km2 or 32.22 percent are classified as alienable and disposable (A and D) while 3,583.523 km2 or 67.78 percent are forest land. Tagbina has the biggest share of alienable and disposable land with 234.21 km2 or about 56.51 percent of its land area followed by Hinatuan with 202.52 km2 or 63.56 percent of its land area.

Of the 3,583.523 km2 of forest land, 636.076 km2 are protection forest, 2,582.43 km2 production forest, 12.68 km2 are non-forest agriculture and 352.337 km2 are for non-forest mining. As of today, the province still has vast areas of remaining old growth and mossy forest.

Climate
The province falls under Type II climate of the Philippines, characterized by rainfall distributed throughout the year, although there is a distinct rainy season which begins from the month of November and ends in March. However, the climatic behavior of the province for the past few years has shown variations wherein the onset of the rainy seasons no longer occurs on the usual time. Months with low rainfall are from July to October with September as the driest month. Wet months are from November to June with January as the wettest month.

Surigao del Sur is one of the top 20 most vulnerable provinces to climate change in the Philippines.

Administrative divisions
Surigao del Sur comprises 17 municipalities and two cities, further subdivided into 309 barangays. There are two congressional districts encompassing all cities and towns.

Provincial capital and component city

Component city

Municipality

Demographics
The population of Surigao del Sur in the 2020 census was 642,255 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

The province is home to the Kamayo and Agusan people. Their dances are showcased in the local festival, "Sirong Festival", held especially during the town fiesta of Cantilan. The Sirong Festival depicts the early Christianization of the early Cantilan inhabitants where the natives tried to defend their land against Visayan invaders.

The indigenous people of the province were largely Christianized during the early times of the Spanish conquest.

Languages
The Surigaonon and Tandaganon languages are spoken in most parts of Surigao del Sur (except in Bislig and the towns of Barobo, Hinatuan, Lingig and Tagbina, where most of the inhabitants speak Cebuano and their native Kamayo, a different language but one distantly related to Surigaonon, is spoken by the rest of the population), with the Cantilangnon dialect, a northern variety of Surigaonon that is very much similar to the dialect of Surigaonon as spoken in Surigao del Norte, being spoken mostly in the five northern municipalities of the province, namely Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen and Lanuza (or the municipal cluster called Carcanmadcarlan); these municipalities were once under a single Municipality of Cantilan before December 10, 1918.

Tagalog and English are also widely spoken throughout the province and used as the primary languages of education, business, and administration.

Economy
Surigao del Sur is one of the suppliers of rice, bananas and other tropical fruits. Copper, chromite and silver are also found here. Marine and aquaculture are abundant in the province, being primary livelihoods of the inhabitants as the province is well known for producing seafood and sea by-products.

Mineral resources
Surigao del Sur is endowed with metallic minerals such as copper, gold, chromite, cobalt, nickel and lead zinc, as well as non-metallic (limestone, coal and feldspar, clay diatomite/bentomite and coarse/fine aggregates). There are small and large scale mining activities in the province. Corporations operating in a large scale are the Marc Ventures Mining Development Corporation at Carrascal and Cantilan, operating in an area of 4799 ha within the Diwata Mountain Range. The [TP Construction and Mining Corporation, also in Carrascal, focuses on gold and nickel mining in an area of 35.64 km2 and 48.6916 km2, respectively. The Carac-an Development Corporation, also in Carrascal, has an area of 506.3764 km2. Small scale mining activities are found in the municipalities of Barobo, Carmen and San Miguel.

Tourism
Bislig's main tourist attraction is the Tinuy-an Falls, known as the little "Niagara Falls of the Philippines". It is a white water curtain that flows in three levels about 55 m high and 95 m wide. Its unique natural formation once appeared in the International Travel Magazine. It is also known as the widest waterfall in the Philippines.

Surfing in Surigao del Sur is widely known and has been one of the local tourist attractions. This extreme sport is often practiced in Cantilan and Lanuza. Skimboarding is also found in several municipalities, attracting tourists.

title: Surigao del Sur


text:
Kawfakha

Kawfakha' (كوفخة) was a Palestinian village located 18 km east of Gaza that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Location
The village stood on a stretch of sandy, rolling land in the northern Negev. A network of secondary roads linked it to the highways between Gaza and Julis, which ran parallel to the coastal highway.

History
Ceramics from the Byzantine era have been found here.

Kawfakha was inhabited in the 15th century. In 1472–1473 CE, Sultan Qaitbay endowed it for the benefit of his Jerusalem madrasa.

Ottoman era
In 1838, in the late Ottoman era,   el-Kaufakhah was noted as a place "in ruins or deserted."

In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted at Khurbet el Kofkhah: "a large site. Rubble  cisterns, a marble capital, with acanthus leaves. Scattered stones and pottery."

Kawfakwa was founded in the late nineteenth century by Gaza city residents who came to cultivate the surrounding land. In its center was a mosque that was well known in the region, built in the reign of the Ottoman sultan Abd al-Hamid II (1876–1909).

British mandate era
In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate  authorities,  Kufakha had a population of 203 Muslims, increasing in the 1931 census  to 317, still all Muslims, in  56 houses.

The village had an elementary school and some small shops. The villagers obtained water for domestic use from two wells inside the village. The land on the northern side of the village was planted with fruit trees, such as apricots, olives, almonds, grapes and figs. On the other sides of the village grain was grown.

In the 1945 statistics Kawfakha had a population of 500  Muslims,  with a total of 8,569  dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey. Of this, a total of 97 dunums was irrigated or used for orchards, and 7,768 dunums (of public land)  were allotted to cereals,  while 41 dunams were built-up, public land.

1948 and after
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the villagers of Kawfakha repeatedly asked to surrender, accept Jewish rule and be allowed to stay, all to no avail. Kawfakha, together with al-Muharraqa, was raided by the Palmach's Negev Brigade on May 27–28, and the inhabitants of both villages were expelled or driven out. On May 30, a New York Times correspondent reported that the two villages had been captured.

Following the war the area was incorporated into the State of Israel and the moshav of Nir Akiva was established in 1953 on village lands, southwest of the village site.

According to Khalidi, by 1992 the village remaining structures on the village land were: "'Only the mosque remains, and it is used as a storehouse for animal fodder and as a horse stable. It is a stone structure with arched entrances and windows on all sides; its roof is topped by three shallow domes. The site, which contains piles of rubble and is overgrown with cactuses and other desert plants, has been fenced in and serves as a pasture. There is a citrus grove west of it, and grain is grown by Israeli farmers on part of the surrounding land.'"

