Dayr al-Shaykh

Dayr al-Shaykh
دير الشيخ
Dayr al-Sheikh, Deir el-Sheikh, Deir al Sheikh,
Deir esh-Sheikh, Dar esh-Sheikh, Dar el-Sheikh,
Der esch-schech
The zawiya at Dayr al-Shaykh, 2011.
The zawiya at Dayr al-Shaykh, 2011.
Etymology: The monastery (sanctuary) of the Sheikh (elder, or chief)[1]
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Dayr al-Shaykh (click the buttons)
Dayr al-Shaykh is located in Mandatory Palestine
Dayr al-Shaykh
Dayr al-Shaykh
Location within Mandatory Palestine
Coordinates: 31°44′56″N 35°04′02″E / 31.74889°N 35.06722°E / 31.74889; 35.06722
Palestine grid156/128
Geopolitical entityMandatory Palestine
SubdistrictJerusalem
Date of depopulationOctober 21, 1948[5]
Area
[3]
 • Total
1,366 dunams (1.366 km2 or 338 acres)
Population
 (1945)
 • Total
220[2][3][4]
Cause(s) of depopulationMilitary assault by Yishuv forces

Dayr al-Shaykh (Arabic: دير الشيخ), also spelt Deir esh Sheikh, was a Palestinian Arab village in the Jerusalem Subdistrict, also known as the Jerusalem corridor. It was located 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) west of Jerusalem.

In the Mamluk period, Dayr al-Shaykh, originally a Christian village,[6] transformed into a Sufi center associated with an influential Muslim dynasty founded by Sheikh Badr al-Din.[6][7] Having arrived in Palestine in the 13th century, al-Din eventually settled in Dayr al-Shaykh, attracting disciples and visitors for ziyara.[6][7] The village's Christian inhabitants either converted to Islam or were displaced over time.[6]

In the 16th century, Dayr al-Shaykh became part of the Ottoman Empire, with an estimated population of 113 in 1596.[8] In 1834, during Ibrahim Pasha's invasion, local tradition held that Shaykh Badr defended the village by summoning a swarm of bees. The population fluctuated over the years, reaching around 400 in the early 1870s.[3] By 1883, it was described as deserted,[9] possibly due to migration or a typhus epidemic.[3]

In the British Mandate period, the population grew, reaching 220 in 1945.[2][4] However, Dayr al-Shaykh was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The village lands saw no establishment of a Jewish settlement. Today, its ruins, including the zawiya of Sheikh Sultan Badr, stand as a historical and tourist attraction.[3]

  1. ^ Palmer, 1881, p.293
  2. ^ a b Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 24
  3. ^ a b c d e Khalidi, 1992, p. 288
  4. ^ a b Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 57
  5. ^ Morris, 2004, p. xx, village #351. Also gives cause of depopulation, with a "(?)"
  6. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).