Uzeir

Uzeir (Arabic: عزير‎; Hebrew: עֻזֵיר‎) is an Arab village in northern Israel. Located near Nazareth Illit in the Lower Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of al-Batuf Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 3,276.[1]

Uzeir

עֻזֵיר, עוזייר‎
عزير
Uzeir
Uzeir
Coordinates: 32°47′32″N 35°19′51″E
Grid position181/243 PAL
Country Israel
DistrictNorthern
Councilal-Batuf
Population
 (2019)[1]
3,276
Name meaningEl Azeir, Ezra[2]

History

Findings from the Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic periods have been found in the village.[3]

Ottoman era

It was mentioned in the Ottoman defter for the year 1555-6, as Mezraa land, (that is, cultivated land), called ‘Uzayr, located in the Nahiya of Tabariyya of the Liwa of Safad. The land was designated as Timar land.[4]

In 1799, a map from Napoleon's invasion by Pierre Jacotin showed the place, named as El Qasr.[5]

In 1838 it was noted as a Muslim village, el-'Aziz, in the Nazareth District.[6]

In 1875, the French explorer Victor Guérin reached the village and described it as consisting of about 20 houses on the side of a hill. A few old columns were remains after an ancient site which had preceded the present village. A Muslim Maqam with two small domes, dedicated to "Neby A'ouzeir" was close by.[7] In Palestine Exploration Fund's 1881 Survey of Western Palestine, the village (called El Azeir) was described as:

A stone village at the foot of the hill. The plain to the north is cultivated with cotton, barley, etc. There are about 150 Moslems in the village. Water is supplied by cisterns in the village, and a tank.[8]

A population list from about 1887 showed that el Azeir had about 45 Muslim inhabitants.[9]

British Mandate era

In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British authorities, 'Uzair had a population of 70, all Muslims,[10] increasing in the 1931 census to 88, still all Muslim, in 15 houses.[11]

In the 1945 statistics the population was 150 Muslims[12] while the total land area was 766 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[13] Of this, 737 dunams were allocated for cereals,[14] while 7 dunams were classified as built-up areas.[15]

State of Israel

In 1948, Uzeir was captured by the Israeli army during the second part of Operation Dekel between 15 and 18 July. The village remained under martial law until 1966.

See also

References
  1. "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. Palmer, 1881, p. 124
  3. Cinamon, 2012, ‘Uzeir, West
  4. Rohde, 1979, p. 101
  5. Karmon, 1960, p. 166.
  6. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 3, Appendix 2, p. 132
  7. Guérin, 1880, pp. 364 ff
  8. Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 362
  9. Schumacher, 1888, p. 184
  10. Barron, 1923, Table XI, Sub-district of Nazareth, p. 38
  11. Mills, 1932, p. 76
  12. Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 8
  13. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 63
  14. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 110
  15. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 160

Bibliography
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