The village mosque was inspected in 1994, and found to be built of ashlar stones (approximately 0.2m x 0.4 m) with the corners emphasised by a slight offset. At the north-west corner there was a thick square minaret 10–15 meters high with chamfered corners. There are three doorways on the north side, two of which lead into the prayer hall, whilst the east door leads into a separate room. At the time of the inspection, the mosque was used as a storehouse for a nearby farm ("Avi´s Ranch").

title: Kawfakha


text:
Thales's theorem

In geometry, Thales's theorem states that if $\overline{AC}$, $B$, and $A$ are distinct points on a circle where the line $B$ is a diameter, the angle $∠ ABC$ is a right angle. Thales's theorem is a special case of the inscribed angle theorem and is mentioned and proved as part of the 31st proposition in the third book of Euclid's Elements. It is generally attributed to Thales of Miletus, but it is sometimes attributed to Pythagoras.

History

Babylonian mathematicians knew this for special cases before Greek mathematicians proved it.

Thales of Miletus (early 6th century BC) is traditionally credited with proving the theorem; however, even by the 5th century BC there was nothing extant of Thales' writing, and inventions and ideas were attributed to men of wisdom such as Thales and Pythagoras by later doxographers based on hearsay and speculation. Reference to Thales was made by Proclus (5th century AD), and by Diogenes Laërtius (3rd century AD) documenting Pamphila's (1st century AD) statement that Thales "was the first to inscribe in a circle a right-angle triangle".

Thales was claimed to have traveled to Egypt and Babylonia, where he is supposed to have learned about geometry and astronomy and thence brought their knowledge to the Greeks, along the way inventing the concept of geometric proof and proving various geometric theorems. However, there is no direct evidence for any of these claims, and they were most likely invented speculative rationalizations. Modern scholars believe that Greek deductive geometry as found in Euclid's Elements was not developed until the 4th century BC, and any geometric knowledge Thales may have had would have been observational.

The theorem appears in Book III of Euclid's Elements (c. 300 BC) as proposition 31: "In a circle the angle in the semicircle is right, that in a greater segment less than a right angle, and that in a less segment greater than a right angle; further the angle of the greater segment is greater than a right angle, and the angle of the less segment is less than a right angle."

Dante's Paradiso (canto 13, lines 101–102) refers to Thales's theorem in the course of a speech.

First proof
The following facts are used: the sum of the angles in a triangle is equal to 180° and the base angles of an isosceles triangle are equal.

Since $∠ ABC$, $\overline{OA} = \overline{OB} = \overline{OC}$ and $△OBA$ are isosceles triangles, and by the equality of the base angles of an isosceles triangle, $△OBC$ and $∠ OBC = ∠ OCB$.

Let $∠ OBA = ∠ OAB$ and $α = ∠ BAO$. The three internal angles of the $β = ∠ OBC$ triangle are $C$, $∆ABC$, and $\overline{AC}$. Since the sum of the angles of a triangle is equal to 180°, we have

 * $$\begin{align}

\alpha+ (\alpha + \beta) + \beta &= 180^\circ \\ 2\alpha + 2\beta &= 180^\circ \\ 2( \alpha + \beta ) &= 180^\circ \\ \therefore \alpha + \beta &= 90^\circ. \end{align}$$

Q.E.D.

Second proof
The theorem may also be proven using trigonometry: Let $(α + β)$, $O = (0, 0)$, and $A = (-1, 0)$. Then $\overline{AC}$ is a point on the unit circle $C = (1, 0)$. We will show that $(cos θ, sin θ)$ forms a right angle by proving that $B$ and $α$ are perpendicular — that is, the product of their slopes is equal to −1. We calculate the slopes for $β$ and $B$:

 * $$\begin{align}

m_{AB} &= \frac{y_B - y_A}{x_B - x_A} = \frac{\sin \theta}{\cos \theta + 1} \\[2pt] m_{BC} &= \frac{y_C - y_B}{x_C - x_B} = \frac{-\sin \theta}{-\cos \theta + 1} \end{align}$$

Then we show that their product equals −1:

 * $$\begin{align}

&m_{AB} \cdot m_{BC}\\[4pt] = {} & \frac{\sin \theta}{\cos \theta + 1} \cdot \frac{-\sin \theta}{-\cos \theta + 1}\\[4pt] = {} & \frac{-\sin ^2 \theta}{-\cos ^2 \theta +1}\\[4pt] = {} & \frac{-\sin ^2 \theta}{\sin ^2 \theta}\\[4pt] = {} & {-1} \end{align}$$

Note the use of the Pythagorean trigonometric identity $$\sin^2 \theta + \cos^2 \theta = 1.$$

Third proof
Let $△ABC$ be a triangle in a circle where $\overline{AB}$ is a diameter in that circle. Then construct a new triangle $△ABC$ by mirroring $△ABD$ over the line $\overline{BC}$ and then mirroring it again over the line perpendicular to $\overline{AB}$ which goes through the center of the circle. Since lines $\overline{BC}$ and $AB$ are parallel, likewise for $AB$ and $AB$, the quadrilateral $AC$ is a parallelogram. Since lines $BD$ and $AD$, the diagonals of the parallelogram, are both diameters of the circle and therefore have equal length, the parallelogram must be a rectangle. All angles in a rectangle are right angles.

Converse
For any triangle, and, in particular, any right triangle, there is exactly one circle containing all three vertices of the triangle. (Sketch of proof. The locus of points equidistant from two given points is a straight line that is called the perpendicular bisector of the line segment connecting the points. The perpendicular bisectors of any two sides of a triangle intersect in exactly one point. This point must be equidistant from the vertices of the triangle.) This circle is called the circumcircle of the triangle.

One way of formulating Thales's theorem is: if the center of a triangle's circumcircle lies on the triangle then the triangle is right, and the center of its circumcircle lies on its hypotenuse.

The converse of Thales's theorem is then: the center of the circumcircle of a right triangle lies on its hypotenuse. (Equivalently, a right triangle's hypotenuse is a diameter of its circumcircle.)

Proof of the converse using geometry

This proof consists of 'completing' the right triangle to form a rectangle and noticing that the center of that rectangle is equidistant from the vertices and so is the center of the circumscribing circle of the original triangle, it utilizes two facts:

 * adjacent angles in a parallelogram are supplementary (add to 180°) and,
 * the diagonals of a rectangle are equal and cross each other in their median point.

