Sanjak Lajjun
| Lajjun | |
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Drawing of the khan and old bridge at Lajjun, 1870s
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 Lajjun
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| Arabic | اللجّون |
| Also spelled | Legio, al-Lajjun, el-Lejjun |
| Subdistrict | Jenin |
| Coordinates | 32°34′29″N 35°10′40″E / 32.57472°N 35.17778°ECoordinates: 32°34′29″N 35°10′40″E / 32.57472°N 35.17778°E |
| Palestine grid | 167/220 |
| Population | 1,280 (1948) |
| Area | 77,242 dunams 77.2 km² |
| Date of depopulation | May 30, 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Kibbutz Megiddo |
Lajjun (Arabic: اللجّون, al-Lajjûn) was a Palestinian Arab village located 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) in Mandatory Palestine, northwest of Jenin and 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of the remains of the biblical city of Megiddo. Named after an early Roman legion camp in Syria Palaestina province called "Legio", predating the village at that location, Lajjun's history of habitation spanned some 2,000 years. Under Abbasid rule it was the capital of a subdistrict, during Mamluk rule it served as an important station in the postal route, and during Ottoman rule it was the capital of a district that bore its name. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire towards the end of World War I, Lajjun and all of Palestine was placed under the administration of the British Mandate. The village was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, when it was captured by Israel. Most of its residents subsequently fled and settled in the nearby town of Umm al-Fahm.
The name Lajjun derives from the Roman name Legio, referring to the Roman legion stationed there. In the 3rd century, the town was renamed Maximianopolis ("City of Maximian") by Diocletian in honor of Maximian, his co-emperor, but the inhabitants continued to use the old name. Under the Caliphate, the name was Arabicized into al-Lajjûn or el-Lejjûn, which was used until the Crusaders conquered Palestine in 1099. The Crusaders restored the Roman name "Legio", and introduced new names such as Ligum and le Lyon, but after the town was reconquered by the Muslims in 1187, "al-Lajjun" once again became its name.
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