al-Dawayima | |
---|---|
Arabic | الدوايمة |
Name meaning | The little Dom tree |
Also spelled | ad-Dawayima |
Subdistrict | Hebron |
Coordinates | 31°32′10″N 34°54′43″E / 31.53611°N 34.91194°ECoordinates: 31°32′10″N 34°54′43″E / 31.53611°N 34.91194°E |
Palestine grid | 141/104 |
Population | 3,710 (1945) |
Area | 60,585 dunams 60.585 km² |
Date of depopulation | 29 October 1948 |
Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
Current localities | Amatzya |
Al-Dawayima, Dawaymeh or Dawayma (Arabic: الدوايمة) was a Palestinian town, located in the former Hebron Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine, and in what is now the Lachish region, some 15 kilometres south-east of Kiryat Gat.
It has been occasionally identified with the Old Testament town of Bosqat, the home of Josiah's mother Jedidah (2 Kings, 22:1) though the association has not found widespread acceptance. According to a 1945 census, the town's population was 3,710, and the village lands comprised a total land area of 60,585 dunums of which nearly half was cultivable. The population figures for this town also included the populations of nearby , or ancient villages. During the 1948 Palestine war, the al-Dawayima massacre occurred. According to Saleh Abd al-Jawad an estimated 80–200 civilian men, women and children were killed. According to John Bagot Glubb, a UN report said that 30 women and children were killed.
Al-Dawayima's historical remains encompass a long period from the Bronze Age, through to the Persian and Hellenistic, down to the Ottoman period. Bulldozing what remains of the Palestinian village to prepare a new Israeli village has revealed an ancient olive press, a columbarium cave, a villa from the Second Temple era, and both mikvehs and cisterns.
The "core clan" of Al-Dawayima were the Ahdibs, who traced their origin to the Muslim conquest and settlement of Palestine in the seventh century.