Let there be a right angle $△ABC$, $CB$ a line parallel to $ACBD$ passing by $AB$, and $CD$ a line parallel to $r$ passing by $\overline{BC}$. Let $A$ be the point of intersection of lines $s$ and $\overline{AB}$. (It has not been proven that $C$ lies on the circle.)

The quadrilateral $D$ forms a parallelogram by construction (as opposite sides are parallel). Since in a parallelogram adjacent angles are supplementary (add to 180°) and $∠ ABC$ is a right angle (90°) then angles $∠ ABC$ are also right (90°); consequently $r$ is a rectangle.

Let $s$ be the point of intersection of the diagonals $D$ and $ABCD$. Then the point $ABCD$, by the second fact above, is equidistant from $O$, $\overline{AC}$, and $\overline{BD}$. And so $O$ is center of the circumscribing circle, and the hypotenuse of the triangle ($A$) is a diameter of the circle.

Alternate proof of the converse using geometry
Given a right triangle $B$ with hypotenuse $C$, construct a circle $∠ BAD, ∠ BCD, ∠ ADC$ whose diameter is $O$. Let $\overline{AC}$ be the center of $Ω$. Let $ABC$ be the intersection of $Ω$ and the ray $AC$. By Thales's theorem, $Ω$ is right. But then $AC$ must equal $O$. (If $D$ lies inside $∠ ADC$, $△ABC$ would be obtuse, and if $OB$ lies outside $∠ ADC$, $△ABC$ would be acute.)

Proof of the converse using linear algebra
This proof utilizes two facts: Let there be a right angle $∠ ADC$ and circle $D$ with $B$ as a diameter. Let M's center lie on the origin, for easier calculation. Then we know It follows
 * two lines form a right angle if and only if the dot product of their directional vectors is zero, and
 * the square of the length of a vector is given by the dot product of the vector with itself.
 * $∠ ABC$, because the circle centered at the origin has $D$ as diameter, and
 * $A = −C$, because $(A – B) · (B – C) = 0$ is a right angle.
 * $$\begin{align}

0 &= (A-B) \cdot (B-C) \\ &= (A-B) \cdot (B+A) \\ &= |A|^2 - |B|^2. \\[4pt] \therefore \ |A| &= |B|. \end{align}$$

This means that $D$ and $M$ are equidistant from the origin, i.e. from the center of $\overline{AC|}$. Since $\overline{AC}$ lies on $A$, so does $B$, and the circle $M$ is therefore the triangle's circumcircle.

The above calculations in fact establish that both directions of Thales's theorem are valid in any inner product space.

Generalizations and related results
Thales's theorem is a special case of the following theorem:
 * Given three points $A$, $M$ and $B$ on a circle with center $M$, the angle $∠ ABC$ is twice as large as the angle $∠ AOC$.

See inscribed angle, the proof of this theorem is quite similar to the proof of Thales's theorem given above.

A related result to Thales's theorem is the following:

 * If $A$ is a diameter of a circle, then:
 * If $B$ is inside the circle, then $∠ ABC$
 * If $C$ is on the circle, then $∠ ABC > 90°$
 * If $O$ is outside the circle, then $∠ ABC = 90°$.

Constructing a tangent to a circle passing through a point
Thales's theorem can be used to construct the tangent to a given circle that passes through a given point. In the figure at right, given circle $\overline{AC}$ with centre $B$ and the point $B$ outside $B$, bisect $k$ at $O$ and draw the circle of radius $P$ with centre $k$. $\overline{OP}$ is a diameter of this circle, so the triangles connecting OP to the points $H$ and $\overline{OH}$ where the circles intersect are both right triangles.

Finding the centre of a circle
Thales's theorem can also be used to find the centre of a circle using an object with a right angle, such as a set square or rectangular sheet of paper larger than the circle. The angle is placed anywhere on its circumference (figure 1). The intersections of the two sides with the circumference define a diameter (figure 2). Repeating this with a different set of intersections yields another diameter (figure 3). The centre is at the intersection of the diameters.

title: Thales's theorem


text:
User:Jmccann~enwiki

Resuming work on Wikipedia after a long time away.

Pages to watch: Hipparchus (or Hipparchos) Thales' theorem

TODO:

Thales' theorem needs to be wikified, probably using images for the Greek letters.

wow that was fast. Someone wikified the Thales's Theorem page w/in minutes.

title: User:Jmccann~enwiki


text:
Suhmata

Suhmata (سحماتا), was a Palestinian village, located 25 km northeast of Acre. It was depopulated by the Golani Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

History
Separated from the neighboring village of Tarshiha by a deep gorge, the ruins of a Byzantine era church lay within Suhmata's village lands. Underground water reservoir and a burial cave that apparently dates to the Roman period have been found at the village site. Suhmata had a Christian population at least until the Persian invasion of Palestine (A.D. 614–627) and presumably many people remained Christian for some time after that. What was earlier termed a Crusader-era castle constructed in the village was (rebuilt by Zahir al-Umar in the latter half of the 18th century), turned out to be the Byzantine church. Excavations in 1932 revealed an inscription in the church's mosaic floor that dates to 555 CE.

The Crusaders referred to the village as Samueth or Samahete. In 1179, Baldwin IV confirmed the sale from  Viscountess Petronella of Acre  of houses, vineyards and gardens in  Samueth, the village of Suphie, and some houses in Castellum Regis to Count  Jocelyn III, uncle of  Baldwin IV,  for 4,500 bezants. However, Ronnie Ellenblum writes that it is unlikely that there was actual Frankish settlement in Suhmata at this time.

Ottoman era
In the late Ottoman era, in 1875, Victor Guérin visited Suhmata, and noted that "the village [is] divided into two distinct quarters, occupies two hills near each other, between which is a great pond (birke), partly cut in the rock and partly built. One of these hills is crowned by the remains of a fortress flanked by towers and built with simple rubble; it contained several subterranean magazines, a mosque, and various chambers. The foundation is attributed to Dhaher el Amer. It is now three parts demolished, and on the place where it stood grow vines and tobacco."

In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described  it as "a village, built of stone, containing about 400 Moslems,  situated on [a] ridge and [the] slope of [a] hill, surrounded by  figs,  olives and arable land; there are several cisterns and a spring near.

An elementary school for boys was founded in the village in 1886. A population list from about 1887 showed Sahmata to have  about 1,500 inhabitants; 1,400 Muslims and 100 Christians.

