Al-Mukhayzin
المخيزن | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: Kh. el Mukheizin, the ruin of the storehouses[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map .jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map .jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Mukhayzin (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Mukhayzin Location within Mandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 31°48′12″N 34°48′40″E / 31.80333°N 34.81111°E | |
| Palestine grid | 132/134 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Date of depopulation | April 20, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10,942 dunams (10.942 km2 or 4.225 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
| • Total | 310[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Chafetz Chayyim,[5] Revadim,[5] Yad Binyamin,[5] Beyt Chilqiyya[5] |
Al-Mukhayzin was a Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 20, 1948, by the Givati Brigade of Operation Har'el. It was located 10 km southwest of Ramla.
Al-Mukhayzin was a Bedouin settlement established in the 19th century.[6]
In 1838, el-Mukhaizin was noted as a Muslim village in the Gaza district.[7]
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine noted at Khurbet el Mukheizin: "A large well and birkeh (=artificial pool), of masonry. Several ruined cisterns and a few scattered stones."[8]
In the 1931 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, El Mukheizin had 79 Muslim inhabitants, in a total of 19 houses.[9]
In 1944, Chafetz Chayyim was built on what traditionally was village land.[5]
In 1945 statistics, the village had a population of 200 Muslims and 110 Jews,[2] with a land area of 10,942 dunums.[3] Of this, Arabs used 10,936 dunums for cereals,[10] while 6 dunams were classified as non-cultivable areas.[11]
Al-Mukhayzin became depopulated after a military assault on April 20, 1948.[4]
Afterwards, Revadim, Yad Binyamin and Beyt Chilqiyya have all been built on village land.[5]
In 1992 the village site was described: "The village has been completely leveled so that only flat, cultivated fields can be seen. There is a mound of stone and debris, about 2.5 m high, at the southern edge of the site. An orange grove has been planted next the mound, also at the southern edge."[12]
