Qalandia (
Arabic: قلنديا,
Hebrew: קלנדיה), also Kalandiya, is a
Palestinian village located in the
West Bank, between
Jerusalem and
Ramallah, just west from the Jerusalem municipality boundary. The village had a population of 572 residents in 2017.[1] Qalandia is also the name of a refugee camp, established by
UNRWA in 1949. It is located just east from Jerusalem municipality.
Qalandia refugee camp was built for Palestinians refugees from
Lydda,
Ramle and Jerusalem of the
1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight.[3]
History
In Qalandiya, archaeologists unearthed the remnants of a wine-producing Jewish farm dating back to the
Second Temple period. Inhabited during the
Hellenistic period until its destruction during the
First Jewish–Roman War, the site featured two large structures, a
mikveh, and rock-cut industrial facilities. Findings include a plethora of artifacts—hundreds of coins, potsherds, chalk vessels, metal objects, jewelry, and an array of tools. Nearby exploration revealed burial caves, winepresses, cisterns, and quarries.[4][5]
Ancient tombs have been found at Qalandia.[6] A
Byzantine bath has been excavated, and pottery from the same period has also been located there.[7][8]
During the
Crusader period, it was noted that Qalandia was one of 21 villages given by King
Godfrey as a
fief to the
canons of the
Holy Sepulchre.[6][9][10][11] In 1151 the
Abbot leased the use of the vineyards and orchards of Qalandia to a Nemes the Syrian and his brother Anthony and their children. In return the convent was given a part of the yearly production from these fields.[12] In 1152 Queen
Melisende exchanged villagers whom she owned for shops and two moneychanger counters in Jerusalem. All the names of the Qalandia villagers were Christian, which indicate that Qalandia was a Christian village at the time.[13][14]
Ottoman era
Qalandia, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into the
Ottoman Empire in 1517, and in the Ottoman
census of 1596, the village, called Qalandiya, was a part of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of
Al-Quds which was under the administration of the liwa ("district") of Al-Quds. The village had a population of 15 households, all
Muslim, and paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on wheat, barley, olives, beehives and/or goats, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 3,900
akçe.[15]
In 1838, it was noted as a Muslim village in the Jerusalem District.[16][17]
In 1863, the French explorer
Victor Guérin visited the village, which he described as small
hamlet consisting of a few houses with
fig plantations around them,[18] while an Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed 16 houses and a population of 50, though the population count included only the men.[19][20]
In the
1945 survey, Qalandia had a population of 190 Muslims,[25] and a land area of 3,940
dunams.[26] 427 dunams were designated for plantations and irrigable land, 2,202 for cereals,[27] while six dunams were built-up.[28]
An airstrip to the east of Qalandia was built by the British army in 1925. It was located a few kilometers
north of Jerusalem at a site that offered flat terrain in a largely hilly region. In 1936 it was renovated by the Jewish entrepreneur
Pinchas Rutenberg and began to be used commercially on a limited basis by
Rutenberg’s airline, Palestine Airways, and the British carrier, Imperial Airways.[29]
Until 1927, it was the only airport in
Mandatory Palestine, although there were several military airfields. Qalandia was used for prominent guests bound for
Jerusalem.[30] It opened for regular flights in 1936.[31]
After the
Six-Day War, it was renamed
Atarot Airport by Israel, but closed down due to disturbances related to the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and because international companies refused to land there.[32] Israel confiscated 639 dunums from Qalandia village in order to establish a military base at the former airport.[33]
The Qalandia
refugee camp was established in 1949 by the
Red Cross[36] on land leased from
Jordan. It covers 353 dunums (0.353 km2; 35.3 ha) as of 2006[37] and has a population of 10,024[38] with 935 structures divided into 8 blocks.[37] Israeli authorities consider it part of Greater Jerusalem, and it remains under their control.[39]
The
Qalandia checkpoint is the main checkpoint between the northern West Bank and Jerusalem, and is known for frequent demonstrations against the occupation.[42]
The Israeli
2013 Qalandia raid led to clashes with local residents, leaving three of Qalandia's inhabitants dead and several critically wounded.[43]
^An Empire in the Holy Land: Historical Geography of the British Administration of Palestine, 1917-1929 Gideon Biger, St. Martin's Press and Magnes Press, New York & Jerusalem, 1994, p. 152
^United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (date unknown). Where We Work - West Bank - Camp Profiles - Kalandia. "The Israeli authorities consider this area as part of Greater Jerusalem, and the camp was thus excluded from the redeployment phase in 1995. Qalandia camp remains under Israeli control today." Retrieved from
http://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/west-bank/camp-profiles?field=12&qt-view__camps__camp_profiles_block=3.
^Garcia-Navarro, Lourdes (2012-07-26). Latest Target For Palestinians' Protest? Their Leader. NPR, 26 July 2012.
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