Abu Shusha
| Abu Shusha | |
|---|---|
 Abu Shusha
|
|
| Arabic | ابو شوشة |
| Name meaning | Father of the top-knots |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Coordinates | 31°51′25.20″N 34°54′56.38″E / 31.8570000°N 34.9156611°ECoordinates: 31°51′25.20″N 34°54′56.38″E / 31.8570000°N 34.9156611°E |
| Palestine grid | 142/140 |
| Population | 720-870 (1945) |
| Area | 9,425 dunams 9.4 km² |
| Date of depopulation | 14 May 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Ameilim, Pedaya |
Abu Shusha (Arabic: ابو شوشة) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine, located 8 km southeast of Ramle. It was depopulated in May 1948.
Abu Shusha was located on the slope of Tel Jazar, which is commonly identified with the ancient city of Gezer. In April–May 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Abu Shusha was attacked several times. The final assault began on May 13, one day prior to Israel's declaration of independence. Abu Shusha residents attempted to defend the village, but the village was occupied on May 14. Those residents who had not already died or fled were expelled by May 21. With their descendants, they numbered about 6,198 in 1998.
Abu Shusheh is said to derive its name from a derwish who prayed for rain in a time of drought, and was told by a sand-diviner that he would perish if it came. The water came out of the earth (probably at Et Tannur) and formed a pool, into which he stepped and was drowned. The people, seeing only his topknot left, cried Ya Abu Shusheh (“Oh Father of the Topknot”)
The Crusaders called the place Mont Gisart. In 1177 the Crusaders won a battle against Saladin there. Ceramics and coins from the 13th century have been found.
A maqam (shrine) was built there in the 16th century.Edward Robinson noted the village on his travels in the region in 1852.
In 1882, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Abu Shusha as a small village built of stone and adobe and surrounded by cactus hedges, populated by about 100 families.
In 1869 or 1872, the village lands were purchased by Melville Peter Bergheim of Jerusalem, a Protestant of German origin. Bergheim established a modern agricultural farm, using European methods and equipment. Bergheim's ownership of the land was hotly contested by the villagers, by legal and illegal means. After the Bergheim company went bankrupt in 1892, Abu Shusa's lands were managed by a government receiver. In 1882, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine noted that the extent of land farmed by Mr. Bergheim at Abu Shusheh was 5,000 acres. The boundaries was shown on the Survey's map as a dotted line: ____ . . . . _____ . . . .
...
Wikipedia