Migdal Afek
Migdal Afek (Hebrew: מגדל אפק), also Migdal Tsedek (Hebrew: מגדל צדק), is a national park on the southeastern edge of Rosh HaAyin, Israel. It is the site of the depopulated Palestinian village of Majdal Yaba.
History[edit]
Located in Migdal Afek are the ruins of Mirabel, a Crusader castle, built on the site of ancient Migdal Afek. It was described in Muslim sources in 1225 as a village with a fortress called Majdal Yaba.[1] In the 17th century, the village was taken over by the Rayyān family who arrived from Transjordan and built a two-story manor house.[1] The ruins of the manor house, among which remains of the Crusader castle can be seen, are today called Migdal Afek or Migdal Tsedek.[1]
The village was depopulated by the IDF in July 1948.[2][3]
Migdal Tsedek means "Tower of Sadek" in Hebrew, referring to the name of its Sheikh Sadek Al Rayyan.[citation needed]
A lintel over an entrance that was used by the local sheikh as a stable and fodder storage room bears the Greek inscription "Martyr Memorial Church of the Holy Herald."[4]
During World War I, Migdal Afek was the site of battles between the Central Powers (forces of the Ottoman, German and Austro-Hungarian empires) and the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Tsvika Tsuk, Iosi Bordowicz and Itamar Taxel (2016). "Majdal Yābā: The History and Material Culture of a Fortified Village in Late Ottoman- and British Mandate-Palestine". Journal of Islamic Archaeology. 3 (1).
- ^ Benny Morris (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisted. Cambridge University Press. p. xvi.
- ^ Sela, Rona. "Scouting Palestinian Territory, 1940-1948: Haganah Village Files, Aerial Photos, and Surveys" (PDF). Institute for Palestine Studies.
- ^ Byeways in Palestine, James Finn
- ^ Evidence of the World War I Battlefield was Exposed in Rosh Ha-Ayin, Israel Antiquities Authority
32°4′51″N 34°57′25″E / 32.08083°N 34.95694°E
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