The depopulated village of Al-Zuq at-Tahtani / District of Safed

Subdistrict: Safad

Estimated population of al-Zuq al-Tahtani in 1948: approximately 1,218–1,220

Occupation and depopulation: The villagers reportedly left on 11 May 1948; the precise date on which Israeli forces entered the village has not been established.

Military operation: Operation Yiftach

Military unit: Israeli sources associate the area with the Palmach’s First Battalion, although the unit that entered the village has not been conclusively identified.

Israeli settlements established on the village’s lands before 1948: Bayt Hillel was founded in 1940. Its land was administratively associated with Lazzaza by 1944, although later land-survey maps place the settlement on land belonging to al-Zuq al-Tahtani.

Israeli development established on or extending into the village’s lands after 1948: expansions of Bayt Hillel, an industrial area, and part of Kiryat Shmona.

Al-Zuq al-Tahtani was a depopulated Palestinian village in the Safad Subdistrict, situated approximately 30 kilometres northeast of Safad and close to the Palestinian–Lebanese boundary.

• Al-Zuq al-Tahtani stood near Wadi al-Baraghith, approximately midway between al-Khalisa and al-Khisas. Lazzaza was among the nearest villages. The village lay slightly south of the principal al-Khalisa–Dan road, which intersected with the Tiberias–al-Matalla road north of al-Khalisa. Graded roads also connected it with al-Khisas and al-Zuq al-Fawqani.
• The village was built on a hill overlooking broad, open expanses on all sides. A secondary road connected it with the main route leading to Safad and Tiberias.
• Al-Zuq al-Tahtani was surrounded by agricultural land and had at least one mill; water-powered mills also operated north of the village.

Boundaries of al-Zuq al-Tahtani

Al-Zuq al-Tahtani lay among the following Palestinian villages and localities:

• North: al-Zuq al-Fawqani.
• West: al-Khalisa.
• South: al-Na‘ima.
• Southeast: Qaytiyya.
• Northeast: al-Khisas.

Population of al-Zuq al-Tahtani

• The British Mandate census recorded 626 inhabitants and 137 houses in 1931. A narrative account reproduced by PalQuest describes the population as 626 Muslims and one Christian, creating a minor inconsistency with the published total. By 1945, the village population was estimated at 1,050.
• The inhabitants were predominantly Muslim. They obtained water for domestic use from a nearby wadi and operated water-powered mills north of the village. Agriculture was their principal livelihood, with citrus and other fruit cultivated particularly on the lands south of the village.

Population of al-Zuq al-Tahtani

* PalQuest’s statistical table gives a total of 626 for 1931, while its narrative describes 626 Muslims and one Christian. The published figures therefore contain a minor internal discrepancy.

Number of Houses in al-Zuq al-Tahtani

Village Lands

The lands associated with al-Zuq al-Tahtani covered 11,634 dunams, including 358 dunams recorded for roads and wadis. Fruit and citrus orchards extended south of the village, and agriculture formed the principal basis of its economy. The village lands bordered those of al-Khalisa, al-Khisas, al-Zuq al-Fawqani, al-Na‘ima, Lazzaza, and al-Sanbariyya.

Land Ownership in al-Zuq al-Tahtani, 1944/45

* One dunam equals approximately 1,000 square metres.

Land Use in al-Zuq al-Tahtani, 1944/45

* One dunam equals approximately 1,000 square metres. The published British Mandate statistics classify 636 dunams as public land; this amount has been shown separately rather than included under Palestinian uncultivated land.

Economic Life in al-Zuq al-Tahtani

The villagers obtained water for domestic use from a nearby wadi and operated water-powered mills north of the village. Agriculture was their principal occupation. Citrus and other fruit were cultivated, particularly on the land extending south of the village. In 1944/45, 2,145 dunams under Palestinian ownership were allocated to cereal cultivation, while 5,547 dunams were irrigated or used for orchards.

Architectural Character of al-Zuq al-Tahtani

In the late nineteenth century, al-Zuq al-Tahtani was described as a village of stone-and-mud houses surrounded by cultivable land. Its population at the time was approximately 100. Older ruined Arab houses and a mill stood on the northern side of the village, and a large watercourse ran nearby.

Archaeological Remains in al-Zuq al-Tahtani

Al-Zuq al-Tahtani was regarded as an archaeological site built upon an artificial mound. Foundations of earlier structures were visible at the surface, together with the remains of dry-stone enclosures and fragments of pottery.

Occupation and Depopulation of al-Zuq al-Tahtani

An Israeli military report from 1948 claimed that the inhabitants left al-Zuq al-Tahtani on 11 May 1948, following the fall of Safad on 10 May. These events occurred during Operation Yiftach. However, the available account does not establish whether Israeli forces directly attacked the village or identify the precise date on which they entered it. The frequently cited date of 1 May 1948 is therefore not sufficiently documented and should not be presented as certain.

Israeli Settlements and Development on the Village’s Lands

Bayt Hillel was founded south of al-Zuq al-Tahtani in 1940. By 1944, the land occupied by the settlement had been administratively combined with that of the neighbouring Palestinian village of Lazzaza. Later land-survey maps, however, locate Bayt Hillel on land belonging to al-Zuq al-Tahtani, approximately one kilometre southeast of the village site. After the Nakba, Bayt Hillel expanded, while an industrial area and part of Kiryat Shmona were developed on or across lands associated with the village.

Al-Zuq al-Tahtani Today

According to the survey published in Walid Khalidi’s All That Remains, only one stone house remained at the village site and was being used as an office for an airstrip. Grass and wild vegetation covered the site and were periodically mown. Archaeological excavations were taking place at Tall al-Wawiyyat on its southern edge. West of the tell was a fenced area containing numerous cactus plants and tall eucalyptus trees. The survey also recorded that a new airstrip was under construction northeast of the former village site.

Sources

• PalQuest, “al-Zuq al-Tahtani”.
• Palestine Remembered, “al-Zuq al-Tahtani—Safad”.
• Walid Khalidi, ed., All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948 (Washington, DC: Institute for Palestine Studies, 1992).
• Pal48, “Al-Zuq at-Tahtani”.