Far'un (Arabic: فرعون) is a Palestinian town in the Tulkarm Governorate in the northwestern West Bank, located four kilometers south of Tulkarm near the border with Israel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Far'un had a population of 3,100 inhabitants in 2007 and 4,131 by 2017.[1][3]

Far'un
Far'un
Arabic transcription(s)
 • Arabicفرعون
 • LatinFar'oun (official)
Far'on (unofficial)
Street in Faroun
Street in Faroun
Far'un is located in State of Palestine
Far'un
Far'un
Location of Far'un within Palestine
Coordinates: 32°17′10″N 35°01′23″E / 32.28611°N 35.02306°E / 32.28611; 35.02306
Palestine grid152/188
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateTulkarm
Government
 • TypeVillage council
Area
 • Total4,333/8,800 dunams (4.3/8.8 km2 or 0.2 sq mi)
Highest elevation
200 m (700 ft)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total4,131
 • Density110/km2 (280/sq mi)
Name meaning"Pharaoh"[2] Or "Kafr Awn" which means the Awn's town.

History

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In 1265, Far'un was among the villages and estates sultan Baibars allocated to his amirs after he had expelled the Crusaders. Half of the income from Far'un went to his emir Saif al-Din Dakhak al-Baghdadi, the other half to his emir Alam al-Din Sanjar al-Azkashi.[4]

In 1320, Far'un is shown by Marino Sanuto on his map from that year as Farona.[5]

Ottoman era

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Far'un was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Bani Sa'b of the Liwa of Nablus. It had a population of 23 households, all Muslims. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33,3% on various agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, fruit trees, goats and/or beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues"; a total of 3,837 akçe. 9/24 of the revenues went to a waqf.[6]

Far'un was marked as a village named "Faroun" on Pierre Jacotin's map surveyed during Napoleon's 1799 invasion.[7] In 1838, Fer'on was noted as a Greek Christian village in the Beni Sa'ab area, west of Nablus.[8]

In 1870, the French explorer Victor Guérin noted that it was situated on a hill, and contained 500 inhabitants.[9] In 1870/1871 (1288 AH), an Ottoman census listed the village in the nahiya (sub-district) of Bani Sa'b.[10]

In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Palestine (SWP) described it as "a small village on a slope, at the edge of the plain, with a few trees and a well to the east. The inhabitants are Greek Christians. [..] The name means "Pharaoh" but may perhaps be a corruption of Pharathoni or Pirathion."[5]

British Mandate era

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In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Far'un had a population of 341, all Muslims,[11] increasing by the 1931 census to 456, 450 Muslims and 6 Christians, in 107 houses.[12]

In the 1945 statistics the population of Far'un was 710, 700 Muslims and 10 Christians,[13] and the land area was 8,851 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[14] 390 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 6,479 used for cereals,[15] while 24 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[16]

Jordanian era

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After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Far'un came under Jordanian rule.

In 1961, the population was 1,093.[17]

Post-1967

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The area in a United Nations map, 2018

During the Six-Day War in 1967, Far'un came under Israeli occupation and has remained so since. The total land area of the town 8,800 dunams, however nearly half of Far'un's land has been confiscated by Israeli authorities. It currently has a land area of 4,333 dunams of which 495 is built-up area.[18] About 70% of the town's land is planted with olive groves, 5% is cultivated with citrus, guava and almond trees.[19]

Most of the town's labor force is employed in agriculture or work inside Israel.[19] Far'un is governed by a Village Council and contains 3 mosques, 3 schools, a medical clinic and a child care center.[20]

Nufs Jebil

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1.5 km SE of Far'un village centre lies Nufs Jebil.[21][22] Nisf Jubeil was a Crusader casale named Seingebis belonging to the territory of Caesarea in the early 13th-century. In 1207 Lady Juliana of Caesarea granted Seingebis along with nearby Far'un to the Knights Hospitallers.[23][24] In 1882, SWP found "Foundations on a hill" here.[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  2. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 182
  3. ^ 2007 PCBS census Archived December 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). p. 108.
  4. ^ Ibn al-Furat, 1971, pp. 81, 209, 249 (map)
  5. ^ a b Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 164
  6. ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 139
  7. ^ Karmon, 1960, p. 170 Archived 2019-12-22 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 128
  9. ^ Guérin, 1875, p.352
  10. ^ Grossman, David (2004). Arab Demography and Early Jewish Settlement in Palestine. Jerusalem: Magnes Press. p. 255.
  11. ^ Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Tulkarem, p. 27
  12. ^ Mills, 1932, p. 54
  13. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 20
  14. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 74
  15. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 125
  16. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 175
  17. ^ Government of Jordan, 1964, p. 27
  18. ^ Closure of an agricultural Wall gate threatens the olive-picking season in Far'un village Archived 2007-01-07 at the Wayback Machine Land Research Center. 18 September 2006.
  19. ^ a b Effects of the Segregation Wall and Israeli military garrison on the Palestinian village of Faro'un / Tulkarm governorate Archived 2009-07-14 at the Wayback Machine Land Research Center. 6 September 2003.
  20. ^ Far'un PalestineRemembered. (in Arabic)
  21. ^ grid no.: 1536/1872, according to Pringle, 1986, p. 41
  22. ^ "The watershed"; according to Palmer, 1881, p. 189
  23. ^ Boas, 2006, p. 82, citing Röhricht, 1893, RHH p. 220, no. 818
  24. ^ Clermont-Ganneau, 1888, pp. 335, 401, cited in Röhricht, 1893, RRH, p. 205, No. 768
  25. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 210

Bibliography

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