Palestinian
Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine.
*: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...
State of Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
, in the northeastern
West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
, located 19 kilometers southeast of
Tulkarm
Tulkarm or Tulkarem (, ''Ṭūlkarm'') is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the West Bank, the capital of the Tulkarm Governorate of the State of Palestine. The Israeli city of Netanya is to the west, and the Palestinian territories, Palestinia ...
.
Population
According to the
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS; ) is the official statistical institution of Palestine. Its main task is to provide credible statistical figures at the national and international levels. It is a state institution that provid ...
, Kur had a population of approximately 325 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 292 by 2017. 7.9% of the population of Kur were refugees in 1997.
Healthcare
The healthcare facilities for Kur are based in Kafr 'Abbush, where the facilities are designated as MOH level 2.
History
Ceramics from the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
era have been found here.
Ottoman era
Kur was incorporated into the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the ''
Nahiya
A nāḥiyah ( , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiyeh, nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level divisi ...
Nablus
Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...
. It had a population of 32 households and 6 bachelors, all
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 33,3% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, occasional revenues, goats and/or beehives, a press for olive oil or grape syrup, and a customary tax on subjects in Nablus region; a total of 13,166
akçe
The ''akçe'' or ''akça'' (anglicized as ''akche'', ''akcheh'' or ''aqcha''; ; , , in Europe known as '' asper'') was a silver coin mainly known for being the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. It was also used in other states includi ...
.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 140
In 1838, Robinson noted ''Kur'' as a village in the ''Beni Sa'ab'' district, west of Nablus.
In 1870/1871 (1288 AH), an Ottoman census listed the village in the ''
nahiya
A nāḥiyah ( , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiyeh, nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level divisi ...
'' (sub-district) of Bani Sa'b.
In 1882, the PEF's '' Survey of Western Palestine'' described it as: "A stone village in a strong position on a ridge, with a steep slope to the east. It is of moderate size, well-built of stone, and supplied by
cistern
A cistern (; , ; ) is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. To prevent leakage, the interior of the cistern is often lined with hydraulic plaster.
Cisterns are disti ...
s. Traces of an ancient road exist near it. It is the ''Kursi'', or seat of a famous native family ( Beit Jiyusi). It is, perhaps, worthy of notice that the name resembles the Corea of
Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...
, near which was a fortress called Alexandrium. About a mile north of Kur is ''Khurbet Iskander'' (Ruin of Alexander); the position, however, does not seem to agree with the account of Josephus."Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, pp 165 166 They further noted: "A ruined watchtower, like the one described at 'Azzun, exists north-east of this place."
British Mandate era
In the
1922 census of Palestine
The 1922 census of Palestine was the first census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine, on 23 October 1922.
The reported population was 757,182, including the military and persons of foreign nationality. The divis ...
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
s,Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Tulkarem, p 27 /ref> decreasing by the 1931 census when Kur had a population of 280 Muslims, in 58 houses.Mills, 1932, 55 /ref>
In the 1945 statistics Kur had a population of 280 MuslimsGovernment of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p 21 /ref> and a land area of 8,514
dunam
A dunam ( Ottoman Turkish, Arabic: ; ; ; ), also known as a donum or dunum and as the old, Turkish, or Ottoman stremma, was the Ottoman unit of area analogous in role (but not equal) to the Greek stremma or English acre, representing the amo ...
s, according to an official land and population survey. Of this, 253 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 1,677 used for cereals, while 17 dunams were built-up (urban) land.
File:Kur 1942.jpg, Kur 1942 1:20,000
File:Taiyiba 1945.jpg, Kur 1945 1:250,000
Jordanian era
After the
1948 Arab–Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...
and the
1949 Armistice Agreements
The 1949 Armistice Agreements were signed between Israel and Egypt,Jordanian rule.
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 336 inhabitants in Kur.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p 27 /ref>
Post-1967
Since the
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
in 1967, Kur has been under
Israeli occupation
Israel has occupied the Golan Heights of Syria and the Palestinian territories since the Six-Day War of 1967. It has previously occupied the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and southern Lebanon as well. Prior to 1967, control of the Palestinian terr ...