Ramallah is a Palestinian
city located 13 km to the north of Jerusalem. It extends over
several hills with an altitude of 872 meter above sea level.
More than one story explains the naming of Ramallah with its present
name. One story attributes the derivation of the name to that
Ramallah is built on a place "Ramtaem Sofeem" which
is mentioned in the Old Testament where the Nabi Samuel born.
Other story says that the name Ramallah is composed of Ram, an
Aramaic word meaning hill or high place, and Allah, the Arabic
word for God. Therefore, the name of Ramallah was originally
either Ram or Rama, which lasted until the time of Muslim conquest
in the seventh century. When the Arabs came to Rama, they seem
to have added Allah to either Ram or Rama, and the site became
known as Ramallah. Aramaic was the language of the people of
Palestine from 400 B.C. up to the end of the Byzantine period
in A.D. 640. Since the word Ram is Aramaic, the site of Ramallah
was probably first settled by Aramaic speaking people prior to
A.D. 640. So, it seems that prior to the Muslim conquest, Ramallah
was temporarily settled from time to time throughout the centuries
by inhabitants who lived there a while and then left. It may
have became a permenant village in the sixteenth century, when
the Haddad family who lived in the vicinty between Karak and Al-Shoubak
came and settled in Ramallah (Shaheen, N. 1992)
Ramallah city served as an
important crossroad in the ancient times and in the present between
Jerusalem and Nablus, and from Ramallah to Jericho and the Jordan
Valley. A number of prehistoric sites and Bronze Age tombs have
been found in and around the city. Ras et Tahuna, within Ramallah
city bounderies, is a hill which was inhabited in the Chalcolithic
and in the Early and Middle Bronze Ages, in the Iron Age, Persian
and Arab Periods.
1. A'aboud:
Within close proximity of
Ajjul the following sites are found:
Khirbet Ein Meshraqa: It is located to the east of A'jjul, and has remains of an old building, a wine press, cisterns and rock-carved tombs (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Khirbet Jerwan: Located near Ajjul village and has remains of old buildings, oil press and a locality of Al-Sheikh Abed (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
The surrounding area has the
following sites:
Khirbet Bir ed Dawali: A large Roman-Byzantine hamlet, 4 km southwest of Ramallah city. Remains of structures are scattered over the place, including a tower, a pool and water cisterns (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet Al-Mayta: Remains of a church, columns, ruins of several buildings, and rock-carved tombs are found (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Khirbet er Ras: Ruins from an early Arab period are found. It is Located 5 km southwest of Ramallah and west of Betunia village (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Rujm Abu Hashaba:
Has remains of a square fort located 7 km southwest of Ramallah.
There is a dressed stone structure with 6 rooms and a corner
tower. The found sherds indicate inhabitation from the Persian,
Roman and the Byzantine periods (I.M.D. & Carta 1993)
The following sites are in
the surrounding area:
Khirbet er Ras: A ruin of Byzantine-Arab fortress 8 km north of Ramallah city. Remains of two courses of walls of an old structure are still found on the summit of the hill. The found sherds and other remains indicate earlier inhabitation during the Early Bronze and Iron Ages (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet Deir Al-I'qban:
Located northwest the village of Bir Zeit. Remains of old building
foundations, walls, and column bases are found there.
Within close proximity the
following site is found:
Burj Bardawil:
Remains of Crusader fort 10 km northeast of Ramallah city. Possibly,
it was built by Crusader King Baldwin. It has remains of a fort
and other contemporary fortifications. Found sherds indicate
Iron Age occupation (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991; I.M.D.
& Carta 1993).
Within close proximity of
the village, the following sites are found
Khirbet Al-duweir: located to the west of Deir Ghassana and has remains of a church and a convent (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Khirbet Balata:
Also called Khirbet Sarida, and has remains of a village and
a well. A Canaanite village called Sarda was built on the same
place (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Within close proximity of
the village, the following sites are found:
Khirbet Ishqara: Located to the west of the village and contains old building foundations, oil presses and a wine press.
