Dayr al-Shaykh

Dayr al-Shaykh

دير الشيخ
Dayr al-Sheikh, Deir el-Sheikh, Deir al Sheikh,
Deir esh-Sheikh, Dar esh-Sheikh, Dar el-Sheikh,
Der esch-schech
Dayr al-Shaykh دير الشيخ Dayr al-Sheikh, Deir el-Sheikh, Deir al Sheikh, ; Deir esh-Sheikh, Dar esh-Sheikh, Dar el-Sheikh, ; Der esch-schech
	The zawiya at Dayr al-Shaykh, 2011.
	Etymology: The monastery (sanctuary) of the Sheikh (elder, or chief)
	1870s map 1940s map modern map 1940s with modern overlay map A series of historical maps of the area around Dayr al-Shaykh (click the buttons)
	Dayr al-Shaykh Location within Mandatory Palestine
	Coordinates: 31°44′56″N 35°04′02″E / 31.74889°N 35.06722°E
Palestine grid	156/128
Geopolitical entity	Mandatory Palestine
Subdistrict	Jerusalem
Date of depopulation	October 21, 1948
Area
• Total	1,366 dunams (1.366 km2 or 338 acres)
Population (1945)
• Total	220
Cause(s) of depopulation	Military assault by Yishuv forces

Dayr al-Shaykh (Arabic: دير الشيخ), also spelt Deir esh Sheikh, was a Palestinian Arab village in the Jerusalem Subdistrict, also known as the Jerusalem corridor. It was located 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) west of Jerusalem.

In the Mamluk period, Dayr al-Shaykh, originally a Christian village,^[6] transformed into a Sufi center associated with an influential Muslim dynasty founded by Sheikh Badr al-Din.^[6]^[7] Having arrived in Palestine in the 13th century, al-Din eventually settled in Dayr al-Shaykh, attracting disciples and visitors for ziyara.^[6]^[7] The village's Christian inhabitants either converted to Islam or were displaced over time.^[6]

In the 16th century, Dayr al-Shaykh became part of the Ottoman Empire, with an estimated population of 113 in 1596.^[8] In 1834, during Ibrahim Pasha's invasion, local tradition held that Shaykh Badr defended the village by summoning a swarm of bees. The population fluctuated over the years, reaching around 400 in the early 1870s.^[3] By 1883, it was described as deserted,^[9] possibly due to migration or a typhus epidemic.^[3]

In the British Mandate period, the population grew, reaching 220 in 1945.^[2]^[4] However, Dayr al-Shaykh was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The village lands saw no establishment of a Jewish settlement. Today, its ruins, including the zawiya of Sheikh Sultan Badr, stand as a historical and tourist attraction.^[3]

^ Palmer, 1881, p.293
^ ^a ^b Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 24
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Khalidi, 1992, p. 288
^ ^a ^b Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 57
^ Morris, 2004, p. xx, village #351. Also gives cause of depopulation, with a "(?)"
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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[1] Palmer, 1881, p.293

[1945p24-2] Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 24

[Khalidi288-3] Khalidi, 1992, p. 288

[Hadawi57-4] Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 57

[5] Morris, 2004, p. xx, village #351. Also gives cause of depopulation, with a "(?)"

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Dayr al-Shaykh دير الشيخ Dayr al-Sheikh, Deir el-Sheikh, Deir al Sheikh, Deir esh-Sheikh, Dar esh-Sheikh, Dar el-Sheikh, Der esch-schech
The zawiya at Dayr al-Shaykh, 2011.
Etymology: The monastery (sanctuary) of the Sheikh (elder, or chief)^[1]
1870s map 1940s map modern map 1940s with modern overlay map A series of historical maps of the area around Dayr al-Shaykh (click the buttons)
Dayr al-Shaykh Location within Mandatory Palestine
Coordinates: 31°44′56″N 35°04′02″E / 31.74889°N 35.06722°E / 31.74889; 35.06722
Palestine grid	156/128
Geopolitical entity	Mandatory Palestine
Subdistrict	Jerusalem
Date of depopulation	October 21, 1948^[5]
Area ^[3]
• Total	1,366 dunams (1.366 km² or 338 acres)
Population (1945)
• Total	220^[2]^[3]^[4]
Cause(s) of depopulation	Military assault by Yishuv forces