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'''Hajjah''' ({{lang-ar|حجة}}) is a ] village in the northern ], located eighteen kilometers west of ] in the ] of the ]. According to the ], the town had a population of 2,659 inhabitants in 2017.<ref name="PrelimCensus2017" /> '''Hajjah''' ({{langx|ar|حجة}}) is a ] village in the northern ], located eighteen kilometers west of ] in the ] of the ]. According to the ], the town had a population of 2,659 inhabitants in 2017.<ref name="PrelimCensus2017" />

Hajjah features remains from the ], ], and ]. During the ], it likely hosted inhabitants from the ].<ref name=":0" /> In the Roman and Byzantine eras, it was identified as ''Kfar Hagai'' or ''Kiryat Hagga'', a ] village, with mentions in ancient inscriptions and Samaritan sources.<ref name=":0" /> The village maintained its Samaritan identity through the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods, evident from the discovery of ] and stone ].<ref name=":0" /> Under ] rule, a mosque was constructed.<ref name=":2" /> In the ] period, Hajjah appeared in tax records with a Muslim-majority population.

Hajjah has a populace with roots in ], ], and ], organized into several clans, while one clan trace their lineage to Samaritan roots. The village's en-Naby Rabbah shrine, atop a tell, is believed to be the tomb of a saint, possibly linked to ], a 4th-century Samaritan leader, serving as a guardian of crops. This site was declared a nature reserve in 1986.


==Location== ==Location==
Hajja is located {{convert|15.9|km|mi|sp=us}} east of ]. It is bordered by ] and ] to the east, ] and ] to the south, ], ] and ] to the west, and ] to the north.<ref name=ARIJp4/> Hajja is located {{convert|15.9|km|mi|sp=us}} east of ]. It is bordered by ] and ] to the east, ] and ] to the south, ], ] and ] to the west, and ] to the north.<ref name=ARIJp4/>


==History and archaeology==
== Etymology ==
] from the ], ] and ] periods have been found at Hajja.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Erlich (Zhabo) |first1=Ze’ev H. |last2=Rotter |first2=Meir |date=2021 |title=ארבע מנורות שומרוניות בכפר חג'ה שבשומרון |trans-title=Four Samaritan Menorahs from the village of Hajjeh, Samaria |url=https://www.ariel.ac.il/wp/ihd/2021/11/24/%d7%99%d7%a7%d7%91-%d7%aa%d7%aa%d6%be%d7%a7%d7%a8%d7%a7%d7%a2%d7%99-%d7%9e%d7%aa%d7%a7%d7%95%d7%a4%d7%aa-%d7%94%d7%91%d7%a8%d7%96%d7%9c-2-%d7%91%d7%97%d7%95%d7%a8%d7%91%d7%aa-%d7%90%d7%9c%d6%be-2/ |journal=במעבה ההר |volume=11 |issue=2 |publisher=Ariel University Publishing |pages=188–204 |doi=10.26351/IHD/11-2/3}}</ref><ref>גופנא, ר' ופורת, י', 1972 .הסקר בארץ אפרים ומנשה. בתוך: מ' כוכבי (עורך), יהודה שומרון וגולן: סקר ארכיאולוגי בשנת תשכ"ח. ירושלים, עמ' 195–241.</ref><ref>Dauphin, 1998, p. 798</ref>
According to the local inhabitants, ''Hajjah'' is originally an ] word translated as "market" or "society".{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}