British Mandate era
During the Mandatory Palestine, an agricultural school was established. The schools, a mosque, a church, two rain-fed irrigation pools, existed up until 1948.

In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Submata had a population of 632; 589 Muslims and 43 Melkite Christians,   increasing in the 1931 census to 796; 752 Muslims and 44 Christians,  in  a total of 175 houses.

Over 70 percent of the village land was rocky and uncultivated, covered with oak and wild pears. The agricultural land was planted with wheat, barley, maize, tobacco, and vegetables. Suhmata's tobacco had a reputation for quality.

In the 1945 statistics,  Suhmata had a population of 1,130; 1060 Muslims and 70 Christians, with a total of 17,056 dunams of land. Of this, a total of 3,290 dunums was allocated to cereals; 1,901 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards, while 135 dunams were built-up (urban) area.

Israeli period

During Operation Hiram, on 30 October 1948, the First Battalion of Israel's Golani Brigade assaulted the village, resulting in its depopulation. The village was left in ruins.

A naming committee established by the Jewish National Fund, which operated from 1948 to 1951 until its incorporation into a Governmental Naming Committee set up by Israel, renamed Suhmata "Hosen", meaning "Strength." Meron Benvenisti writes that the committee chose this symbolic new name after determining that there was no known Jewish historical connection to the village of Suhmata.

In 1992 the village site was described: "The site is covered with debris and broken walls from fallen stone houses, all of which are scattered among the olive trees that grow there. A castle and a wall that were probably built by the Crusaders still stand. The castle is on an elevated spot on the eastern side of the site, and the wall encloses the western quarter. The surrounding lands are partly forested and partly used as pasture."

Suhmata's former inhabitants founded a village committee in 1993 which organizes volunteer efforts. The village committee also conducted a survey of the displaced population from Suhmata and their distribution inside Israel. The village was also the focus of the 1996 play Sahmatah by Hanna Eady and Ed Mast.

title: Suhmata


text:
Talk:Surigao del Norte

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Geography section sounds a bit like marketing

 * The province also boasts of a variety of marine ecosystems

 * like the lush seagrass beds

 * Many who are interested in game fishing and spearfishing will enjoy its bountiful seas

 * Marlin, tuna, lapu-lapu, mollusks, crabs, even squids, stingrays and octopuses can be bought fresh and cheap from the fish vendors and fishermen.

 * It is a provincial city that offers a respite from the bustling metropolitan life.

It might be me, but the Geography section seems to have been turned into marketing, with words with positive connotations meant to appeal to potential customers (somehow).

Sweat BoyX8 (talk) 11:32, 10 January 2016 (UTC)

 * No, it is not just you. These sentences are definitely contrary to WP:POV and WP:PEACOCK. It should be removed. -- P 1 9 9 ✉ 15:24, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

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Talk:Surigao del Sur

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Talk:Agusan del Sur

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population
Why is the population of Butuan City included? In the Butuan City article is says that Butuan is a highly urbanized city. Magalhães (talk) 09:58, 7 December 2008 (UTC)

-

Hey Magalhães! As you can see, the National Statistics Office includes normally independent cities into their associated provinces. Cheers! SebastianAmor (talk) 04:59, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

capital
What city is the provincial capital for this province? Butuan city or Cabadbaran city? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.38.46.6 (talk) 13:41, 5 August 2010 (UTC)

---

Hey, anon! The capital of Agusan del Norte is Cabadbaran City, although most of the provincial offices are still located in Butuan City. Cheers! SebastianAmor (talk) 04:55, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

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land area
According to info box the land area of this province is: 2,730.24 km2. But when i look it up in the source that is given it states: 354,686 hectares. I tried to correct it. But apparently widata is used here? Not sure how to correct it. Either the source or the number should be changed. Magalhães (talk) 10:14, 16 December 2022 (UTC)

 * On wikidata I see now that the area of Butuan City is subtracted from the total.. I guess that explains the difference. Magalhães (talk) 10:24, 16 December 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:Agusan del Norte


text:
User talk:Jmccann~enwiki

Welcome back, jimfbleak 16:30 14 Jul 2003 (UTC)

I wouldn't exactly characterize Hipparchos as "fixed up"; what it mainly was was a re-arragement of the paragraphs of the other one. (There were some additions, I moved those before making the redirect). Nor would I really call Hipparchus "broken" (although it could use some work, and had a lot of grammar problems that I think I mostly fixed).

The main thing is that first of all, we do not need two Wikipedia articles on the same person. What needs to be fixed in the Hipparchus article can be done in the existing article. Second, "Hipparchos" does not meet the criteria for naming conventions as it is a comparatively rare spelling in English, so it needs to be a redirect.

Hope this explains things. - Hephaestos 21:12 19 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Your account will be renamed
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Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Jmccann. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Jmccann~enwiki that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name. If you think you might own all of the accounts with this name and this message is in error, please visit Special:MergeAccount to check and attach all of your accounts to prevent them from being renamed.

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Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 14:27, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

Your old user page
Hello, I've just found yur old user page in a 2003 Wikipedia database dump, and have imported it to User:Jmccann~enwiki/old. Hope you don't mind. Graham 87 10:06, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

title: User talk:Jmccann~enwiki


text:
Al-Bassa

al-Bassa' (البصة) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Mandatory Palestine's Acre Subdistrict. It was situated close to the Lebanese border, 19 km north of the district capital, Acre, and 65 m above sea level.

During the 1948 Palestine War the village was stormed by Haganah troops in May 1948 and almost completely razed. Its residents were either internally displaced or expelled to neighboring countries as part of the 1948 Palestinian expulsion. Today, the ruins of the village are in the northern quarters of the moshav of Shlomi.

Etymology
Adolf Neubauer "proposed to identify this place with the Batzet of the Talmud". It was called Bezeth during the Roman period, and its Arabic name is al-Basah. In the period of Crusader rule in Palestine, it was known as Le Bace or LeBassa. Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani (d. 1201), a chronicler and advisor to Saladin, referred to the village as Ayn al-Bassa,  'Ayn meaning 'spring' in Arabic.

History
The site shows signs of habitation in prehistory and the Middle Bronze Age.

An ancient Christian burial place and 18 other archaeological sites were located in the village.

Roman and Byzantine empires
A Jewish settlement stood at the site between 70 and 425 CE. Blown glass pitchers uncovered in a tomb in al-Bassa were dated to circa 396 CE.

The Survey of Western Palestine, sponsored by the Palestine Exploration Fund, identified al-Bassa as, "probably a Crusading village"; however, archaeological excavations only uncovered architectural evidence of an ecclesiastical farm in operation there between the 5th to 8th centuries.

