Zababdeh

Zababdeh or Zababida (Arabic: الزبابدة) is a town in the State of Palestine, in the northern West Bank, located 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) southeast of Jenin and 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from the Arab American University.

History

Sherds from the Middle Bronze Age II, Iron Age I and II, through to the Byzantine Empire era have been found at the site.

Remains of a Frankish bovaria (=farm) has been noted, while sherds from the Mamluk and Ottoman era have also been found.

Ottoman era

The village was (re-)founded in 1834, during the Ottoman era, by three Christian Greek Orthodox families who purchased the land from Jenin Muslims. In 1838 "Zabedet" was noted as a Greek Christian village in the Haritheh area, north of Nablus.

In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it as a "moderate sized village at the south edge of the arable plain called Wady es Selhab, supplied by a well on the east, with a low hill covered with brushwood on the south."

The Latin Catholic mission established its presence in the village in 1883.

In the 19th century sister Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas lived here.

British Mandate era

In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Zababdeh had a population of 482; 64 Muslims and 418 Christians, where the Christians were 83 Orthodox, 261 Roman Catholics and 74 Church of England. In the 1931 census the number of inhabitants had increased to 632; 91 Muslims and 541 Christians, in a total of 134 houses.

In 1945 Village Statistics Zababida had a population of 870; 90 Muslims and 780 Christians, and the jurisdiction of the village was 5,719 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.