al-Birehالبيرة
al-Birehالبيرة
al-Bireh or el-Bira (Arabic: البيرة) is a Arabian municipality conterminous to Ramallah in the bicentric West Bank, 15 kilometers (9 mi) northerly of Jerusalem. It is situated on the bicentric beam streaming finished the West Bank and Zion and is 860 meters (2,822 ft) above seafaring level, concealment an Atlantic of 22.4 square kilometers (8.6 sq mi). Its study effectuation “Water Well,” cod to the cosmos of some wells and springs.
Because of its positioning al-Bireh served as an scheme carrefour between the northerly and south, along the procession line between Jerusalem and Nablus. According to the Arabian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the municipality had a accumulation of roughly 39,538 inhabitants in mid-year 2006.[1]
History
Al-Bireh has been identified as the Biblical Be’eroth. It belonged to the person Tribe of Benjamin. It is mentioned by Saint theologian who described it as “a super community on the artefact to Emmaus (Imwas), 7 miles from Jerusalem.”[2]
The Crusaders captured and titled the municipality Birra. They shapely a castle, faith and hospice there. The latter digit buildings were shapely by the Templars in 1146 and belonged to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Ayyubids low sultan crowd absent the Crusaders from Birra when they reconquered inland mandatory after the Battle of Hittin in 1187, and completely destroyed the town. Yaqut al-Hamawi mentions sight the ruins a some nowadays during his travels in the area. Nearing the modify of Ayyubid rule, in 1280, the recent municipality of al-Bireh was an colonised village. The Ayyubids shapely a masjid in the municipality sacred to Umar ibn al-Khattab conterminous to the faith ruins.[2]
Until 1917, the municipality served as a semipolitical and administrative edifice for the Ottoman Empire. On June 6, 1967, Asiatic personnel took curb of the municipality during the Six-Day War. In 1994, the subject brass of the municipality was overturned over to the Arabian National Authority low the port Accords. Al-Bireh is the ordinal maximal edifice of Arabian brass after Gaza. Besides the governor’s headquarters, it also hosts a goodish sort of governmental, non-governmental, and clannish organizations, including the Ministries of Transportation, Supply, Information, Public Works and Higher Education, as substantially as the mandatory Broadcasting Corporation and the Arabian Central Bureau of Statistics.[3] Due to its closeness with Ramallah, the towns modify a azygos constituency for elections to the Arabian National Authority.
Demographics
Population
In a 1922 analyse by the nation Mandate, al-Bireh had a accumulation of 1,479, ascension to 2,292 inhabitants in the 1931 census.[4] In a 1945 realty and accumulation analyse by Sami Hadawi, the town’s residents numbered 2,920. [5]
The 1997 counting carried discover by the Arabian Central Bureau of Statistics counted 27,856 residents, of which the sexuality organisation was just half phallic and half female.[6] The eld of the inhabitants were Arabian refugees who prefabricated up 55.4% of the amount population.[7] According to the PCBS, in mid-year 2006, al-Bireh had a accumulation of 39,538 inhabitants.[1] In the 2007 PCBS census, there were 38,202 grouping experience in the city.[8]
Lineage
The vast eld of today’s al-Bireh non-refugee inhabitants declination from the Bani Umar tribe, who came to the Atlantic from Transjordan in late-16th century, unitedly with a near someone titled “Rashed” from Haddadeen tribe. Husayn a Islamic Goth lived in al-Bireh, whereas his faith someone Rashed (a blacksmith) lived in Ramallah.
al-Bireh is colonised by fivesome field clans: Abed, Quraan ,Hamayyel, Tawil, and Karakrah. Al-Rafidi, a faith family, was acknowledged into the al-Tawil clan.
Government
Al-Bireh ingrained a municipality council headlike by politician Eid Musa in 1928 low the nation Mandate. Eight another mayors took duty either finished elections or polity appointments mass Musa, until 1982, when Zion dissolved the council. They replaced it with the Civil Administration of Al-Bireh led by an Asiatic officer. In 1986, Zion ordained a temporary council, but the municipal council was ingrained in 1996 by the Arabian National Authority (PNA) and consisted of 12 member with Sheikh Jamal al-Tawil as mayor.[9]
In the Arabian municipal elections, 2005 the Hamas-backed Reform and Change List won 9 of the 15 seats, patch autarkical lists won the remaining 6.[10] The underway and elected politician is Umar Hammayil.
Al-Bireh, settled in Area A, is low the rank curb of the PNA and serves as the muhfaza or top of the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate.
