Qatra
| Qatra | |
|---|---|
 Qatra
|
|
| Arabic | قطرة |
| Name meaning | drop |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Coordinates | 31°49′23″N 34°46′40″E / 31.82306°N 34.77778°ECoordinates: 31°49′23″N 34°46′40″E / 31.82306°N 34.77778°E |
| Palestine grid | 129/136 |
| Population | 1,210 (1945) |
| Area | 7,853 dunams 7.9 km² |
| Date of depopulation | May 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Secondary cause | Expulsion by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Gedera and Kidron |
Qatra (Arabic: قطرة) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict, located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) southwest of the city of Ramla and 40 kilometers (25 mi) west of Jerusalem, some 50 meters (160 ft) above sea level. It was depopulated in May 1948.
Qatra was a Canaanite center of political and economic authority that along with 30 other urban sites in regions bordering the Mediterranean sea, entered a period of decline in the Late Bronze Age between 1250 and 1150 BCE. Qatra is also tentatively identified with the Hellenistic city of Kidron (Cidron, Gedrus) mentioned in the first Book of the Maccabees, and it has been postulated that its name derives from the Hebrew name for Kidron, Qiṭrôn.
In 1596, Qatra was part of the Ottoman Empire, nahiya (subdistrict) of Gaza under the liwa' (district) of Gaza with a population of 336. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, sesame, and fruit, as well as goats and beehives.
Edward Robinson visited the village in 1852 and described it as being of considerable size.
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that Katra had a population of 353, in 161 houses, though the population count included men only. It was also noted that it was located south east of Yibna.
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