Ein Karem History
As the rest of Palestine and especially the area around Jerusalem the earliest residents of Ein Karem were Kanaanites.
Ein Karem was indirectly mentioned in the bible because it was the home of Elizabeth and Zachariah may Peace Be Upon Them (hill town of Judea identified as today's Ein Kerem) and the birthplace of their son John the Baptist.
Mary visited Ein Karem on her way to Bethlehem and met Elizabeth, the incident is recorded in the Bible "Elizabeth spoke out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord come to me." (Luke 1:42).
Zechariah, John the Babtist (Yahya), and indirectly Ein Karem were also mentioned in the Quran "(His parayer was answered) O Zakariya We give thee good news of a son, his name is Yahya (John), on none by that name have We conferred distinction before." (Surat Mariam 19:7), "(To his son came the command): O Yahya! take hold of the book with might, and We gave wisdom even as a youth" (Surat Mariam 19:12).
Ein Karem was also indirectly blessed in another verse in the Quran, "Glory be to Him, Who carried His servant by night From the Holy Mosque (Mecca) to the Farthest Mosque (Al-Aqsa) The precincts of which We have blessed. That We might show him some of Our signs. He is all-hearing and All-seeing." (Surat Al-Isra 17:1).
Most Islamic scholars interepreted the precincts as Jerusalem and its surroundings which includes Ein Karem.
The Arab people of Ein Karem and 13 villages around Jerusalem are from the Bani Hasan tribe, who are the descendants of Sultan Hasan the leader of Bani Hilal of the famous Arabic tale Tagribat (Wanderings) of Bani Hilal. Bani Hasan are found today in Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. The Arab people of Ein Karem are divided into four main families or clans
1. Aal Zagaab
2. Aal Al-Harith
3. Aal Al-Thouwar
4. Aal Ali
When King Al-Afdal succeeded his father Saladin, to the throne of Damascus and then Jerusalem five years later after the death of Saladin in 589 H (1185 A.D.), he appropriated Ein Karem and other areas around Jerusalem to Abu Madein Al-Ghouth. Abu Madein and his ancestors were Moors who volunteered to fight the Crusaders in Saladin's army. After the Crusades they stayed in Jerusalem and its surroundings to defend it. Details.
Until 1948 Ein Karem was a predominantly Arabic village as shown by the following tables:
| Population (1931) | Arabs | Jews | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ein Karem | 2,603 | 34 | 2637 |
Source: Mustafa Murad Al Dabbagh, "Palestine, Our Land".
| Land ownership (1944/45) | Arabic | Jewish | Public | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ein Karem | 13,449 dunums | 1,362 dunums | 218 dunums | 15,029 dunums |
Thus, Palestinian owned land 89.5 %, Jewish owned land 9.1 %, public land 1.4 %
Source: Walid Khalidi, "All That Remains".
In 1948 the people of Ein Karem were forced out of their village by the Israeli Army. They first went to Beit Jala near Bethlehem and then to Jordan, where they have a very active social and sports organization. Some of the people went to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf countries. Others went to USA.
Notable people from Ein Karem:
* Salih Al-Sobani: first Palestinian martyr in 1936 revolution.
* Ishaq Al-Farhan: ex-Education Minister in Jordan and one of the leaders of the Islamic Action Front.
* Shiek Issa Mannun: Dean of the College of Islamic Foundations at Al-Azhar University in Egypt during the 50s.
* Shiek Hibia and Shiek Sumraen.
* Shiek Ishaq Al-Khateeb and his two sons Omar and Mahmoud.
Toady because of its beautiful scenes Ein Karem has become a colony for artists and musicians. It is also home for Hadassah hospital.