Al-Sawafir al-Gharbiyya
| Al-Sawafir al-Gharbiyya | |
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 Al-Sawafir al-Gharbiyya
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| Arabic | السوافير الغربية |
| Name meaning | The western nomads |
| Subdistrict | Gaza |
| Coordinates | 31°41′57″N 34°42′11″E / 31.69917°N 34.70306°ECoordinates: 31°41′57″N 34°42′11″E / 31.69917°N 34.70306°E |
| Palestine grid | 122/123 |
| Population | 1030 (1945) |
| Area | 7,523 dunams |
| Date of depopulation | May 18, 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
| Current localities | Merkaz Shappira,Massu'ot Yitzchaq, |
Al-Sawafir al-Gharbiyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the Gaza Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 18, 1948, during the second stage of Operation Barak. It was located 30 km northeast of Gaza city.
Remains of a winepress and a hypocausts, belonging to a bathhouse, both dating to the late Roman era, have been excavated here.
Two cemeteries from the Byzantine era, together with many ceramic remains from fifth–seventh centuries CE have been excavated. Two pool areas, building remains, and parts of a potter’s wheel, all dating to the Byzantine era have also been found. A Greek inscription has been found on a limestone slab, and the remains of a wall, with numerous pottery sherds, dating to the Byzantine period (fifth–sixth centuries CE).
Pottery sherds from the Mamluk era has also been found.
Al-Sawafir al-Gharbiyya was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with the rest of Palestine, and by the 1596 Daftar, the village formed part nahiya (subdistrict) of Gaza under the liwa' (district) of Gaza with a population of 43 households, or an estimated 237 people. All were Muslims. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, summer crops, vineyards, fruit trees, as well as on goats, beehives; a total of 8,500 Akçe.
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