Crusader period
Although pottery sherds found by archaeologists indicate continuous habitation throughout the Middle Ages, no Crusader-period architectural remains were discovered yet as of 1997. A capital decorated with a cross once dated to the Crusader period was later re-dated to the Byzantine period.

The site was used in 1189 C.E. as a Crusader encampment during a military campaign, and a document dated October 1200 recorded the sale of the village by King Amalric II of Jerusalem to the Teutonic Order. A-Bassa was the first village listed as part of the domain of the Crusaders during the hudna (Islamic ceasefire) between the Crusaders based in Acre and the Mamluk sultan al-Mansur (Qalawun) in 1283.

Ottoman Empire
In 1596, al-Bassa was part of the Ottoman Empire, a village in the nahiya (subdistrict) of Tibnin under the Safad Sanjak, with a population of 76 Muslim families and 28 Muslim bachelors. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat olives, barley, cotton and fruits, as well as on goats, beehives and pasture land; a total of 7,000 Akçe.

In the 18th century, al-Bassa became a zone of contention between Zahir al-Umar and the chiefs of Jabal Amil under Sheikh Nasif al-Nassar, while under his successor, Jezzar Pasha, al-Bassa was made the administrative center of the nahiya in around 1770. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte described al-Bassa as a village of 600 Metawalis. A map by Pierre Jacotin from Napoleon's invasion of that year showed the place, named as El Basa.

The European explorer Van de Velde visited "el-Bussa" in 1851, and stayed with the sheikh, Aisel Yusuf, writing that "The clean house of Sheck Yusuf is a welcome sight, and the verdant meadows around the village are truly refreshing to the eye". He further noted that "The inhabitants of Bussah are almost all members of the Greek Church. A few Musselmans live among them, and a few fellahs of a Bedouin tribe which wanders about in the neighborhood are frequently seen in the street."

In 1863, the village was visited by Henry Baker Tristram who described it as a Christian village, where "olive oil, goats´hair, and tobacco, seemed to be principal produce of the district; the latter being exported in some quantities, by way of Acre, to Egypt. Bee-keeping, also, is not an unimportant item of industry, and every house possesses a pile of bee-hives in its yard."

The houses, excepting the very poorest, seem all alike. Each had a courtyard, with a high wall, for the goats, camels, firewood, and bees. At the end of the yard stands the mud-built house, with a single door opening into its one room. A pillar and two arches run across it, and support the flat roof. The door opens into the stable portion [...] where horses and camels are standing before the manger of dried mud. Stepping up from this, the visitor finds himself at once in the simple dwelling-room of the family. A large matting of flattened rush generally covers one half, and a few cushions are spread in the corner, near the unglazed window. At the further end there are mud stairs leading up to the roof, the summer bedchamber of the family. Furniture there is none, except the few cooking utensils hanging on wooden pegs, a hole in the centre of the floor for holding the fire, with a few loose iron rods across the top, and the quaint wooden cradles of the babies, apparently hereditary heirlooms. In the better houses, there is a mat screen across the platform, behind which sleep the single women and girls. [...] On the top of every house is a wattled booth of oleander boughs, sometimes of two stories, with a wicker-work floor, in which the inhabitants sleep during the hot weather [...] The tough and tenacious leaves of the oleander never shrivel or fall off, and form an effectual shade for many weeks.[...]

In the late 19th century, the village of Al-Bassa was described as being built of stone, situated on the edge of a plain, surrounded by large groves of olives and gardens of pomegranate, figs and apples. The village had about 1,050 residents.

The village had a public elementary school for boys (built by the Ottomans in 1882), a private secondary school, and a public elementary school for girls.

A population list from about 1887 showed that el Basseh had 1,960 inhabitants; one third Muslim, and two thirds Greek Catholic Christians.

British Mandate
The Franco-British boundary agreement of 1920 described an imprecisely defined boundary between Lebanon and Palestine. It appeared to pass close to the north of al-Bassa, leaving the village on the Palestinian side but cut off from much of its lands. However the French government included al-Bassa in a Lebanese census of 1921 and granted citizenship to its residents. Meanwhile, a joint British-French boundary commission was working to determine a precise border, making many adjustments in the process. By February 1922 it had determined a border that confirmed al-Bassa as being in Palestine. This became official in 1923. The citizenship of the residents was changed to Palestinian in 1926.

In 1922, the people of al-Bassa founded a local council which was responsible for managing its local affairs. The British census of September 1922 listed a population of 867 Christians, 150 Metawalis and 1 Jew, though Kaufman reports that the Muslims were Sunni rather than Metawali. The Christians were listed as Greek Catholic (Melchite) (721), Orthodox (120), Church of England (17), Armenian Catholic (8), and one Roman Catholic. Its main economic activity was olive picking. At the 1931 census, which did not distinguish Metawalis from other Muslims, the village had 868 Muslims, 1076 Christians, and 4 Bahais.

The 1938 camp of Jewish labourers and Notrim (police) for construction of Tegart's wall was located adjacent to the village, and it ultimately became the site of a Tegart fort. By 1945 the village was home to a regional college.

Important public structures at the time of its existence included two mosques, two churches, three schools and 18 other shrines both holy to Muslims and Christians. Al-Bassa was the only Palestinian village in the Galilee with a Christian high school. Some of Bassa's former public structures have been preserved and are found today within the Israeli localities of Shlomi and Betzet.

1938 massacre
In 1938, during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, the village was the scene of a massacre committed by British soldiers. On September 6, 1938, four soldiers of the Royal Ulster Rifles (RUR) were killed when their armoured car ran over a land mine near the village. In retaliation, British forces burnt the village down. After that, perhaps a few days later, about 50 Arabs from the village were collected by the RUR and some attached Royal Engineers. Some who tried to run away were shot. Then, according to British testimony, the remainder were put onto a bus which was forced to drive over a land mine laid by the soldiers, destroying the bus and killing many of the occupants. The village's inhabitants were then forced to dig a pit and throw all the remnants of the maimed bodies into it. Arab accounts added torture and other brutality. The total death toll was about 20.

In 2022, a Nablus businessman, Munib al-Masri (88) who was shot by British troops in 1944, after an independent review of documentation by two international legal scholars, Luis Moreno Ocampo and Ben Emmerson, stated that he would present the British government with a 300 page dossier on this and other incidents, seeking accountability and a formal apology for abuses during the period of the British mandate.

