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Sa'ir

Coordinates: 31°35′04″N 35°08′43″E / 31.58444°N 35.14528°E / 31.58444; 35.14528
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For the demons of Hebrew mythology, see se'irim.

Sa'ir
سعير
Municipality type B
Arabic transcription(s)
 • Arabicسعير
 • LatinSa'eer (official)
Saiour (unofficial)
Sa'ir is located in the West Bank
Sa'ir
Sa'ir
Location of Sa'ir within the West Bank
Sa'ir is located in State of Palestine
Sa'ir
Sa'ir
Location of Sa'ir within Palestine
Coordinates: 31°35′04″N 35°08′43″E / 31.58444°N 35.14528°E / 31.58444; 35.14528
Palestine grid163/110
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateHebron
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • Head of Municipalityموسى غيث فروخ
Area
 • Total
117.0 km2 (45.2 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total
20,722
 • Density177.1/km2 (458.7/sq mi)
Name meaningfrom personal name, or Zior[2]

Sa'ir (Arabic: سعير, also spelled Saeer, Seir, or Si'ir) is a Palestinian town in the Hebron Governorate of the State of Palestine, in the southern West Bank, located 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) northeast of Hebron. Nearby localities include Beit Fajjar and al-Arroub to the north, Beit Ummar to the northwest, Halhul to the west and Beit Einun and ash-Shuyukh to the south. The Dead Sea is just east of Sa'ir's municipal borders.[3] In the 2017 census Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 20,722.[1] The villages of Al-Shuyukh, Beit Fajjar, Sa'ir, Beit Kahil, Beit Ummar, al-Khadr, and others are all built near the mountain crest in the north of Mount Hebron. They form a network of villages bounded by the descent of the Hebron Mountains toward the Jerusalem Hills.[4]

It has municipal jurisdiction over 117,000 dunams, 6,000 of which is built-up area and 11,715 of which is cultivated. The main economic activities in Sa'ir are agriculture and the Israeli labor market, although the latter has been adversely affected as a result of the Israeli restrictions following the Second Intifada in 2000–04. Olives are the major cash crop.[3]

History

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It is often thought that Si'ir is identical with Zior (or Zi'or),[5][6][7] a biblical town mentioned in the Book of Joshua (15:54) among the cities of Judah, near Hebron[8] and other towns in the Hebron Hills.

Biblical Tables describes Zior as being in the mountains and identifies it as the village of Sa'ir, located approximately two and a quarter hours north-east of Hebron.[9] Yet not all scholars accepted this identification.[6]

According to the Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ), Sa'ir "was established on the town of Saeer (صعير) or Saiour (صعيور)", and during the Roman era the town was known as "Sior".[3] An archaeological survey of the village revealed pottery from the Iron Age II (under the Kingdom of Judah), Persian, Roman, Byzantine (the predominant finds), medieval, and Ottoman periods.[10][11] The village's dense core, located near the spring, is the site of the ancient settlement's tell. Nearby caves yielded remains from the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods.[11] In 2024, Talmudic-era menorah engravings were discovered on a doorway slab in the village's kasbah.[12][13]

The PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP), wrote that: "The tomb of El 'Ais (Esau), south of the village, is in a chamber 37 feet east and west by 20 feet north and south, th a Mihrab on the south wall. The tomb is 12 feet long, 3 1/2 feet broad, 5 feet high, covered with a dark green cloth and a canopy above. An ostrich egg is hung near. North of the chamber is a vaulted room of equal size, and to the east is an open court with a fig-tree, and a second cenotaph rudely plastered, said to be that of Esau's slave. Rock-cut tombs exist south-west of this place."[14]

A heart-shaped lamp marked with arches framing birds, today on display at the Flagellation Museum, is marked as coming from Sa'ir. Similar lamps are dated to the early Islamic period.[15]

Suriano, a 15th century Franciscan custos, wrote that the House of Isaac, then a mosque where Muslims worship, can be found in Syeir. He mentioned that he had seen Jewish antiquities there and described the area as not being sown but rather untamed, arid, and a habitat for animals and game.[15]

Many Islamic scholars considered the villages of Sa'ir, Yaqin, Taqu' (Tekoa), al-'Aroub (which encompasses Sa'ir and al-Shuyukh), and ‘Aynun (Beit 'Einun) to be part of the region of Bayt al-Maqdis (later al-Quds). Sa'ir is described as being in the nawahi (area) of al-Quds, and it is also mentioned in the Torah. Although these villages are administratively part of the Hebron Governorate, they were regarded in Islamic scholarly tradition as belonging to the wider region of Bayt al-Maqdis.[16]

In Al-Uns al-Jalil bi-Tarikh al-Quds wa-l-Khalil, Mujīr al-Dīn al-ʿUlaymī mentions a village located between the districts (aʿmāl) of Jerusalem and Hebron, near the city of al-Khalil (Hebron), named Sa'ir. He states that its mosque was said to contain the grave (qabr) of the Prophet Esau (‘Īs).[17]

During the Mamluk period (13th–16th centuries), Sa'ir was mentioned in Islamic endowment (waqf) records, together with Beit Ummar and other villages in the Hebron district.[18]

Ottoman era

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In 1596 Sa'ir appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as part of the nahiya of Halil in the Liwa of Quds. It had an entirely Muslim population consisting of 72 households. Taxes were paid on wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and/or beehives.[19]

During the 1834 Peasants' Revolt in Palestine, the first reported battle occurred near Sa'ir when local fellahin (village peasants) and the Ta'amirah tribe, based in the Bethlehem area, rose in rebellion and defeated Egyptian forces, inflicting significant losses in men, money, and equipment. They subsequently led raids on Egyptian bases in Hebron.[20][21]

Southwest of Tekoa, in Wadi Arrub, lies the village of Sa'ir. The surrounding valleys and mountain slopes are described as being scattered with arbutus, dwarf oaks, small firs, various shrubs, and za'atar. The area is said to resemble the landscape around Hebron, with numerous ruins and ancient sites encountered throughout, regarded as testimony to the population of ancient Judea.[22]

During the mid- and late nineteenth century in the Mount Hebron region, local alliances were organized along the lines of the Qays–Yaman factional division in Palestine, notably al-Qaysiyya al-Fauqa and al-Qaysiyya al-Tahta. Al-Qaysiyya al-Fauqa, headed by the ʿAmr clan of Dura, included the villages of Yatta, Sa'ir, Bani Na'im, al-Shuyukh, al-Dawayima, Idhna, and as-Samu. These villages formed the nahiya (subdistrict) associated with al-Qaysiyya al-Fauqa.[23] These factional alignments played a significant role in the politics of Mount Hebron. During the civil strife of the 1850s, clashes between the rival camps resulted in battles that affected both the rural alliances and the town of Hebron itself.[24] Nineteenth-century reports also describe attacks on Hebron by forces from Sa'ir and al-Shuyukh, located to the north of the town, with Yatta, to the south, joining the hostilities.[25]

The French explorer Victor Guérin visited the village in the 1860s, and found it having about 400 inhabitants. He mentioned a few rock-cut tombs that are still in use; they are locked by a burial stone, and are reopened by locals whenever a new body is buried.[26]

SWP described Sa'ir in 1883 as "a village of moderate size, in a valley surrounded with cultivated ground." A maqam (shrine) located in Sa'ir was believed by the local Muslims to house the tomb of Esau who they referred to as "Aisa." The SWP stated this identification was false and that Esau's tomb was in the Biblical Mount Seir.[27][28][29]

Under the name Sa'in, an Ottoman village list of about 1870 indicated 84 houses and a population of 186, though it is proposed that the population count included men, only.[30][31][32]

The songs of istisqa’ (rain-seeking rituals) in the village of Sa'ir, in the Hebron district, have been described as preserving elements tracing back to ancient Canaanite beliefs dating approximately 4,000 years.[33]

British Mandate period

[edit]

In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Sa'ir had a population of 1,477 inhabitants, all Muslim.[34] In the 1931 census the population of Si'ir was a total of 1,967, still entirely Muslim, in 388 inhabited houses.[35]

In the 1945 statistics the population of Si'ir was 2,710, all Muslims,[36] who owned 92,423 dunams of land according to an official land and population survey.[37] 2,483 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 10,671 for cereals,[38] while 76 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[39]

Jordanian period

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In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Sa'ir came under Jordanian rule.

In 1961, the population of Si'ir was 2,511.[40]

1967 war and aftermath

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Sa'ir has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Six-Day War. The population in the 1967 census conducted by the Israeli authorities was 4,172.[41]

Following the 1993 Oslo Accords Sa'ir was designated within "Area B" giving the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) control over the town's civil affairs while Israel maintained its control over security. In 1997, an elected 13-member municipal council was established by the PNA to administer Sa'ir. Its municipal borders include a number of small villages, including al-Uddeisa, ad-Duwwara, Irqan Turad, Kuziba, Wadi ar-Rum and Ras at-Tawil. Principal families include Shlaldah, Froukh, Al-Lahaleeh, Jaradat, Mtur, al-Jabarin, al-Kawazbeh, Arameen and al-Turweh.[3] Hakim Shlaldah was elected mayor in the 2005 municipal elections.[42] Because of Sa'ir's isolation, steep hillsides, and activist population, the village became a stronghold during the Palestinian Intifada.[43] In January, 2013, Rafat Jaradat, 30 years old, from Sa'ir, died in jail five days after he was arrested by the Israelis. Israeli sources said his death was caused by "sudden heart attack while under interrogation", while Palestinian officials said that Jaradat had been tortured while in Israeli detention. His body had bruises and broken ribs, which the Israelis said came from attempts to revive him, while his brother said it looked as if Jaradat had been severely beaten.[44][45][46]

Hamas candidates have won election to the town council,[47] which is described in the Israeli press as "Hamas affiliated,"[48] and as "having close ties to Hamas."[49]

Between October 2015 and mid January 2016 eleven Sair residents were shot dead by the Israeli army in alleged attacks on Israeli soldiers.[50] Almost half of them were killed at Beit Einun Junction where the IDF controls access to the town.[51]

In June 2025, during the Iran–Israel war, a ballistic missile fired from Yemen by Houthis hit the village, injuring five people, including three children.[52]

Demography

[edit]

Sa'ir is home to several families, such as Al Froukh, Al Jabareen, Al Jaradat, Al Kawazbeh, Al Mtur, Al Shlaldah, Al Turweh, and others.[3] Ali Qleibo mentions that you travel south of Jerusalem you will find the tomb of Isau, the red haired brother of jacob. the people of sa'ir claim descent from him. [53]

