Zir'in
| Zir'in | |
|---|---|
 Zir'in
|
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| Arabic | زرعين |
| Also spelled | Zer'en |
| Subdistrict | Jenin |
| Coordinates | 32°33′27.15″N 35°19′39.98″E / 32.5575417°N 35.3277722°ECoordinates: 32°33′27.15″N 35°19′39.98″E / 32.5575417°N 35.3277722°E |
| Palestine grid | 181/218 |
| Population | 1,420 (1945) |
| Area | 23,920 dunams 23.9 km² |
| Date of depopulation | May 28, 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Yizra'el |
Zir'in (Arabic: زرعين, also spelled Zerein) was a Palestinian Arab village of over 1,400 in the Jezreel Valley, located 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) north of Jenin. Identified as the ancient town of Yizre'el (Jezreel), it was known as Zir'in during Islamic rule, and was near the site of the Battle of Ain Jalut, in which the Mamluks halted Mongol expansion southward. Under the Ottomans, it was a small village, expanding during the British Mandate in the early 20th century. After its capture by Israel in 1948, Zir'in was destroyed.
Zir'in is identified with the Canaanite town of Yizre'el mentioned by Joshua in the Bible. Derived from a common Canaanite root meaning to "sow", Yizre'el translates in Hebrew as "God give seed" and its Arabic name "Zir'in" has a similar connotation.
After the Crusaders invaded the Levant, they referred to it as "le Petit Gerin" or "the Little Jenin" to distinguish it from Jenin, which they called "le Grand Gerin". In Latin literature of the time it was called "Gezrael", "Iezrael", "Parvum Gerinum" or "Zarain". A vaulted building and other structures remain from a castle that belonged to the Templars by the 1180s. During the Battle of al-Fule, Saladin's sent skirmishers to raid then Crusader-held Zir'in in October 1183. In September 1184, Saladin and his Ayyubid forces passed through the village on their way to Nablus.
After the Mamluks took control of the area in the late 13th century, the Mamluk sultan Zahir Baybars defeated the Mongols in the Battle of Ain Jalut, at a site just west of Zir'in. After the battle, Baybars ordered the renovation of the village mosque. During the Mamluk period the village was one of the stops on the postal route between Jenin and Irbid.
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