Jewish scholars claim that during the ], Hajjah hosted inhabitants from the Israelite ].<ref name=":0" />
==History==
] from the ], ] and ] periods have been found at Hajja.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Erlich (Zhabo) |first=Ze’ev H. |last2=Rotter |first2=Meir |date=2021 |title=ארבע מנורות שומרוניות בכפר חג'ה שבשומרון |trans-title=Four Samaritan Menorahs from the village of Hajjeh, Samaria |url=https://www.ariel.ac.il/wp/ihd/2021/11/24/%d7%99%d7%a7%d7%91-%d7%aa%d7%aa%d6%be%d7%a7%d7%a8%d7%a7%d7%a2%d7%99-%d7%9e%d7%aa%d7%a7%d7%95%d7%a4%d7%aa-%d7%94%d7%91%d7%a8%d7%96%d7%9c-2-%d7%91%d7%97%d7%95%d7%a8%d7%91%d7%aa-%d7%90%d7%9c%d6%be-2/ |journal=במעבה ההר |publisher=Ariel University Publishing |pages=188–204 |doi=10.26351/IHD/11-2/3}}</ref><ref>גופנא, ר' ופורת, י', 1972 .הסקר בארץ אפרים ומנשה. בתוך: מ' כוכבי (עורך), יהודה שומרון וגולן: סקר ארכיאולוגי בשנת תשכ"ח. ירושלים, עמ' 195–241.</ref><ref>Dauphin, 1998, p. 798</ref>

===Iron Age===
The earliest potsherds indicate that Hajja was already inhabited during the ], probably by the ].<ref name=":0" />{{Failed verification|date=December 2022}}<ref>בורנשטיין, א', 1992 .מינהל וכלכלה של ארץ מנשה בשלהי ממלכת ישראל לאור ניתוח מחודש של חרסי שומרון. מחקרי יהודה ושומרון א, עמ' 61–121 </ref><ref>דמסקי, א', 1998 .עזה בגבול אפרים ומנשה (דברי הימים א ז:כח). מחקרי יהודה ושומרון ז, עמ' 27–30. </ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=December 2022}}


===Hellenistic to Byzantine period=== ===Hellenistic to Byzantine period===
Hajja has been identified with Kfar Hagai, an ancient ] village that had existed since at least the mid-]. A votive inscription of the third or second century BCE from ], the holiest site in ] and then the site of a major temple, reads "That which Ḥaggai son of Qimi from Kfar Ḥaggai ]".<ref>מגן ואחרים 2000 מגן, י', צפניה, ל' ומשגב, ח', 2000 .הכתובות העבריות והארמיות מהר גריזים. קדמוניות 120 ,עמ' 125–132 Magen identified Hajja with Kfar Hagai (כפר חגי), an ancient ] village from the ]. A votive inscription of the third or second century BCE from ], the holiest site in ] and then the site of a major temple, reads "That which Ḥaggai son of Qimi from Kfar Ḥaggai ]".<ref>מגן ואחרים 2000 מגן, י', צפניה, ל' ומשגב, ח', 2000 .הכתובות העבריות והארמיות מהר גריזים. קדמוניות 120 ,עמ' 125–132


Mount Gerizim Excavations, Volume 1: The Aramaic, Hebrew and Samaritan Inscriptions.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gudme |first=Anne Katrine de Hemmer |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/858213282 |title=Before the God in this Place for Good Remembrance: A Comparative Analysis of the Aramaic Votive Inscriptions from Mount Gerizim |date=2013 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-030118-2 |pages=74 |oclc=858213282}}</ref> Mount Gerizim Excavations, Volume 1: The Aramaic, Hebrew and Samaritan Inscriptions.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gudme |first=Anne Katrine de Hemmer |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/858213282 |title=Before the God in this Place for Good Remembrance: A Comparative Analysis of the Aramaic Votive Inscriptions from Mount Gerizim |date=2013 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-030118-2 |pages=74 |oclc=858213282}}</ref>


