Surda () is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of the State of Palestine, located northeast of Ramallah in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of 1,308 inhabitants in 2017.
Location Surda is located north of Ramallah. It is bordered by Al-Bireh and Dura al-Qar' to the east, Jifna to the north, Abu Qash to the west, and Ramallah and Al Bireh to the south. Surda is 838 meters above sea level.
History Pottery sherds from the Byzantine and the Mamluk eras have been found here.Finkelstein et al, 1997, pp. 423-424
Ottoman era In 1517, the village was included in the Ottoman Empire with the rest of Palestine, and in the 1596 tax-records it appeared as Surda, located in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa of Al-Quds. The population was 10 households, all Muslim. They paid a fixed tax rate of 33,3% on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, olive trees, vineyards, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 1,660 akçe.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 117 Pottery sherds from the early Ottoman era have also been fond here.
In 1838, it was noted as the village Surada, in the Beni Harith district.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 124
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 indicated 13 houses and a population of 63, though the population count included men, only.Socin, 1879, p. 161. It was also noted to be in the Beni Harit district.Hartmann, 1883, p. 126 also noted 13 houses
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Surdah as: "A small village on a hillside, with a garden to the south of it, and the spring 'Ain Jelazun on the east."Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 295. They further noted: "The name suggests its identity with Zereda, the native town of Jeroboam, ()", but based on archeological evidence, Finkelstein et al, 1997, p. 424 thinks this is irrelevant.
In 1896 the population of Surda was estimated to be about 108 persons.Schick, 1896, p. 123
British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Surda had a population of 125 Muslims,Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramallah, p. 17 increasing in the 1931 census to 179 Muslims, in 43 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 51.
In the 1945 statistics the population of Surda was 250 Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 26 while the total land area was 3,726 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 65 Of this, 1,002 dunums were used for plantations and irrigable land, 1,244 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 113 while 20 dunams were classified as built-up areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 163
Jordanian era In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Surda came under Jordanian rule.
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 415 inhabitants in Surda.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 24
1967-present After the Six-Day War in 1967, Surda has been under Israeli occupation.
After the 1995 accords, 95.4% of village land has been defined as Area B land, while the remaining 4.6% is Area C. Surda Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 15
Surda is the birthplace of the Palestinian diplomat Hasan Abdel Rahman.
Footnotes
Bibliography
External links Surda genealogy: Family frees, Surda.net Welcome To Surda Survey of Western Palestine, Map 14: IAA, Wikimedia commons Surda (fact sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ) Surda Village Profile, ARIJ Surda (aerial photo), ARIJ Locality Development Priorities and Needs in Surda Village, ARIJ