Al-Maniya (, also spelled al-Minya) is a Palestinian village in the Bethlehem Governorate in the central West Bank, 8.6 km southeast of Bethlehem and just south of Tuqu'. It incorporates the nearby hamlet of Wadi Muhammad within its jurisdiction. Most of the village, including much of its built-up area, is in Area C, giving the Israeli military full control over the village. It had a population of 1,346 in the 2017 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
History The village was founded by immigrants from the southern town of Sa'ir near Hebron. According to local legend, its name derives from a cave in the vicinity that inhabited by a Byzantine-era queen named "Maniya." There is one mosque, the Palestine Mosque, in the village.Al-Maniya Village Profile. Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem. August 2010.
French explorer Victor Guérin passed by the place in 1863, and described it as having ruins "of little importance."Guérin 1869, p. 149 In 1883, PEF's Survey of Western Palestine, it was described as having "foundations and ruined walls, with one or two caves, which are inhabited."Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 359
Al-Maniya has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Six-Day War.
In 1996, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) established a seven-member village council to administer al-Maniya. The council members are appointed by the PNA. Principal families include al-Jabarin, al-Frookh, al-Kawazba, at-Tarwa and ash-Shalalda.
References
Bibliography
External links Welcome to Kh. al-Minya Survey of Western Palestine, Map 21: IAA, Wikimedia commons Al Maniya village (fact sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ) Al Maniya Village Profile, ARIJ Al Maniya, aerial photo, ARIJ The priorities and needs for development in Al Maniya village based on the community and local authorities’ assessment, ARIJ