Kafr 'Inan

Kafr 'Inan
كفر عنان
Kefr 'Anan;[1][2] Kefar Hananiah (old)[3]
Ruins of ancient Kfar Hananya
Ruins of ancient Kfar Hananya
Etymology: Village of Anan[4]
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Kafr 'Inan (click the buttons)
Kafr 'Inan is located in Mandatory Palestine
Kafr 'Inan
Kafr 'Inan
Location within Mandatory Palestine
Coordinates: 32°55′23″N 35°25′07″E / 32.92306°N 35.41861°E / 32.92306; 35.41861
Palestine grid189/259
Geopolitical entityMandatory Palestine
SubdistrictAcre
Date of depopulationFebruary 1949[5]
captured on 30 October 1948 during the Golani Brigade (part of Operation Hiram)
Area
[6]
 • Total5,827 dunams (5.827 km2 or 2.250 sq mi)
Population
 (1945)[7][6]
 • Total360
Cause(s) of depopulationExpulsion by Yishuv forces
Current LocalitiesKfar Hananya

Kafr ʿInān (Arabic: كفر عنان), is a former Palestinian village, depopulated in the 1948 Arab–Israeli war. It was located around 33 kilometres (21 mi) east of Acre.

In ancient times, it was known as Kfar Hananiah, and was a large Jewish village and a significant pottery production center.[3][8][9] Archaeological surveys indicate Kefar Hanania was founded in the Early Roman period, and was inhabited through the Byzantine period.[10][11] It was resettled in the Middle Ages and the modern era.[12] By mid 1500, the village was wholly Muslim and was known as Kafr 'Inan.

Kafr ʿInān was captured by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab–Israeli war. It was depopulated and destroyed as part of the 1948 Palestinian expulsion, with its residents expelled to the West Bank or to other Arab towns in the newly established Israel. Many villagers managed to "infiltrate" back to Kafr ʿInān, but on three separate occasions in January and February 1949 the Israeli army expelled them.[13]

A shrine for the Sheikh Abu Hajar Azraq and the remains of a small domed building are still standing, along with the remains of various burial sites of rabbis. In 1989, the Israeli village of Kfar Hananya was established on Kafr ʿInān land on a hill adjacent to the former Palestinian village.[14]

  1. ^ Guérin, 1880, Galilee II, p.457
  2. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p.203
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Leibnerp129 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 76
  5. ^ Morris, 2004, p. xvii, village # 71. Also gives cause of depopulation.
  6. ^ a b Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 40
  7. ^ Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 4
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Rozenfeld, Ben Tsiyon (2010). Torah centers and rabbinic activity in Palestine, 70-400 CE: history and geographic distribution. Chava Cassel. Leiden: Brill. p. 145. ISBN 978-90-474-4073-4. OCLC 695990313.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Crossanp224 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Negevp279 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Leibnerp130 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Morrisp517 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Khalidi21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).