In later Samaritan sources, this might be the village referred to as "Kiryat Hagga" or "Kirjath Hagah".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=J.|author-link=Joan E. Taylor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KWAXbCNxH6YC&pg=PA67|title=Christians and the Holy Places: The Myth of Jewish-Christian Origins |date=1993 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=978-0-19-814785-5 |pages=67 |language=en}}</ref><ref>Conder, 1876, p. </ref> It was mentioned as the birthplace of ], who is said to have built several synagogues in the area, including in the village of Hagga. The '']'', a Samaritan historical work, mentions a man named Gever Ben-Karmi of Kiryat Hagga.<ref name=":0" /> ] found in the village indicate that Hagga was still a Samaritan village during the ] and ].<ref name=":0" /> In later Samaritan sources, the village is referred to as "Kiryat Hagga (קרית חגה), the current Arabic name being a direct rendition.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=J.|author-link=Joan E. Taylor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KWAXbCNxH6YC&pg=PA67|title=Christians and the Holy Places: The Myth of Jewish-Christian Origins |date=1993 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=978-0-19-814785-5 |pages=67 |language=en}}</ref><ref>Conder, 1876, p. </ref> It was mentioned as the birthplace of ], who built several synagogues in the area, including in the village of Hagga. The '']'', a Samaritan historical work, mentions a man named Geber Ben-Karmi of Kiryat Hagga.<ref name=":0" /> ]s found in the village indicate that Samaritans inhabited the village during the ] and ].<ref name=":0" />


===Mamluk period===
Archaeological surveys in Hajjah discovered five stone ] reliefs, some accompanied by plant decorations, ] on contemporary buildings. Similar finds have been made in nearby villages like ], ], ] and ]. Dating to the Byzantine period, these menorahs are believed to have originally adorned Samaritan structures, symbolizing Samaritan identity.<ref name=":0" />
During the reign of the ] ] ], in ] 722/1322 ], a ] was constructed in the village. A ] was added to it in AH 735/1334-35 CE. These building were done in the name of ''Muhammed bin Musa bin Ahmed'', a local ], whose grave stone is also by the mosque, dating his death to AH 749/1348 CE.<ref name=":2">Sharon (2013), pp. -277.</ref>


===Mamluk period=== ===Ottoman period===
Hajja was incorporated into the ] in 1517 with all of ], and in 1596 it appeared in the ] as being in the '']'' of Bani Sa'b of the '']'' of ]. It had a population of 96 households, all ]s. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on various agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and/or beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues", a press for olive oil or grape syrup, and a tax for people of the Nablus region; a total of 19,200 ]. All of the revenues went to a ].<ref name=Hutteroth139>Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 139</ref>
During the reign of the ] ] ], in ] 722/1322 ], a ] was constructed in the village. A ] was added to it in AH 735/1334-35 CE. These building were done in the name of ''Muhammed bin Musa bin Ahmed'', a local ], whose grave stone is also by the mosque, dating his death to AH 749/1348 CE.<ref name=":2">Sharon (2013), pp. -277.</ref>


In 1838, ] noted ''Kuryet Hajja'' as a village in ''Beni Sa'ab'' district, west of Nablus,<ref>Robinson and Smith (1841), vol 3, Appendix 2, p. .</ref> while in 1870 ] noted it from ].<ref>Guérin (1875), p. .</ref>
===Ottoman era===
Hajja was incorporated into the ] in 1517 with all of ], and in 1596 it appeared in the ] as being in the '']'' of Bani Sa'b of the '']'' of ]. It had a population of 96 households, all ]s. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on various agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and/or beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues", a press for olive oil or grape syrup, and a tax for people of the Nablus region; a total of 19,200 ]. All of the revenues went to a ].<ref name=Hutteroth139>Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 139</ref>


In 1870-71 (] 1288), an Ottoman census listed the village in the '']'' (sub-district) of Bani Sa'b.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grossman |first=David |title=Arab Demography and Early Jewish Settlement in Palestine |publisher=Magnes Press |year=2004 |location=Jerusalem |pages=255}}</ref>
In 1838, ] noted ''Kuryet Hajja'' as a village in ''Beni Sa'ab'' district, west of Nablus,<ref>Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. </ref> while in 1870 ] noted it from ].<ref>Guérin, 1875, p. </ref>


In 1882 the ]'s '']'' (SWP) noted about ''Kuryet Hajja'': "A good-sized village on high ground, supplied by ]. It has a ] on the west, and appears to be an ancient place."<ref>Conder and Kitchener (1882), SWP II, p. .</ref>
In 1870/1871 (1288 ]), an Ottoman census listed the village in the '']'' (sub-district) of Bani Sa'b.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grossman |first=David |title=Arab Demography and Early Jewish Settlement in Palestine |publisher=Magnes Press |year=2004 |location=Jerusalem |pages=255}}</ref>


