Mazari an-Nubani () is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, located 25 kilometers North of Ramallah in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of 2,436 inhabitants in 2017.
History Mazari al-Nubani was by earlier scholars (Röhricht, Prawer and Benvenisti) identified with the Crusader village called Mezera, but newer scholars (Finkelstein et al.) disputes this.Röhricht, 1887, p. 200, Prawer and Benvenisti, 1970; both cited in Finkelstein, 1997, p. 464. Finkelstein found no old pottery here.
Ottoman era In 1596 the village, under the name of Mazra'at al-'Abbas, appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa of Quds. It had a population of 60 households and 21 bachelors, all Muslim. Taxes were paid on wheat, barley, olive trees, vineyards and fruit trees, goats and/or beehives; a total of 6,910 akçe. 1/3 of the revenue went to a Waqf.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 114Toledano, 1984, p. 296, has Mazari at location 35°09′35″E 32°03′00″N.
In 1838 el-Mezari'a 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
When Guérin passed by the village in 1870, he estimated it had a population of about 600.Guérin, 1875, p. 170 An Ottoman village list from about the same year showed Mazari with a population of 560, in 163 houses, though the population count included men only. It was also noted it was located east of Qarawat Bani Zeid.Socin, 1879, p. 157Hartmann, 1883, p. 107, noted 103 houses
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described the village, then called Mezrah,meaning "The sown land", according to Palmer, 1881, p. 239 as being of moderate size, on high ground.Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 291
In 1896 the population of Mezra‘a was estimated to be about 1,008 persons.Schick, 1896, p. 124
British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Mazarie' al-Nubani had a population of 611 Muslims,Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramallah, p. 17 increasing in the 1931 census to 864 Muslims, in 193 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 50.
The 1945 statistics found 1,090 Muslim inhabitantsGovernment of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 26 with a total of 9,631 dunam of land.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 65 Of this, 7,399 were used for plantations and irrigable land, 445 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 112 while 59 dunams were classified as built-up areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 162
Jordanian era In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Mazari Nubani came under Jordanian rule.
In 1961, the population of Mazari al-Nubani was 1,358.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 24
Post 1967 Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Mazari al-Nuban has been under Israeli occupation.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of approximately 2,510 inhabitants in mid-year 2006.Projected Mid -Year Population for Ramallah & Al Bireh Governorate by Locality 2004- 2006 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).
Folklore The local a-Nubani hamula claims to descend from Abdul Qadir Gilani, a Sufi leader who founded the Qadiri order.
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External links Welcome To Mazari' al-Nubani Survey of Western Palestine, Map 14: IAA , Wikimedia commons