Ajanjul (, Ajanjǔl) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine. It was depopulated during the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine.
Etymology The name /ʽglgwl/ is of Aramaic origins, meaning a "small calf".
History The Abu Ghosh family took up residence in Ajanjul in the 18th century. The village is described as a place "from where they (the Abu Ghosh) controlled the Valley of Ayalon, including the important village of Bayt Liqya".Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001, pp. 230, 276
In 1838, it was noted as a place "in ruins or deserted."
In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine found at Kh. Junjul: "traces of ruins".Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 116
By the beginning of the 20th century, residents from Beit 'Anan settled the site, establishing it as a dependency – or satellite village – of their home village. British Mandate era According to a census conducted in 1931 by the British Mandate authorities, Ajanjul had a population of 19, in 5 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 18
In the 1945 statistics the population of Beit Nuba and Ajanjul was 1,240, all Muslims,Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 29 while the total land area was 11,401 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 66 Of this, 1,002 dunams were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 6,997 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 114 while 74 dunams were classified as built-up areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 164
There is no record of what happened to the villagers in 1948.Khalidi, 1992, p. 359
1948, aftermath In 1992 the village site was described: ”The stone debris of houses, concentrated in a small spot and overgrown with wild vegetation, are all that remains of the village. Fig, almond, and mulberry trees also grow on and around the site. On the southern side of the village there is a rocky structure containing two graves; southwest of it lies the village cemetery, where two stone graves are visible. The area is closed and is located along the 1967 border between Jordan and Israel."Khalidi, 1992, p. 359
References
Bibliography
External links Welcome To Ajanjul Ajanjul, Zochrot Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons