Silwad
| Silwad | |
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| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | سلواد |
A view of Silwad from a hillside
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 Silwad
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| Coordinates: 31°59′10″N 35°15′33″E / 31.98611°N 35.25917°ECoordinates: 31°59′10″N 35°15′33″E / 31.98611°N 35.25917°E | |
| Governorate | Ramallah & al-Bireh |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Hajj Essa Hamed |
| Area | |
| • Jurisdiction | 18,792 dunams (18.8 km2 or 7.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 6,123 |
| Name meaning | Selwad, personal name |
Silwad (Arabic: سلواد) is a Palestinian town located 12 kilometers north-east of Ramallah, about 5 km away from the Nablus-Jerusalem highway. Silwad's altitude is 860 meters above sea level. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of 6,123 inhabitants in 2007.
Historians have argued the etymology of Silwad's name. Some debated that it is derived from the words lisan and wad, meaning "tongue of the valley," as the town is surrounded by mountains from all sides, while the town appears as a tongue amidst the mountains. Others claim that "Silwad" comes from the words sal and wad, meaning "a running valley."
The climate is Mediterranean-mountainous. Silwad experiences cold and humid winters with several days of snow almost every year with an average annual precipitation of about 750 millimeters (29.5 inches). The summers are dry and mild. This climate is suitable for growing cherries, nectarines, kiwifruit, peaches, grapes and olives.
Silwad was inhabited in the Mamluk and early Ottoman era. In the spring of 1697, Henry Maundrell noted two "Arab villages," first "Geeb" and then "Selwid," both on the west side of the road on the way south from Nablus to Jerusalem.Edward Robinson identified these two villages as Jibiya and Silwad.
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 counted 205 houses and a population of 817 in Silwad, though the population count included men only. It was described as being in the Hebron district, just east of Sar'a. In 1882, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described it as being situated on a hill, and having ancient tombs and a fine spring.
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