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 24 October 2023.
  2. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 408
  3. ^ a b c d e Sa'ir Town Profile. Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem. 2008. Retrieved on 2012-03-12.
  4. ^ Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. 1979. p. XX.
  5. ^ Curtis, Adrian (2007). Oxford Bible Atlas (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 217, 220. ISBN 0-19-100158-9.
  6. ^ a b Albright, W. F. (1925). "Topographical Researches in Judæa". Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. 18: 6–11. doi:10.2307/3218963. ISSN 0003-097X. It may be added that Sa'ir has nothing to do with the Zior of Jos. 15:54, as often thought.
  7. ^ International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Zior
  8. ^ Bartlett, J. R. (1969). "The Land of Seir and the Brotherhood of Edom". The Journal of Theological Studies. 20 (1): 1–20. ISSN 0022-5185. Zior (Josh. 15:54, near Hebron)
  9. ^ Biblical Tables. 1843. p. 53.
  10. ^ Dauphin, 1998, p. 936
  11. ^ a b Kochavi, Moshe, ed. (1972). יהודה שומרון וגולן: סקר ארכיאולוגי בשנת תשכ"ח [Judea Samaria and the Golan – the archaeological survey of 1968] (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: האגודה לסקר ארכאולוגי של ישראל, הוצאת כרטא. p. 54.
  12. ^ "In Arab village: IDF soldiers discover ancient menorah engraving". Israel National News. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  13. ^ "במהלך המעצרים: הלוחמים הגיעו לממצא הארכיאולוגי המאשש את שיטת הרמב"ם". Makor Rishon. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  14. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1883, p. 379
  15. ^ a b Bagatti, B. (2002). Ancient Christian Villages of Judaea and Negev. Jerusalem: Franciscan Printing Press. pp. 68–69.
  16. ^ El-Awaisi, Abd al-Fattah (2007). Geographical Dimensions of Islamic Jerusalem. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 30.
  17. ^ al-ʿUlaymī, Mujīr al-Dīn. الأنس الجليل بتاريخ القدس والخليل [Al-Uns al-Jalil bi-Tarikh al-Quds wa-l-Khalil] (in Arabic).
  18. ^ الأوقاف الإسلامية في فلسطين في العهد المملوكي [Islamic Endowments in Palestine during the Mamluk Period] (in Arabic). p. 47.
  19. ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 122
  20. ^ Doumani, Beshara (1995). Rediscovering Palestine: Merchants and Peasants in Jabal Nablus, 1700–1900. University of California Press. p. 127.
  21. ^ البدو في فلسطين: الحقبة العثمانية المتأخرة [The Bedouin in Palestine: The Late Ottoman Period] (in Arabic). p. 92.
  22. ^ Kitto, John (1851). The Land of Promise: Or, a Topographical Description of Palestine. Charles Knight. p. 84.
  23. ^ Networks of Power in Palestine: Family, Society and Politics since the Nineteenth Century.
  24. ^ Networks of Power in Palestine: Family, Society and Politics since the Nineteenth Century.
  25. ^ Tamari, Salim (2008). Hamidian Palestine: Politics and Society in the District of Jerusalem 1872–1908. Brill. p. 200.
  26. ^ Guérin, 1869, pp. [https://archive.or g/stream/descriptiongogr06gugoog#page/n163/mode/1up 150]-1
  27. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1883, p. 309
  28. ^ Conder, 1881, pp. 215-6
  29. ^ Conder, 1889, pp. 123-4
  30. ^ Socin, 1879, p. 159
  31. ^ Hartmann, 1883, p. 142 also noted 84 houses
  32. ^ U. O. Schmelz (1990). "Population characteristics of Jerusalem and Hebron regions according to Ottoman census of 1905". In Gad G. Gilbar (ed.). Ottoman Palestine 1800–1914. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 15–67.
  33. ^ فرحة الأغاني الشعبية [The Joy of Folk Songs] (in Arabic). p. 153.
  34. ^ Barron, 1923, Table V, Sub-district of Hebron, p. 10
  35. ^ Mills, 1932, p. 33
  36. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 23
  37. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 50
  38. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 94
  39. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 144
  40. ^ Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 14
  41. ^ Perlmann, Joel (November 2011 – February 2012). "The 1967 Census of the West Bank and Gaza Strip: A Digitized Version" (PDF). Levy Economics Institute. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  42. ^ "Local Elections (Round Two)–Successful candidates by local authority, gender and No. of votes obtained" (PDF). Central Elections Committee–Palestine. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
  43. ^ World Christian. 1982. p. XX.
  44. ^ Palestinian prisoner dies during interrogation in Israeli jail, 24 February 2013, The Independent
  45. ^ What killed Arafat Jaradat?, 02.03.13, Haaretz
  46. ^ "Palestinian Arafat Jaradat gets hero's funeral after death in Israeli custody". The Guardian. Associated Press. 25 February 2013.
  47. ^ Gutman, Matthew (24 May 2005). "Militant Hamas striding into realm of legitimate politics". USA Today. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  48. ^ Gross, Judah Ari (24 November 2015). "More crackdowns are just more of the same". Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  49. ^ Gross, Judah Ari (23 November 2015). "In the Etzion Bloc, no easy answers to terror". Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  50. ^ "Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism since September 2000". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  51. ^ [1] Maan 14 January 2016 Palestinian shot dead after alleged attack attempt near Hebron
  52. ^ "Five Palestinians wounded, including 3 children, after Houthi missile hits West Bank". The Times of Israel. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  53. ^ Qleibo, Ali (2007). Before the Mountains Disappear. Institute of Jerusalem Studies.

Bibliography

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