The village's en-Naby Rabbah shrine, atop a tell. This site was declared a nature reserve in 1986.
In 1882 the ]'s '']'' (SWP) noted about ''Kuryet Hajja'': "A good-sized village on high ground, supplied by ]s. It has a rock-cut ] on the west, and appears to be an ancient place."<ref>Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. </ref>


===British Mandate era=== ===British Mandate===
In the ] conducted by the ], ''Qariyet Hajjeh'' had a population of 642 inhabitants, all Muslims,<ref name="Census1922">Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Nablus, p. </ref> increasing in the ] to 731 Muslims, with 206 houses.<ref>Mills, 1932, p. </ref> In the ] conducted by the ], ''Qariyet Hajjeh'' had a population of 642 inhabitants, all Muslims,<ref name="Census1922">Barron (1923), Table IX, Sub-district of Nablus, p. .</ref> increasing in the ] to 731 Muslims, with 206 houses.<ref>Mills (1932), p. .</ref>


In the ] the population was 960 Muslims,<ref name=1945p18>Department of Statistics, 1945, p. </ref> with 13,119 ]s of land, according to an official land and population survey.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. </ref> Of this, 4 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 1,226 dunams were for plantations or irrigated land, 5,045 were for cereals,<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. </ref> while 36 dunams were built-up land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. </ref> In the ], the population was 960 Muslims,<ref name= 1945p18>Department of Statistics, 1945, p. .</ref> with 13,119 ]s of land, according to an official land and population survey.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi (1970), p. .</ref> Of this, 4 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 1,226 dunams were for plantations or irrigated land, 5,045 were for cereals,<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi (1970), p. .</ref> while 36 dunams were built-up land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi (1970), p. .</ref>


===Jordanian era=== ===Jordanian period===
In the wake of the ], and after the ], Hajjah came under ]. In the wake of the ], and after the ], Hajjah came under ].


The Jordanian census of 1961 found 1,093 inhabitants.<ref>Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. </ref> The Jordanian census of 1961 found 1,093 inhabitants.<ref>Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. .</ref>


===1967-present=== ===1967-present===
Since the ] in 1967, Hajjah has been under ]. Since the ] in 1967, Hajjah has been under ].


After the ], 37.2% of village land was assigned as ] land, while the remaining 62.8% is assigned ].<ref name=ARIJp17>, ], p. 17</ref> After the ], 37.2% of village land was assigned as ] land, while the remaining 62.8% is assigned ].<ref name=ARIJp17>, ], p. 17.</ref>


Israel has confiscated 216 dunums of land from Hajja to establish two ]s, ] and ], with the remainder of the land for these two settlements taken from ], ] and ]). Israel has also confiscated land from Hajja to build bypass roads and the ].<ref name=ARIJp17/> Israel has confiscated 216 dunums of land from Hajja to establish two ]s, ] and ], with the remainder of the land for these two settlements taken from ], ] and ]). Israel has also confiscated land from Hajja to build bypass roads and the ].<ref name=ARIJp17/>
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Hajjah is considered the initial center of the Bani Sa'b tribe. Historically, it has absorbed ]s from the Arab al-Jabarat group.<ref name=":02">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. 353</ref> The current residents of Hajjah trace their ancestry to ], ] and ]. They are united in several clans (''"hamulas"''), including the Bata-Hamed, Masalha, Da'as, Ta'ayun and Farhat clans, among others.<ref name=":0" /> Hajjah is considered the initial center of the Bani Sa'b tribe. Historically, it has absorbed ]s from the Arab al-Jabarat group.<ref name=":02">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. 353</ref> The current residents of Hajjah trace their ancestry to ], ] and ]. They are united in several clans (''"hamulas"''), including the Bata-Hamed, Masalha, Da'as, Ta'ayun and Farhat clans, among others.<ref name=":0" />


