Abu Shukheidim (or Abu Shkeidim, Arabic: أبو شخيدم) is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate.
In 2005 it merged with the village of Al-Mazra'a al-Qibliya to form the town of Al-Zaitounah.
History Abu Shukheidim does not appear in records until the 19th century. It appears to have been founded during the period of Ottoman rule in the wake of the Qays–Yaman war.Grossman, D. (1986). "Oscillations in the Rural Settlement of Samaria and Judaea in the Ottoman Period". in Shomron studies. Dar, S., Safrai, S., (eds). Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House. p. 359
Pottery sherds from the Hellenistic/Roman, Byzantine, Crusader/Ayyubid and the Mamluk eras have been found here.Finkelstein et al, 1997, p. 406
Ottoman era Sherds from the early Ottoman era has also been found here. The historical core of the village is predominantly uninhabited.
In 1838, it was noted as a Muslim village, Abu Shukheidim, in the Bani Harith district, north of Jerusalem.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 124Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 2, p. 133
In 1863 Victor Guérin found it consisting of a dozen houses. A birket (artificial pond) was lined on the inside with good cement, but needed repairs. Near the birket were several very old buildings. The villagers were compelled to stock up on water at a well located at the bottom of the mountain whose village occupies the summit.Guérin, 1869, p. 35
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that Abu Schechedim had 14 houses and a population of 76, though the population count included men, only.Socin, 1879, p. 142 It was also noted to be in the Beni Harit districtHartmann, 1883, p. 126, also noted 14 houses
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Abu Shukheidim as a village resembling Abu Qash, and supplied by the same well.Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 293
In 1896 the population of 'Abu schechedim was estimated to be about 204 persons.Schick, 1896, p. 124
British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, the population of Abu Iskhajdam was 139 Muslims,Barron, 1922, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramalllah, p. 16 increasing in the 1931 census to 201 Muslims, in 47 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 47
In 1945 statistics Abu Shukheidim had a population of 250 Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 26 and a total land area of 1,430 dunams.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 64. Of this, 781 dunams were for plantations and irrigable land, 178 were for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 111 while 23 dunams were 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, Abu Shukheidim came under Jordanian rule.
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 1,358 inhabitants.Government of Jordan, 1964, p. 24
Post-1967 Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Abu Shukheidim has been under Israeli occupation.
After the 1995 accords, 54.2% of Al-Zaitounah land was defined as Area B, while the remaining 45.8% was defined as Area C. Israel has confiscated 308 dunams of land from Al-Zaitounah in order to construct two Israeli settlements, Talmon and Nahl'iel.AL-Zaytouneh Town Profile, ARIJ, p. 18
Population Abu Shukheidim's population in 1922 was estimated at 139 people, and in 1945, 150 people.book: كتاب بلادنا فلسطين، صفحة Our Country is Palestine, page 330 After an influx of refugees in 1967, the number reached about 5,069 people; in 1987 it became 773 people, and in 1996 the number reached 1,025. The population was 2,438 in 2017.
Most of the village's residents have roots in Deir Dibwan, although the original settlers came from Hebron. There's an old ruin nearby sharing the same name, and a family with the same name in Hebron.
References
Bibliography
External links Welcome to Abu Shukheidim Survey of Western Palestine, Map 14: IAA, Wikimedia commons AL-Zaytouneh town (fact sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ) AL-Zaytouneh town profile, (ARIJ) AL-Zaytouneh aerial photo, (ARIJ) Locality Development Priorities and Needs in AL- Zaytouneh Town, (ARIJ)