1940s

Al-Bassa was one of the largest, most developed villages in the north of the country, covering a land area of some 20,000 dunams of hills and plains, 2,000 of which were irrigated. A regional commercial center, it contained over sixty shops and eleven coffeehouses, a few of which sat along the Haifa-Beirut highway. The active village council had paved roads, installed a system of running water, and oversaw the convening of a wholesale produce market there every Sunday. An agricultural cooperative in the village counted over 150 members that promoted agricultural development, while also providing loans to local farmers. The population of about 4,000 was divided almost evenly between Muslims and Christians. Among the village institutions were a government run elementary school, a "National High School", a Greek Orthodox church, a Catholic church, and a mosque. The village was situated in the territory allotted to the Arab state under the 1947 UN Partition Plan.

In the 1945 statistics, the population had grown to 2,950; 1360 Muslims and 1590 Christians, with 25258 dunum of land according to an official land and population survey. Of this, Arabs used 614 dunams for citrus and bananas, 14,699 dunams were plantations and irrigable land; 10,437 were used for cereals, while 132 dunams were built-up (urban) land.

1948 Palestine war
Al-Bassa was captured by paramilitary Haganah forces during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in Operation Ben-Ami, on May 14, 1948. Al-Bassa's defenders were local militia men. Following its capture, the Haganah's Palmach forces concentrated the villagers in the local church where they shot and killed a number of youths before chasing the villagers out. One witness to the expulsion said that it was preceded by soldiers shooting and killing five villagers inside the church, while another said seven villagers were shot and killed by soldiers outside the church.

Al-Bassa's residents were expelled as part of the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, and the village was completely destroyed by the Israelis with the exception of a few houses, a church, and a Muslim shrine.

At least 60 of the Christian villagers of Al-Bassa were taken by the Haganah to Mazra'a, where they remained for more than a year. Altogether 81 residents of al-Bassa became Israeli citizens as internally displaced Palestinians who lost their land rights and ended up in places like Nazareth. The only day on which Palestinians did not require a permit to travel during that period was Israel's Independence Day. On this day internally displaced Palestinians would visit their former villages. Wakim Wakim, an attorney from Al-Bassa and a leading member of the Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced explains: "The day when Israel celebrates is the day we mourn."

Most of the former villagers of al-Bassa (circa 95%) were pushed north towards Lebanon, concentrating in the Dbayeh refugee camp near Jounieh east of Beirut. Prior to and during the Lebanese Civil War, this camp suffered severe damage in the fighting and was largely destroyed, though it still has a population of some 4,233 people who are mostly Palestinian Christian refugees. Other former residents of Al-Bassa and the refugee camp in Lebanon ended up in Lansing, Michigan where they established an international village club and hold annual gatherings attended by over 300 people.

The site was repopulated by Jewish immigrants and renamed as Betzet in 1951, and is today a part of the State of Israel.

The village was inspected in 1992, when it was found that although most of the houses of Al-Bassa had been destroyed, a number of historic buildings survived, including two churches, a mosque, and a maqam.

Mosque
According to Petersen, the mosque appears to be a relatively modern construct, probably built in the early 1900s. It consists of a tall square room with a flat roof supported by iron girders. There is a cylindrical minaret at the north-east corner. There are tall pointed windows on all four sides, and a mihrab in the middle of the south wall. At the time of the inspection, 1992, the building was used as a sheep pen.

Maqam

The maqam is located about 20 meters east of the mosque. It consists of two parts: a walled courtyard, and a domed prayer room. In the courtyard there is a mihrab in the south wall, and a doorway in the east wall leads into the main prayer room. Pendentives springing from four thick piers support wide arches and the dome. In the middle of the south wall there is a mihrab, next to a simple minbar, made of four stone steps.

Khirbet Ma'sub
The site of Khirbet Ma'sub, immediately to the east of Bassa, is where the Phoenician Ma'sub inscription was found in the 1880s.

Culture
Henry Baker Tristram during his 1863 visit to the village made a detailed description of the women's Palestinian costumes.

[The women´s] dress was unlike any costume we had yet seen; consisting of rather tight blue cotton trousers tied at the ankle, slippers without stockings, a chemise of cotton, blue or white, rather open in front, and over this a long dress, like a cassock, open in front, with a girdle and short sleeves. This robe was plain, patched, or embroidered in the most fantastic and grotesque shapes, the triumph of El Bussah milliners being evidently to bring together in contrast as many colours as possible. The head-dress ...baffles my powers of description, but is very description, but is very interesting, as probably identical with that of the women of Galilee of old. [Such may Mary have worn, as she daily went to the well of Nazareth.] It is called the semadi, and consists of a cloth skull-cap, with a flap behind, all covered with coins -silver, but sometimes gold -and a fringe of coins suspended from it on the forehead. Round the face, from chin to crown, are two stout pads, by way of bonnet-cap, fastened at the top. But outside of these pads is attached a string of silver, not lengthwise, but solidly piled one on another, and hammered severally into a saucer-shape, with a hole drilled through the middle. They usually commence with some half-dozen Spanish dollars at the chin, gradually tapering up to small Turkish silver-pieces of the size of sixpences at the forehead. The weight is no trifle, and one little girl, whose head-gear was handed to me for examination in return for a present of needles, had £30 worth of silver round her cheeks. Many had frontlets of gold coins, and I saw one centre-piece on the fore-head of a sheikh's wife consisting of a Turkish £5 gold piece. All the young ladies thus carry their fortunes on their heads; and this jewelry is the peculium of the wife, and cannot be touched by her husband. An instance in which a Greek priest had insisted on the payment of his fees out of the head-dress of a widow has been recited to me as a case of grievous extortion.

Weir, after quoting what Tristram wrote about the head-dresses in Al-Bussah, notes that coin headdresses went out of use for daily wear in Galilee at the beginning of the 20th century, but continued to be worn by brides for their weddings.

External links and references

 * Welcome to al-Bassa
 * al-Bassa, Zochrot
 * Survey of Western Palestine, Map 3: IAA, Wikimedia commons
 * Al-Bassa at Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
 * Al-Bassah Dr. Moslih Kanaaneh
 * Al-Bassa International Association - an "international forum" for former residents of al-Bassa.

title: Al-Bassa


text:
Al-Birwa

Al-Birwa (البروة, also spelled al-Birweh) was a Palestinian Arab village, located 10.5 km east of Acre (Akka). In 1945, it had a population of 1,460, of whom the majority were Muslims and a significant minority, Christians. Its total land area consisted of 13,542 dunams (13.5 square kilometers). The village was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

The settlement at Al-Birwa was started in the Roman era, and reached a peak in the Byzantine era. In the mid-11th century CE Al-Birwa was mentioned by the Persian geographer Nasir Khusraw and it was known to the Crusaders as "Broet". The village came under Mamluk rule in the late 13th century, and in the early 16th century, it was conquered by the Ottomans, who ruled it for four centuries. Travelers' reports from the late 19th century documented that al-Birwa had a mosque, a church and an elementary school for boys (a girls' school was built in 1942).