Some families in the village are believed by locals to be the descendants of ] families which had lived in the village until the ], when they ]. The "Al-Tzipi" clan, descendants of the Samaritan Zipor HaMatari family, still live in the village.<ref name=":0" /> Some families in the village are believed by locals to be the descendants of ] families which had lived in the village until the ], when they ].<ref name=":0" />


== Sites == == Sites ==
A tell topped with a shrine, known as en-Naby Rabbah, is situated 419 meters west of the village. Local residents claim that this shrine marks the tomb of a saint, identified as one of ]'s grandsons. This saint lacks recognition within mainstream Islam, and no tomb is present at the site. ] suggests that the saint's name may preserve the memory of ], a prominent ] leader from the 4th century known for constructing a synagogue at Hajjah. The locals believe that the saint acts as a guardian for their crops. The site and its surroundings were designated as a nature reserve in 1986.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Tal |first=Uri |title=Muslim Shrines |publisher=Yad Ben-Zvi |year=2023 |isbn=978-965-217-452-9 |pages=151}}</ref> A ] topped by a ], known as en-Naby Rabbah, is situated 419 meters west of the village. Local residents claim that this shrine marks the tomb of a saint, identified as one of ]'s grandsons. This saint lacks recognition within mainstream Islam, and no tomb is present at the site. ] suggests that the saint's name may preserve the memory of ], a prominent ] leader from the 4th century known for constructing a synagogue at Hajjah. The locals believe that the saint acts as a guardian for their crops. The site and its surroundings were designated{{by whom|date= June 2024}} as a ] in 1986.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Tal |first=Uri |title=Muslim Shrines |publisher=Yad Ben-Zvi |year=2023 |isbn=978-965-217-452-9 |pages=151}}</ref>


==Notable people== ==Notable people==
* ] aka Abu Khalid (1934–2009), high-ranking Palestine Liberation Organisation commander
* ]


==References== ==References==
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*{{cite book |last=Guérin |first=V. |author-link=Victor Guérin |title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine |url=https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr04gugoog |volume=2: Samarie, pt. 2 |year=1875 |publisher=L'Imprimerie Nationale |location=Paris |language=fr}} *{{cite book |last=Guérin |first=V. |author-link=Victor Guérin |title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine |url=https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr04gugoog |volume=2: Samarie, pt. 2 |year=1875 |publisher=L'Imprimerie Nationale |location=Paris |language=fr}}
*{{cite book |title=Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine |url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html |first=S. |last=Hadawi |author-link=Sami Hadawi |year=1970 |publisher=Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center}} *{{cite book |title=Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine |url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html |first=S. |last=Hadawi |author-link=Sami Hadawi |year=1970 |publisher=Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center}}
*{{cite book |last1=Hütteroth |first1=Wolf-Dieter |first2=Kamal |last2=Abdulfattah |title=Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ |year=1977 |publisher=Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft |isbn=3-920405-41-2}} *{{cite book |last1=Hütteroth |first1=W.-D.|author-link1=Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth |first2=K. | last2=Abdulfattah |author-link2=Kamal Abdulfattah|title=Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ |year=1977 |publisher=Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft |isbn=3-920405-41-2}}
*{{cite book |editor=Mills, E. |title=Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas |url=https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas |publisher=Government of Palestine |location=Jerusalem |year=1932}} *{{cite book |editor=Mills, E. |title=Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas |url=https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas |publisher=Government of Palestine |location=Jerusalem |year=1932}}
*{{cite book |last=Palmer |first=E.H. |author-link=Edward Henry Palmer |year=1881 |url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp00conduoft |title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer |publisher=]}} *{{cite book |last=Palmer |first=E.H. |author-link=Edward Henry Palmer |year=1881 |url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp00conduoft |title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer |publisher=]}}

