Barqusya
village in Hebron, Mandatory Palestine
Barqusya (also: Barkusya, Arabic: بركوسيا) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Hebron Subdistrict, depopulated in the 1948 Palestine War. It was located 31 km northwest of Hebron.
History
In 1838, in the Ottoman era, Berkusia was noted as Muslim village in the Gaza area, and being "somewhat larger" than Bil'in.
In 1863, Victor Guérin found the village to have about 150 inhabitants. He further noted that it was situated on a low hill, with fig trees to the north.
An official Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that Berkusja had 28 houses and a population of 72, though the population count included men, only.
In 1882 the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A village of moderate size, on a hill in a conspicuous position. The houses are of mud and stone. There is a fine well, resembling that of Summeil, west of the village, and rock-cut tombs to the south-west."
In 1896 the population of Berkusja was estimated to be about 171 persons.
British Mandate era
In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Barqusya had a population of 198 inhabitants, all Muslims, increasing in the 1931 census 258 inhabitants, in 53 houses.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Barqusya” as village in Hebron, Mandatory Palestine. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as village in Hebron, Mandatory Palestine. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 12, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4863089. Authority coordinates are 31.679, 34.823. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1948, 1838, 1863 and 1870.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Barqusya”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Barqusya primary sources, Barqusya archive and Barqusya research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Barqusya”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Barqusya” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.