Barqa, Gaza

Barqa
Barqa is located in Mandatory Palestine
Barqa
Arabic برق
Also Spelled Burqa
Sub-district Gaza
Coordinates 31°46′38.63″N 34°41′58.67″E / 31.7773972°N 34.6996306°E / 31.7773972; 34.6996306Coordinates: 31°46′38.63″N 34°41′58.67″E / 31.7773972°N 34.6996306°E / 31.7773972; 34.6996306
Population 890 (1945)
Area 5,206 dunams

5.2 km²

Date of depopulation May 13, 1948[1]
Cause(s) of depopulation Military assault by Yishuv forces
Current localities None

Barqa (Arabic: برق‎) was a Palestinian Arab village located 37 km north of Gaza near the modern-day Israeli city of Ashdod. It was referred to as Barka by the Greeks and Bareca by the Romans during their rule over the ancient Philistine city. In 1945, the village had a population of 890 and total land area of 5,206 dunums.

It was captured by Israel's Giv'ati Brigade on May 13, 1948 during Operation Barak, an Israeli offensive in southern Palestine just prior to the outbreak of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

History, prior to 1948

It is likely that Barqa was built on the site of the Greek town of Barka, which the Romans called Baraca. The villagers were Muslim, and around the village mosque were a number of tombs that they referred to as the tombs of Shaykh Muhammad, Shaykh Zarruq, and the prophet (al-nabi) Barq.[2]

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1948, and after

Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are:

"Two houses remain standing on the site. One serves as a warehouse; it is made of concrete and has a covered portico on two sides. The other, a stone house with rectangular doors and windows and a flat roof, stands deserted in the midst of wild vegetation. The site is overgrown with weeds interspersed with cactuses and eucalyptus and palm trees. Israelis cultivate the land around the site"[3]

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References

  1. ^ Morris, 2004, village #280, p xix Also gives cause of depopulation
  2. ^ Khalidi, 1992, p. 82-83
  3. ^ Khalidi, 1992, p. 83

Bibliography

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External links

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Last modified on 4 May 2013, at 11:22