Khirbat al-Sarkas ( ar, خربة السركس) was a village in Palestine, located 42 kilometres south of

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

History

The village was founded by

Circassians The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: ''Adıgəxər'') are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia ...

from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

who were expelled from their country by the armies of the Czar in the 19th century, approximately 1860.Oliphant, 1887, p
181
cited in Khalidi, 1992, p. 189 A population list from about 1887 showed that ''Jerakes'' had 130 Muslim inhabitants, who were noted as "Circassians”. The village was abandoned by the Circassians because of a

Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

epidemic. It was then settled by local Muslim Arabs.

Gan Shmuel Gan Shmuel ( he, גַּן שְׁמוּאֵל, ''lit.'' Shmuel's Garden) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in Haifa District, east of Hadera, it falls under the jurisdiction of Menashe Regional Council. In it had a population of . The kibb ...

was established in 1913, about 1 km from the village.

British Mandate era

In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Kherbet al-Sharkas had a population of 74; all Muslims, increasing sharply in the 1931 census to 383, still all Muslim, in a total of 80 houses.Mills, 1932, p
95
/ref> Khirbat al-Sarkas 1932

1948, aftermath

Though the Arab Higher Command had ordered the evacuation of the village's women and children three times prior to April 1948, the villagers did not leave.Morris, 2004, p
245
/ref> Described by Benny Morris as "a friendly village", it was nonetheless one of the villages depopulated at the order of the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i Haganah, per their policy to clear the coastal plain of

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

villages in the lead up to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The women and children left between 20 April and 22 April 1948, and the men a few days later.

Talmei Elazar Talmei Elazar ( he, תַּלְמֵי אֶלְעָזָר, ''lit.'' Elazar Furrows or (Ridge) is a moshav in northern Israel. Located in the eastern Sharon plain to the north-east of Hadera, it falls under the jurisdiction of Menashe Regional Cou ...

was established near the village site in 1952. In 1992 the place was described: "Cactuses and spikes of grain are scattered across the site; there are no traces of any landmarks or houses. The land near the site is used by Israeli farmers for raising cattle and growing citrus."

References

Bibliography

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External links

Welcome To al-Sarkas, KhirbatKhirbat al-Sarkas

Zochrot Zochrot ( he, זוכרות; "Remembering"; ar, ذاكرات; "Memories") is an Israeli nonprofit organization founded in 2002. Based in Tel Aviv, its aim is to promote awareness of the Palestinian ''Nakba'' ("Catastrophe"), including the 1948 Pa ...

*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 8:
IAAWikimedia commons
at

Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center () is a leading Palestinian arts and culture organization that aims to create a pluralistic, critical liberating culture through research, query, and participation, and that provides an open space for the community ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarkas District of Haifa Arab villages depopulated prior to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Arab villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War