Latest revision as of 15:59, 8 January 2025

For other uses, see Hajjah (disambiguation). Municipality type D in Qalqilya, State of Palestine
Hajjah
Municipality type D (Village council)
Arabic transcription(s)
 • Arabicحجة
 • LatinHajjah (official)
Haja (unofficial)
Hajjah is located in State of PalestineHajjahHajjahLocation of Hajjah within Palestine
Coordinates: 32°12′17″N 35°07′50″E / 32.20472°N 35.13056°E / 32.20472; 35.13056
Palestine grid162/179
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateQalqilya
Government
 • TypeVillage council
Elevation409 m (1,342 ft)
Population
 • Total2,659
Name meaningKuryet Hajja, The town of Hajja, from personal name, or pathway

Hajjah (Arabic: حجة) is a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank, located eighteen kilometers west of Nablus in the Qalqilya Governorate of the State of Palestine. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 2,659 inhabitants in 2017.

Location

Hajja is located 15.9 kilometers (9.9 mi) east of Qalqiliya. It is bordered by Kafr Qaddum and Immatin to the east, Al Funduq and Jinsafut to the south, Kafr ‘Abbush, Kafr Laqif and Baqat al Hatab to the west, and Kur to the north.

History and archaeology

Potsherds from the Iron Age, Byzantine and Early Muslim periods have been found at Hajja.

Jewish scholars claim that during the Iron Age, Hajjah hosted inhabitants from the Israelite Tribe of Menashe.

Hellenistic to Byzantine period

Magen identified Hajja with Kfar Hagai (כפר חגי), an ancient Samaritan village from the Hellenistic period. A votive inscription of the third or second century BCE from Mount Gerizim, the holiest site in Samaritanism and then the site of a major temple, reads "That which Ḥaggai son of Qimi from Kfar Ḥaggai offered".

In later Samaritan sources, the village is referred to as "Kiryat Hagga (קרית חגה), the current Arabic name being a direct rendition. It was mentioned as the birthplace of Baba Rabba, who built several synagogues in the area, including in the village of Hagga. The Tolidah, a Samaritan historical work, mentions a man named Geber Ben-Karmi of Kiryat Hagga. Mikvehs found in the village indicate that Samaritans inhabited the village during the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods.

Mamluk period

During the reign of the Mamluk sultan An-Nasir Muhammad, in AH 722/1322 CE, a mosque was constructed in the village. A minaret was added to it in AH 735/1334-35 CE. These building were done in the name of Muhammed bin Musa bin Ahmed, a local imam, whose grave stone is also by the mosque, dating his death to AH 749/1348 CE.

Ottoman period

Hajja was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the nahiya of Bani Sa'b of the liwa of Nablus. It had a population of 96 households, all Muslims. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on various agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and/or beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues", a press for olive oil or grape syrup, and a tax for people of the Nablus region; a total of 19,200 akçe. All of the revenues went to a waqf.

In 1838, Robinson noted Kuryet Hajja as a village in Beni Sa'ab district, west of Nablus, while in 1870 Victor Guérin noted it from Fara'ata.

In 1870-71 (AH 1288), an Ottoman census listed the village in the nahiya (sub-district) of Bani Sa'b.

In 1882 the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted about Kuryet Hajja: "A good-sized village on high ground, supplied by wells. It has a rock-cut tomb on the west, and appears to be an ancient place."

The village's en-Naby Rabbah shrine, atop a tell. This site was declared a nature reserve in 1986.

British Mandate

In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Qariyet Hajjeh had a population of 642 inhabitants, all Muslims, increasing in the 1931 census to 731 Muslims, with 206 houses.

In the 1945 statistics, the population was 960 Muslims, with 13,119 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey. Of this, 4 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 1,226 dunams were for plantations or irrigated land, 5,045 were for cereals, while 36 dunams were built-up land.

Jordanian period

In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Hajjah came under Jordanian rule.

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 1,093 inhabitants.

1967-present

Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Hajjah has been under Israeli occupation.

After the 1995 accords, 37.2% of village land was assigned as Area B land, while the remaining 62.8% is assigned Area C.

