Al-Midya
| al-Midya | |
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| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | المديه |
| • Also spelled | al-Midyah (official) |
al-Midya from the east
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 al-Midya
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| Coordinates: 31°56′09″N 35°00′19″E / 31.93583°N 35.00528°ECoordinates: 31°56′09″N 35°00′19″E / 31.93583°N 35.00528°E | |
| Palestine grid | 150/149 |
| Governorate | Ramallah & al-Bireh |
| Government | |
| • Type | Village council |
| Area | |
| • Jurisdiction | 892 dunams (0.9 km2 or 0.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 1,301 |
al-Midya (Arabic: المديه) is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the northern West Bank, located 20 kilometers west of Ramallah. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of over 1,301 inhabitants in 2007.
The ancient village site is located at Ras al-Midya, S-E of the village, where pottery from the Iron Age and later periods has been found. It was apparently mentioned by Ishtori Haparchi during the Mamluk era.
Al-Midya was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Ramla in the Liwa of Gaza. It had a population of 25 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, summercrops or olives or fruit trees, and a press for olives or grapes.
In 1870, Victor Guérin visited, and thought that ruins found there were the graves of the Maccabees. However, Clermont-Ganneau made extensive excavations later, and he found Christian crosses in the oldest part of the largest structure. He concluded the ruins were from the 5th century or later, that is, from the Byzantine era.
An official Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that el-medje had a total of 42 houses and a population of 159, though the population count included men only. It also noted that it was located half an hour east of Jimzu.
In 1882, Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described Midieh as being a village of a "good size", with houses either built of adobe or stone. To the north was a small olive grove, to the south a tank. The most "peculiar feature" they found was named er Ras. It was a high conical knoll, with a muqam on top, and rock-cut tombs on the side.
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