‘Arura () is a Palestinian town located in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the northern West Bank, north of Ramallah. Most of the village is situated 500 meters above sea level.
History Pottery sherds from the IA I, IA II, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Crusader/Ayyubid eras have been found here.Finkelstein, 1997, p. 466
Near, and within the village are three shrines dedicated to Sheikh Radwan, Sheikh Ahmad, and al-Khidr. Al-Khidr's shrine, in the center of the village, has no relation to al-Khidr, and his simply dedicated to a holy man with the same name. Al-Khidr or Saint George is revered throughout Palestine in several towns and villages. Sheikh Ahmad's shrine is to the west of 'Arura.Sharon, 1997, pp. 121–123
The Shrine of Sheikh Radwan bin 'Ulayl al-Arsufi, built during the Ayyubid rule of interior Palestine, is located to the southwest of the village situated on a hill roughly above sea level. Not much is known about Radwan, except that his family was from Arsuf and he was an important man in the area that died in Egypt and was transferred to 'Arura for his burial. Muslim scholars suggested that Sheikh Radwan was from the 'Ulayl family. An Arabic inscription written in typical rural Ayyubid style, on the shrine's surface reads that he was transferred to "blessed Syria" (in early Islamic times, Palestine was a province of Syria). A mosque was constructed adjacent to the shrine.
Pottery sherds from the Mamluk era have also been found here.
Ottoman era In 1596 'Arura appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa of Quds. It had a population of 62 households, all Muslim, who paid a fixed tax rate of 33,3% on agricultural products, including on wheat, barley, olive trees, vineyards and fruit trees, goats and/or beehives; a total of 12,000 akçe. 1/6 of the revenue went to a Waqf.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 112Toledano, 1984, p. 288, has 'Arura at location 35°09′50″E 32°02′30″N.
In the 17th century, the village received an influx of refugees from Beit Qufa near Lydda, who had to abandon their home due to unsettled conditions.
In 1838 'Arurah was noted as a Muslim village, part of the Beni Zeid area, located north of Jerusalem.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 125
Victor Guérin visited the village in the late 19th century, and found it to have about 350-400 inhabitants. He also observed fragments of columns and other indications of an ancient town. There were also threshing-floors which appeared ancient.Guérin, 1875, p. 170, partly translated in Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 303
Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 that Arura had a total of 91 houses and a population of 300, though the population count included men, only.Socin, 1879, p. 144Hartmann, 1883, p. 107 noted 80 houses
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described the village, called Arara, as being a small, on high ground, and remarkable for having five sacred places on the west side of the village.Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 289
In 1896 the different parts of Arura was estimated to have about 237, 99 and 204 inhabitants; in all a population of 540 persons.Schick, 1896, p. 124
British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, 'Arura had a population of 426 Muslim,Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramallah, p. 16 increasing in the 1931 census to 566 Muslim, in 131 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 47.
The 1945 statistics found 660 Muslim inhabitants,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 26 with a total land area of 10,978 dunams.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 64 Of this, 7,095 were used for plantations and irrigable land, 787 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 111 while 26 dunams were classified as built-up areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 161
Jordanian era In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, 'Arura came under Jordanian rule.
In 1961, the population of 'Arura was 1,337.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 24
Post 1967 Since the Six-Day War in 1967, 'Arura has been under Israeli occupation.
There was a sharp decrease in the population from 1961 to 1982, caused by nearly half of 'Arura's inhabitants fleeing the village in the 1967 Six-Day War.Welcome To 'Arura Palestine Remembered. In 1997, 'Arura had a population of 2,087, of which 30 residents (1.4%) were Palestinian refugees.Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). The gender make-up was 1,069 males and 1,018 females.
Shrines Near and within 'Arura are three shrines dedicate to Sheikh Radwan, Sheikh Ahmad, and al-Khidr. Al-Khidr's shrine, in the center of the village, has no relation to al-Khidr and his simply dedicated to him. Al-Khidr or Saint George is revered throughout Palestine in several towns and villages. Sheikh Ahmad shrine is to the west of 'Arura.
The Shrine of Sheikh Radwan bin 'Ulayl al-Arsufi, built during the Ayyubid rule of interior Palestine, is located to the southwest of the village situated on a hill roughly 600 meters above sea level. Not much is known about Radwan, except that he was an important man – whose ancestors were from Arsuf – in the area that died in Egypt and was transferred to 'Arura for his burial. Muslim scholars suggested that Sheikh Radwan was from the 'Ulayl family. An Arabic inscription written in typical rural Ayyubid style, on the shrine's surface reads that he was transferred to "blessed Syria" (in early Islamic times, Palestine was referred to as a province in Syria). A mosque was constructed adjacent to the shrine.Sharon, Moshe. (1997). Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, Volume I Brill, pp. 121–123.
Geography 'Arura is located in the Bani Zeid area of central Samaria, situated 500 meters above sea level. It is northwest of Ramallah and north of Ajjul. Other nearby localities include Mazari an-Nubani to the northeast, Deir as-Sudan to southeast, Kafr Ein to the east, and Abwein to the southwest.Satellite view of 'Arura In 1945, 'Arura's total land area was 10,978 dunams, of which was 26 were built-up areas and 2,550 used for olive groves.
Notable people Saleh al-Arouri (1966 – 2024), a senior leader of Hamas and a founding commander of its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Demographics In the 1922 British survey of Palestine, 'Arura had 426 inhabitants rising to 566 in the 1931 census. There were 660 residents in 1945, according to Sami Hadawi's land and population survey.Hadawi, Sami. (1970). Ramallah District Statistics. p. 64. There was a sharp decrease in the population from 1961 to 1982, caused by nearly half of 'Arura's inhabitants fleeing the village in the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1997, 'Arura had a population of 2,087, of which 30 residents (1.4%) were Palestinian refugees.Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). The gender make-up was 1,069 males and 1,018 females.Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of approximately 2,967 in mid-year 2006 and 3,107 by 2017.Projected Mid -Year Population for Ramallah & Al Bireh Governorate by Locality 2004–2006 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).
References
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External links Welcome To 'Arura Survey of Western Palestine, Map 14: IAA , Wikimedia commons