Khirbet Rodeen: Located northeast of the village and contains caves, walls and scattered old stones (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
The following sites are found
within close porximity:
Khirbet Ras ed Deir: Also known as Khirbet Deir Al-Fiqia, it is located northeast of Sinjil. Ruins of a monastery and a church, walls, column-fragments, cistern and a Roman road are found there. (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Khirbet 'Ammuria: A small Palestinian village 15 km northeast of Ramallah city, adjacent to Sinjil village. Two stone sarcophagi from the Roman period were discovered in a rock-cut tomb within the village. The found sherds indicate inhabitation in the Iron Age, Byzantine and Arab periods (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991; I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet Al-Burj: A ruined settlement located 16 km to the north of Ramallah city. Remains of a square tower preserved to a height of 6 m., apparently from Byzantine period, remains of structures, water cisterns and cave-tombs are found. The found sherds indicate inhabitation during the Iron Age and from the Roman period until the Middle Ages (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet et Tall: Located
4 km south of Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiyya, near Sinjil village. The
site has caves, olive oil press, rock-cuttings, remains of building
walls (apparently of a church from the Byzantine period). The
found sherds indicate inhabitation from the Early Bronze Age until
the Middle Ages (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet Abu Malloul: A
ruined settlement located 4 km to the east of the village. After
its damage, the people left the place and settled in Turmus Ayya.
Remains of old buildings, tombs and caves are still found there
(Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Khirbet el Burj: A ruined settlement located 12 km northeast of Ramallah, on summit of a hill. Remains of a large dressed stone structure, apparently Roman, rock-cut tombs and cisterns are found. The sherds indicate habitation during the Iron Age and from Hellenistic until the Arab periods (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet at-Tal: Located
two km northwest of Al-Mazra'a Al-Sharqiyya. Remains of buildings,
columns, wine-presses and a pool are found (Al-Dabbagh, M.
1991).
Khirbet Deir Harrasha:
Ruins of an ancient settlement located 6 km northwest of Ramallah.
Remains such as structures, plastered pool and an olive oil press
from the Roman, Byzantine and Arab periods, are scattered over
a large area. (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet Tibna: A ruined settlement 15 km northwest of Ramallah, near Deir Nitham. The found sherds indicate habitation in the Middle Bronze and Iron Ages, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, and in the Middle Ages (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet Hiblata:
Located to the southeast of the village and contains remains of
old buildings, oil presses carved in the rock with mosaic floor
and many tombs (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Khirbet ed Dureish: A settlement remains from the Byzantine period, 14 km to the west of Ramallah. Ruins of a house walls with one meter height are found (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet Manna': North of Khirbet ed Dureish and contains remains of old buildings with columns, and tombs.
Khirbet Deirieh:
East of Khirbet Manna', and contains remains of walls and building
foundations (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Khirbet Qasr et Taziz: A remains of a settlement from the Ottoman period located 5 km east of Ramallah, near Deir Dibwan village. Ruins of a round tower, preserved to a height of four meters, in addition to other structures and cisterns are found in the place (I.M.D. & Carta 1993).
Khirbet Al-Khudarieh: Located 2 km east of Deir Dibwan. Remains of old buildings, columns, oil press are found there (Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Khirbet At-Tal:
Located 19 km north of Jerusalem and about one and a half km
northwest of Deir Dibwan. Remains of tombs, building walls and
rock cuttings are found in the place. At-Tal was built on the
remains of an old town ('Ai). Remains of a temple from 2600 B.C.
was found in this place and considered one of the oldest temples
in Palestine. Yosha', the Jewish leader, tried to occupy ('Ai)
and succeded in the second time. With the swords, Yosha' and
his army killed all the people and hanged their king at that time
(Al-Dabbagh, M. 1991).
Within a close proximity the
following site is found:
Tomb of Sheikh Qatrawani:
Is located 10 km north of Ramallah and is built on the ruins
of a Byzantine church of which its columns are still arranged
in two rows. (I.M.D. & Carta 1993)
The following sites are located within a close proximity of the village.
