Abu Dis
| Abu Dis | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | أبو ديس |
| • Also spelled | Abu Dies (official) |
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 Abu Dis
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| Coordinates: 31°45′45″N 35°15′57″E / 31.76250°N 35.26583°ECoordinates: 31°45′45″N 35°15′57″E / 31.76250°N 35.26583°E | |
| Palestine grid | 175/129 |
| Governorate | Jerusalem |
| Government | |
| • Type | City |
| • Head of Municipality | Adel Salah |
| Area | |
| • Jurisdiction | 28,332 dunams (28.3 km2 or 10.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 10,782 |
| Name meaning | Abu Dis (a family name) |
| Website | abudis |
Abu Dis or Abu Deis (Arabic: أبو ديس) is a Palestinian town in the Jerusalem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority bordering Jerusalem. Since the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Abu Dis has been part of "Area B", under joint Israeli and Palestinian control. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) census, Abu Dis had a population of 10,782 in 2007.
Abu Dis is situated on an ancient site, surrounded by deep valleys. Remains have been found of ancient buildings, cisterns, grape presses and caves, one with a columbarium. Ceramics from Late Roman and Byzantine period has also been found.
The French explorer Victor Guérin thought Abu Dis was identical with ancient Bahurim, but this identification is not accepted today.
Abu Dis was one of the most populous villages in the Sanjak of Jerusalem during the 16th century, with a population of several hundred. Wheat and barley formed the bulk of cash crops, but were supplemented by grapes, olives, fruit trees, beans, and products from goats and bees. Descendants of Saladin lived in the village and were entrusted one-third of the grain revenue by the Ottoman Empire. The adult males of the village paid a combined 6,250 akçe in annual taxes, a much more lower figure than other villages of the same size in the sanjak such as Beit Jala, Ein Karim, and Deir Dibwan. This could indicate that Abu Dis was less prosperous, alternatively it could be because it had fewer non-Muslims. In October 1553, Shaykh Sa'd al-Din al-Sharafi al-Maliki was appointed as the administrator of the waqf of the village, but was replaced in 1554 by Muhammad al-Fakhuri at the request of three prominent villagers who complained to the qadi of Jerusalem. He remained in this position until 1563. In 1596 Abu Dis appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa of Quds. It had a population of 80 Muslim households, and paid taxes on wheat, barley, olive trees, vineyards, fruit trees, goats and/or bee hives.
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