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Farkha () is a Palestinian village in the Salfit Governorate in the northern West Bank, 30 kilometers south of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of 1,650 in 2017.
It was populated by Samaritans up until the Arab conquest, and probably later into the Umayyad period.Sharon, Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, 2004. Brill. Leiden/Boston. p. 242 "A small village built on a steep hilltop, 500m. above sea level, in the heart of Samaria, Southwest of the small town of Salfit. Samaritans populated it until the Arab conquest, and probably throughout the Umayyad period. Under the Crusaders its name is not mentioned, but its location suggests that it was included in the Royal Domain of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. (Riley-Smith, Atlas, 1991: 36–37) In 1187, after the battle of Hittin, it came under Ayyubid rule. In Islamic literature its name appears connected with the name of a Muslim scholar, Abdallah b. Abu Abdallah al-Farkhawi (d. 818/1415). In his biography, as-Sakhawi remarked that the nisbah al-Farkhawi refers to the village of Farkha, which he spells with a long “a" (also Guerin, Samarie, 2, 1875:159) adding that it was a village in the district of Nabulus. (Sakhawi, I)aw\ 5:29) Except for this remark I found no other mention of the village in the literary sources. This fact grants the present Ayyubid inscription, found in the village and mentioning its name, particular significance."
An Ayyubid dynasty text in the village mosque, first noted in situ by Dimitri Baramki, dates it to 1210 Common Era.The full text of the inscription is: ". They only shall manage (visit, perform the umrah to) Allah's places of worship who have believed in Allah and the Last Day. (Quran, At-Tawba:18; trans. Bell) This blessed mosque was renewed particularly by the funds of the inhabitants of the village known (by the name of) Farkhah that belongs to the sub district of the divinely protected town of Nablus, as a pious deed for the sake of Allah—the exalted—and seeking His approval. Those who assumed charge of the work were Mansūr b. Abū al-Fawāris and Kāmil b. Sinān (or Sayyār) and Nāsir b. Muhammad who are all in need for Allah's compassion. And the most exalted the great Emir Bahā' ad-Dīn Alūdākh(?) b. 'Abd Allah has endowed for it from the (income of the) fasal of the aforementioned village every year three Tyrian dinars seeking the approval of Allah and (hoping to) gain the abode of the world to come. And this took place on the full moon of the month of Shawwal the year 606 (=12.4.1210) and may Allah bless Muhammad." Sharon, 2004, pp. 188 −200Sharon, 2005, pp. 127–140
Pottery sherds from the Mamluk era have also been found here.
The village is seem to be the birthplace of the Muslim scholar Abdullah al-Farkhawi (d. 1415).Sharon, 2004, p. 188
In the 18th and 19th centuries the village formed part of the highland region known as Jūrat ‘Amra or Bilād Jammā‘īn. Situated between Dayr Ghassana in the south and the present Route 5 in the north, and between Majdal Yaba in the west and Jammā‘īn, Mardā and Kifl Haris in the east, this area served, according to historian Roy Marom, "as a buffer zone between the political-economic-social units of the Jerusalem and the Nablus regions. On the political level, it suffered from instability due to the migration of the Bedouin tribes and the constant competition among local clans for the right to collect taxes on behalf of the Ottoman Empire."
In 1838 Furkha was noted as village in the Jurat Merda area, south of Nablus.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, pp. 82-83, Appendix 2, p. 127
In 1870 Victor Guérin on his travels noted Farkha as a "considerable" village, located on a mountain peak.Guérin, 1875, p. 159
In 1870/1871 (1288 Anno Hegirae) an Ottoman census listed the village with a population of 36 households in the Nahiyah (sub-district) of Jamma'in al-Awwal, subordinate to Nablus.
In 1882 the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Furkhah as: "An ancient village in a very strong position on a steep hill-top. The houses are of stone, and there are three sacred tombs, including Haram en Neby Shit, on the south. The fountain of Ain Yambua, in the valley, gives a supply of fine water, and there are two other springs east of the village. The place is evidently an ancient site. The hills around it are very steep and rocky."Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 284
Tawfiq Canaan mention the custom of Mafazeh at the top of the ascent of Farkah; "a traveller after climbing a high mountain raises a heap of stones, or throw a stone on an existing heap, saying at the same time prayer as a mark of thanks to God that he has overcome a difficulty."Canaan, 1927, p. 76 and note 4. Cited in Sharon, 2004, p. 189
In the 1945 statistics the population was 380 MuslimsGovernment of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 18 while the total land area was 5,675 , according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 59 Of this, 1,753 were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 1,301 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 106 while 14 dunams were classified as built-up areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 156
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 564 inhabitants.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 26
After the 1995 accords, Israel and Israeli settlements got 80% of the water from the Western Aquifer, leading often to severe shortages of water in Farkha. Farkha village profile, ARIJ, p. 15 Israel incapable of telling truth about water it steals from Palestinians, by Amira Hass, Jun. 22, 2016, Haaretz ( Archived)
After 1995, 48% of village land is defined as Area A land, 21.6% is Area B, while the remaining 30.4% is defined as Area C land. As of 2013, the plans for the Segregation Wall would isolate the village from much of its land behind the wall. Farkha village profile, ARIJ, p. 17
Ottoman era
In 1517 the village was included in the Ottoman empire with the rest of Palestine, and in the 1596 Defter it appeared as Farha, located in the Nahiya of Jabal Quba, part of Nablus Sanjak. The population was 17 households, all Muslim. They paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues and a fixed tax for people of Nablus area; a total of 2,800 akçe.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 134 Pottery sherds from the early Ottoman era has also been found here.
British Mandate era
In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Farkha had a population of 210 Muslims,Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Nablus, p. 25 increasing in the 1931 census to 304 Muslims in 54 occupied houses.Mills, 1932, p. 61
Jordanian era
In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Farkha came under Jordanian rule.
Post-1967
Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Farkha has been under Israeli occupation.
Bibliography
(1997). 9789654400077, Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University Publications Section. . ISBN 9789654400077
(1977). 9783920405414, Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. . ISBN 9783920405414
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