During British Mandate rule in Palestine, al-Birwa was home to local power brokers, who mediated disputes in neighboring villages. Al-Birwa became a center of rebel operations during the 1936–1939 revolt against British rule. By the 1940s, many of the village's agrarian inhabitants lost their lands due to debt, and shifted to labor jobs in nearby cities, such as Haifa. However, the majority of the residents—men and women—continued to engage in farming, selling their olives, grains and other crops in the markets of Acre. Al-Birwa was captured by the Israelis in early June 1948, after which its local militia recaptured the village. Al-Birwa was then permanently occupied by the Israelis in late June. Afterward, its inhabitants, including future Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, fled to nearby villages or Lebanon. The Jewish communities of Yas'ur and Ahihud were established on al-Birwa's lands in 1949 and 1950, respectively.

Geography
Al-Birwa stood on a rocky hill overlooking the plain of Acre, with an average elevation of 60 meters above sea level. It was situated at the intersection of two highways—one led to Acre and the other towards Haifa. Located 10.5 kilometers east of Acre, the other nearest localities to al-Birwa included al-Damun (depopulated in 1948) to the south, and the Arab towns of Jadeidi to the northwest, Julis to the north, Sha'ab to the east, and Majd al-Kurum to the northeast.

Al-Birwa's total land area consisted of 13,542 dunams (13.42 hectares), of which 59 dunams were built-up areas. Cultivable land accounted for 77% of the total land area. Orchards were planted on 1,548 dunams of which 1,500 were used for olive groves, and 8,457 dunams were allotted to grains. The residents of the town sold 536 dunams to Jews, and most of the rest was Arab-owned.

Archaeology
Several excavation has been conducted at the site of al-Birwa after year 2000. Finds included a large building, numerous potsherds from the Late Roman period, a bronze coin from the 1st or 2nd century CE, remains of an ancient olive press, glass vessels such as a wine goblet and bottles dated to the Late Byzantine and Umayyad periods (7th and first half of 8th centuries CE) and an underground water reservoir. A few potsherds from the Crusader and Mamluk periods were also found.

In 2008, the remains of a large olive oil refinery dating from the Byzantine era was uncovered, together with items belonging to a church. The excavators believed that the olive press could be situated inside a Byzantine monastery.

Antiquity
The more ancient site, Tel Birwa (variant: Tel Berweh), lies about one mile southwest of the Arab village by the same name, and is said to be a mound measuring 600 paces in circumference at the top, and 75 feet high. The mound abounds with Graeco-Roman potsherds, showing that it was occupied down to Roman times when it was abandoned, as no distinctively Arab pottery could be found there. Conder and Kitchener thought that Al-Birwa preserves in its name the more ancient name of Beri (בירי), mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud (Pesahim iv.1 [26a]), seeing that both it and Kabul are mentioned together. According to Josephus, the villages in the immediate vicinity of Kabul were pillaged and burnt during the First Jewish revolt against Rome.

Middle Ages
Al-Birwa was mentioned in 1047 CE, during Fatimid rule, when it was visited by the Persian geographer, Nasir Khusraw. He describes it as lying "between Acre and Damun", and reports having visited what he described as the tombs of Simeon and Esau there. The Crusaders wrested control of Palestine from the Fatimids in 1099. They referred to al-Birwa as "Broet". In 1253, John Aleman, the Crusader lord of Caesarea, sold al-Birwa, along with several other villages, to the Knights Hospitaller. Al-Birwa was mentioned as part of the Acre-based Crusaders' domain in the 1283 hudna (truce agreement) with the Mamluks under Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun. In the late 13th century, the Mamluks defeated and conquered the last Crusader outposts along Palestine's northern coastline.

Ottoman Empire
Al-Birwa came under Ottoman rule in 1517, along with all of Palestine. In 1596, al-Birwa was a small village in the Akka Nahiya (Subdistrict of Acre), part of the Safad Sanjak (District of Safed). The village paid taxes on wheat, barley, fruit, beehives, and goats. According to Ottoman tax registers, al-Birwa had 121 residents in 1596. A map from Napoleon's invasion of 1799 by French cartographer Pierre Jacotin depicted al-Birwa as "Beroweh", though its location on the map was misplaced.

In the late 19th century, al-Birwa grew to be a large village, with a well in its southern area. To the north lay "beautiful olive-groves and fruitful wheatfields," as they were described by one Western traveller to the region in the mid-19th century. American biblical scholar Edward Robinson visited al-Birwa in 1852 and noted that it was one of 18 villages in Palestine with an operating Christian (Eastern Orthodox) church. By 1859, British Consul Edward T. Rogers recorded that al-Birwa had approximately 900 inhabitants. The French explorer, Victor Guérin, who visited in 1875, described the Christians of Birwa as Greek Orthodox, and noted that they had a "fairly new" church.

A population list from about 1887 showed that al-Birwa had about 755 inhabitant, of whom 650 were Muslims and 105 were Christians. In 1888, the Ottomans built an elementary school for boys.

British Mandate

In 1917, during World War I, British forces drove out the Ottomans from Palestine and in 1920, the British Mandate of Palestine was established. In the 1922 British census, al-Birwa had a population of 807, consisting of 735 Muslims and 72 Christians. The Christians were mostly Orthodox with five Anglicans. By the 1931 census, the population had increased to 996, of which 884 were Muslims and 92 were Christians, living in a total of 224 houses. Cement roofs became widely used in al-Birwa in the 1930s, during a time of significant expansion in the village.

