Al-Ras al-Ahmar
| Al-Ras al-Ahmar | |
|---|---|
 Al-Ras al-Ahmar
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| Name meaning | the red head or hill-top |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Coordinates | 33°2′28.29″N 35°27′52.09″E / 33.0411917°N 35.4644694°ECoordinates: 33°2′28.29″N 35°27′52.09″E / 33.0411917°N 35.4644694°E |
| Palestine grid | 194/271 |
| Population | 620 (1945) |
| Area | 7,934 dunams |
| Date of depopulation | October 30, 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Kerem Ben Zimra |
Al-Ras al-Ahmar was a Palestinian Arab village in the Safad Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on October 30, 1948 by the Israeli 7th Armored Brigade during Operation Hiram. It was located 8.5 km north of Safad.
Mosaics and wine presses with tessellated floors have been unearthed from the Byzantine period.
Incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with the rest of Palestine, in 1596 it appeared under the name of Ras al-Ahmar in the tax registers as part of the nahiya (subdistrict) of Jira in the Sanjak (district) of Safad. It had an all Muslim population, consisting of 54 households and 22 bachelors. They paid taxes on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, vineyards, "kirsanna", goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues and an olive oil or grape syrup press; the taxes totalled 5,500 akçe. Half of the revenues went to a Waqf.
Algerian followers of Abdelkader El Djezairi have been defeated by the French in Algeria, and sought refuge in another part of the Ottoman Empire. They were settled in various locations in Ottoman Syria, including Al-Ras al-Ahmar.
In 1875 Victor Guérin found that the village was situated 844 meters above sea level, and contained 150 Muslims.
In 1881 the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described the village "Well-built stone houses. containing 350 Algerian Moslems, situated on high hill, with gardens down the slopes. There is a perennial supply of good water in Wâdy Râs el Ahmar."
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Wikipedia