Surafend el Harab
| Sarafand al-Kharab | |
|---|---|
 Sarafand al-Kharab
|
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| Arabic | صرفند الخراب |
| Name meaning | Kh Surafend; the ruin of Surafend |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Coordinates | 31°56′11″N 34°48′20″E / 31.93639°N 34.80556°ECoordinates: 31°56′11″N 34°48′20″E / 31.93639°N 34.80556°E |
| Palestine grid | 131/149 |
| Population | 1,040 (1945) |
| Area | 5,503 (3,545 Arab-owned, 1,611 Jewish-owned, 347 public lands) dunams 5.5 km² |
| Date of depopulation | April 20, 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
| Current localities | Ness Ziona |
Sarafand al-Kharab (Arabic: صرفند الخراب) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict, located 50 meters (160 ft) above sea level, 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) west of Ramla, in the area that is today northeast of Ness Ziona.
Pottery remains from the early Islamic period (8-10 century, Umayyad/Abbasid era) have found here.
An Arabic inscription on a slab of marble, formerly held in the private collection of Baron d'Ustinow, was found in Sarafand al-Kharab. Dating to the Fatimid period (1048-1048) and thought to have been brought to the village from Ashkelon, it states: "The slave of amir al-mu'minin may Allah bless him and his pure ancestors, and his noble descendants. And he was then in charge of ... in the border stronghold of Ashqelon in the month of (?) of Rabi' II of the year 440."
A vault, dating from the Crusader era have been found in the village.
In 1838, Edward Robinson reported that there were two villages by the name of Sarafand in the area, one of which was inhabited by Muslims and the other ruined. Thus, it may be that Sarafand al-Kharab ("Sarafand of the ruins") acquired its name during this period. Both the Sarafand villages belonged to the District of Ibn Humar.
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 counted 22 houses and a population of 107 in Sarfend el Charab, though the population count included men only.
In 1882, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted the village on their maps as Khurbet Surafend, and described the archeological remains at the place as being "a tank or birkeh of rubble in cement, resembling those at Ramleh, here exists, with traces of other ruins."
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