Sabalan (, ''Sabalân'') was a

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 ...

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

village in the Safad Subdistrict, located northwest of

Safad Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortified town in the Upper Gal ...

. It stood at an elevation of above sea level overlooking the

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

village of

Hurfeish Hurfeish (; ; lit. " milk thistle"Vilnay, 1964, p501/ref> or possibly from "snake" Palmer, 1881, p72/ref>) is a Druze town in the Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of . History The town is situated on an ancient site, where m ...

(now a Druze town). In 1945, Sabalan had a population of 70.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945''. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.
71
/ref> It was depopulated during the

1948 Palestine War The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. During the war, the British withdrew from Palestine, Zionist forces conquered territory and established the Stat ...

History

According to Muhammad Fahour, a former resident of Sabalan, the village was founded during the French campaign in Syria (1798–1801) when Suleiman al-Bahiri, an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

officer from

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian, decided to escape to Palestine after

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

declared war on Egypt. Following a recurrent dream he had, he decided to settle on Mount Sabalan. In 1881, the PEF's ''

Survey of Western Palestine The PEF Survey of Palestine was a series of surveys carried out by the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) between 1872 and 1877 for the completed Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) and in 1880 for the soon abandoned Survey of Eastern Palestine. The ...

'' (SWP) described 'Neby Sebelan' as "a village, built of stone, surrounding the tomb of the Neby Sebalan; containing about 100 Moslems; on top of high hill, with figs, olives, and arable land. There are four good springs to the east, besides cisterns."Khalidi, 1992, p.489. Some believe Sabalan is supposed to be

Zebulun Zebulun (; also ''Zebulon'', ''Zabulon'', or ''Zaboules'' in ''Antiquities of the Jews'' by Josephus) was, according to the Books of Genesis and Numbers,Genesis 46:14 the last of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's tenth son), and the foun ...

, the son of

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

, while others claim he was a ''da'i'' ("missionary") who joined the

religion and helped promote it in the region. Archaeological artifacts, namely rock-cut tombs are located near the tomb.Khalidi, 1992, p. 490 A population list from about 1887 showed 'Nebi Abu Sebalan' to have about 75 inhabitants; all Muslims.

British Mandate era

In the British Mandate period, it had a circular plan with most of its houses being closely clustered together. Because of the steep slopes that surrounded Sabalan, the village was only able to expand on its northwestern end. Although the tomb of Nabi Sabalan was sacred to the Druze, at the centre of the village stood a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

. 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 ...

Sabalan had a population of 68; all Muslims,Barron, 1923, Table XI, Sub-district of Safad, p
41
/ref> increasing in the 1931 census, to 94 Muslims, living in 18 houses.Mills, 1932, p
110
/ref> By 1945 the population was 70 Muslims, and the village consisted of 1,798 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey. Of this, a total of 421 dunams were used for cereals; 144 dunams were irrigated or used for plantations, while a 14 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.

1948, aftermath

On October 30, 1948, during the

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i offensive

Operation Hiram Operation Hiram was a military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was led by General Moshe Carmel, and aimed at capturing the Upper Galilee region from the Arab Liberation Army (ALA) ...

, Sabalan was captured. Units of Israel's

Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade (, ''Hativat Golani'') is an Israeli military infantry brigade. It is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigades of the regular Is ...

overran the village with support from the Sheva Brigade as they were advancing along the road leading from

Suhmata Suhmata (), was a Palestinian village, located northeast of Acre. It was depopulated by the Golani Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. History Separated from the neighboring village of Tarshiha by a deep gorge, the ruins of a Byzantine e ...

and

Sa'sa' Sa'sa' (, ) was a Palestinian village, located 12 kilometres northwest of Safed, that was depopulated by Israeli forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The village suffered two massacres committed by Haganah forces: one in mid-February 1948 and ...

. No

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish localities were built on village lands, According to Palestinian historian,

Walid Khalidi Walid Khalidi (; born in Jerusalem on July 16, 1925) is a Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is a co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an inde ...

, "Only one village house and a well remain." The remaining house is occupied by the Druze guards and caretakers of the Nabi Sabalan tomb and new buildings were constructed to accommodate pilgrims and visitors. In 1965, Druze youth activists led by the poet

Samih al-Qasim Samīħ al-Qāsim al Kaissy (; ; 1939 – August 19, 2014) was a Palestinian poet with Israeli citizenship whose work is well known throughout the Arab world. He was born in Transjordan and later lived in Mandatory Palestine and Israel. Befor ...

protested the confiscation of the lands surrounding the tomb by the Israeli government, which declared them "state lands".Firro, 1999, p.182. The Druze religious leadership established Eid al-Nabi Sabalan (Feast of the Prophet Sabalan) in 1971.Swayd, 2006, p.140. Today, the lands of the village, including the holy shrine, were annexed to the Druze town of

. A neighborhood for released soldiers was built there.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Welcome To SabalanSabalan

Zochrot Zochrot (; "Remembering"; ; "Memories") is an Israeli nonprofit organization founded in 2002. Based in Tel Aviv, its aim is to promote awareness of the Nakba, including the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight. The group was co-founded by Eitan ...

Saabalan
Villages of Palestine

from the

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 communit ...

The story of Sabalan
24/10/2008,

*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 4
IAAWikimedia commons
{{Palestinian Arab villages depopulated during the 1948 Palestine War Druze holy places Arab villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War District of Safad Ziyarat Religious buildings and structures in Israel