Israel has confiscated 216 dunums of land from Hajja to establish two Israeli settlements, Karne Shomron and Neve Oramin, with the remainder of the land for these two settlements taken from Jinsafut, Kafr Laqif and Deir Istiya). Israel has also confiscated land from Hajja to build bypass roads and the Israeli West Bank barrier.

Demographics

Hajjah is considered the initial center of the Bani Sa'b tribe. Historically, it has absorbed Bedouins from the Arab al-Jabarat group. The current residents of Hajjah trace their ancestry to Egypt, Yemen and Jaffa. They are united in several clans ("hamulas"), including the Bata-Hamed, Masalha, Da'as, Ta'ayun and Farhat clans, among others.

Some families in the village are believed by locals to be the descendants of Samaritan families which had lived in the village until the Middle Ages, when they converted to Islam.

Sites

A tell topped by a shrine, known as en-Naby Rabbah, is situated 419 meters west of the village. Local residents claim that this shrine marks the tomb of a saint, identified as one of Jacob's grandsons. This saint lacks recognition within mainstream Islam, and no tomb is present at the site. Moshe Sharon suggests that the saint's name may preserve the memory of Baba Rabba, a prominent Samaritan leader from the 4th century known for constructing a synagogue at Hajjah. The locals believe that the saint acts as a guardian for their crops. The site and its surroundings were designated as a nature reserve in 1986.

Notable people

  • Mahmoud Da'as aka Abu Khalid (1934–2009), high-ranking Palestine Liberation Organisation commander

References

  1. ^ Hajja village profile, ARIJ, p. 4
  2. ^ Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  3. Palmer, 1881, p. 187
  4. ^ Erlich (Zhabo), Ze’ev H.; Rotter, Meir (2021). "ארבע מנורות שומרוניות בכפר חג'ה שבשומרון" [Four Samaritan Menorahs from the village of Hajjeh, Samaria]. במעבה ההר. 11 (2). Ariel University Publishing: 188–204. doi:10.26351/IHD/11-2/3.
  5. גופנא, ר' ופורת, י', 1972 .הסקר בארץ אפרים ומנשה. בתוך: מ' כוכבי (עורך), יהודה שומרון וגולן: סקר ארכיאולוגי בשנת תשכ"ח. ירושלים, עמ' 195–241.
  6. Dauphin, 1998, p. 798
  7. מגן ואחרים 2000 מגן, י', צפניה, ל' ומשגב, ח', 2000 .הכתובות העבריות והארמיות מהר גריזים. קדמוניות 120 ,עמ' 125–132 Mount Gerizim Excavations, Volume 1: The Aramaic, Hebrew and Samaritan Inscriptions.
  8. Gudme, Anne Katrine de Hemmer (2013). Before the God in this Place for Good Remembrance: A Comparative Analysis of the Aramaic Votive Inscriptions from Mount Gerizim. De Gruyter. p. 74. ISBN 978-3-11-030118-2. OCLC 858213282.
  9. Taylor, J. (1993). Christians and the Holy Places: The Myth of Jewish-Christian Origins. Clarendon Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-19-814785-5.
  10. Conder, 1876, p. 196
  11. Sharon (2013), pp. 270-277.
  12. Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 139
  13. Robinson and Smith (1841), vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 127.
  14. Guérin (1875), p. 180.
  15. Grossman, David (2004). Arab Demography and Early Jewish Settlement in Palestine. Jerusalem: Magnes Press. p. 255.
  16. Conder and Kitchener (1882), SWP II, p. 166.
  17. Barron (1923), Table IX, Sub-district of Nablus, p. 24.
  18. Mills (1932), p. 61.
  19. Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 18.
  20. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi (1970), p. 59.
  21. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi (1970), p. 106.
  22. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi (1970), p. 156.
  23. Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 25.
  24. ^ Hajja village profile, ARIJ, p. 17.
  25. 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. 353
  26. Tal, Uri (2023). Muslim Shrines. Yad Ben-Zvi. p. 151. ISBN 978-965-217-452-9.

Bibliography

External links

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