A number of al-Birwa's inhabitants participated in the 1936–1939 Arab revolt against British rule and mass Jewish immigration in Palestine. A commander of the revolt for the Nazareth-Tiberias region, Sheikh Yihya Hawash, was from al-Birwa. He was arrested by the British and sentenced to life imprisonment. The British also executed eight residents of al-Birwa who had participated in the revolt. Other rebel commanders and participants in the revolt from al-Birwa included Asad Atallah, Mahmoud al-Joudi, Saleh Mahmoud Me'ari-Abu Sa'ud, Abd al-Hamid Daher Me'ari, Muhammad al-Hajj Ali, Yusef Taha, Fadil Eid, Yousif Mai and Abbas al-Shattawi. A number of women from al-Birwa participated in the revolt by transporting arms, water and food to rebels positioned among the hills in the vicinity. Elderly refugees from al-Birwa interviewed in 2003–2004 recalled that during the revolt, local rebels set off a mine that hit a British military jeep on a road adjacent to al-Birwa in August 1937, prompting the British to launch punitive measures against the village. These included gathering men from al-Birwa and forcing them to cut cactus plants near Acre and then placing the men on top of the cactuses, leaving the women of the village to tend to their wounds.

In the 1945 statistics, al-Birwa's population was 1,460, of which 130 were Christians. Prominent families and landowners in the village included the Saad, Darwish, Abdullah, Kayyal, Sakkas, al-Wakid, al-Joudi, Najm, al-Dabdoub, Khalid, Akawi, Hissian, Hawash and al-Sheikha families. Socio-economic status in the village was largely determined by land ownership. About 140 residents of the village were tenant farmers who worked for the major landowning Moughrabi, al-Zayyat and Adlabi families. According to intelligence gathered by the Haganah (a Jewish paramilitary organization in Palestine), the traditional, local power brokers of the central Galilee were residents of al-Birwa, who "resolved all conflicts in the nearby villages". Haganah intelligence also reported that al-Birwa's inhabitants were "long-lived, the majority reaching an age of over 100 years".

By the 1940s, al-Birwa had three olive oil presses, a mosque, a church, and approximately 300 houses. In addition to the Ottoman-era boys' school, an elementary school for girls was established in 1943. By this time, many of the inhabitants lost all or part of their lands due to debts, and concurrently, men and women from al-Birwa increasingly worked in public projects, such as road construction and the Haifa oil refinery, or in British military installations, to compensate for lost income. However, the main source of income remained agriculture, and the village's principal crops were olives, wheat, barley, corn, sesame, and watermelons. In 1944–45, residents of the village owned a total of 600 cattle, 3,000 goats and 1,000 chickens. Women, particularly young women from smaller landowning families, participated alongside the men of their family in working the land, while many women from landless families drew income as seasonal workers on other village residents' lands. There were general, gender-based divisions of labor, with women collecting well water, raising livestock, curdling milk, transporting goods to markets in Acre and collecting herbs; men typically plowed and sowed seeds, and both men and women picked olives and harvested crops.

Israel
Israeli forces from the Carmeli Brigade first captured al-Birwa and positions overlooking it on 11 June 1948 as part of Operation Ben-Ami, a day before the first truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. During the fighting, 45 elderly residents hid in the church with the priest. The defenders of the village surrendered after losing men and running out of ammunition. The residents took refuge in nearby villages for thirteen days. Nevertheless, clashes continued during the truce. According to local militiamen from al-Birwa, 96 men from the village armed with rifles, and an equal number of men armed with non-firearms and unarmed women assembled near the front lines of the Arab Liberation Army (ALA). The rifle-armed force charged first across the front lines, followed by the men armed with axes, shovels, and sticks, and then the women who carried water to assist the wounded. Al-Birwa's ad hoc militia took the small force of Haganah soldiers (who became part of the Israel Defense Forces on 26 May) by surprise and forced them back a kilometer west of al-Birwa. Afterward, al-Birwa's residents harvested their crops. They remained in the village until 24 June, when ALA commanders suggested that they join their families in the nearby villages. The militiamen claimed that the ALA stood by during the clashes because they did not receive orders from their superiors.

The Israelis announced that they had battled ALA units in the area, inflicting 100 casualties on 25 June. The New York Times reported that there was fighting in the village for two days and that United Nations (UN) observers were there investigating truce violations. It added that "a small Israeli garrison held al-Birwa prior to the [first] truce", but it fell to ALA troops based in Nazareth who launched a surprise attack. Some residents camped in the outskirts of the village and occasionally managed to enter and gather personal belongings. After the end of the first truce in mid-July, al-Birwa was captured by Israel during Operation Dekel. The ALA fought the Israelis to recapture al-Birwa, but by 18 July, the village was firmly behind Israeli lines.

On 20 August 1948, the Jewish National Fund called for building a settlement on some of al-Birwa's lands, and on 6 January 1949, Yas'ur, a kibbutz, was established there. In 1950, the moshav of Ahihud was inaugurated on the village's western lands. According to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, one of al-Birwa's schools, two shrines for local sages, and three houses remained standing as of 1982. One of the shrines was domed and built of stone. Most of the structures stood amid cacti, weeds, olive and fig groves, and mulberry trees. Most of al-Birwa's inhabitants fled to nearby Arab towns and villages, including Tamra, Kabul, Jadeidi, Kafr Yasif, and other localities. In Jadeidi the refugees of al-Birwa mostly resided in a neighborhood called al-Barawneh after their village of origin or alternatively al-Kayyali after the Kayyal family, many of whom lived in the neighborhood and one of whom, Afif Kayyal, was elected mayor in the 1990s and in 2003. Some fled to Lebanon, and ended up in the Shatila refugee camp, in the outskirts of Beirut, where Palestinian historian Nafez Nazzal interviewed them in 1973. Among the refugees of al-Birwa was Mahmoud Darwish, who was born in the village in 1941 and lived part of his childhood there.

In 1950, Tawfik Toubi, an Arab member of the Knesset, raised the issue of the internally displaced refugees of al-Birwa in the Knesset, demanding that they be allowed to return to their homes. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion replied in the negative, stating, "The questioner presented the facts inaccurately. Birwa is an abandoned village which was destroyed in the fighting. Its inhabitants cooperated with Kaukji's gangs. The Israel Defense Forces and the government did not treat them as they deserved, but permitted them to remain in villages near Birwa, and to become residents of Israel. The government of Israel treats them as it does the other residents of Israel and those lacking means of subsistence. A special body was established to deal with these refugees, to resettle and rehabilitate them, not necessarily in their former villages, and the resettlement of the refugees in Nazareth has already begun." In December 1951, the village site was declared a closed military zone.

Al-Birwa is among the Palestinian villages for which commemorative Marches of Return have taken place, typically as part of Nakba Day, such as the demonstrations organized by the Association for the Defence of the Rights of the Internally Displaced.

title: Al-Birwa