Suba

The village is located 10 kilometers from Jerusalem. It stood prominently on the summit of a mountain, overlooking other surrounding mountains in all directions. A short secondary road, approximately three kilometers in length, connected it to the main Jerusalem-Jaffa road passing north of the village. Additionally, dirt roads linked it to a number of neighboring villages.

Suba was established on the site of the ancient town of Ruba, which was referred to as Rubutu in the letters of ancient Egyptian Amarna correspondence. However, excavations conducted at the site indicate that the village was first inhabited during the Persian and Hellenistic periods.

By the mid-19th century, Suba was under the control of the Abu Ghosh family, who governed the region from their headquarters in the village of al-‘Unab. They constructed a fortress within the walls of the Crusader castle in Suba; however, both the fortress and the castle walls were destroyed during Ibrahim Pasha’s Egyptian campaign in Palestine in 1832.

The village was attacked beginning April 3, 1948, following the assault on the village of al-Qastal, but it fell to the Harel Brigade on July 12-13, 1948. In 1948, a settlement named Amilim was established approximately one kilometer southwest of the village site on its lands. It was later renamed Kibbutz Tzova. In 1964, a school named Yedidya was established nearby to the northwest, on lands traditionally belonging to the village of Abu Ghosh.

Many of the village buildings remain standing today; some have lost parts of their walls, while others stand without roofs.

Qaluniya

The village was situated on mountainous heights facing southwest, with gentle, fertile slopes covered with permanent greenery and solid inclines planted with olive, fig, apricot, almond, and grape trees. Additionally, it was surrounded by various forest trees. It enjoyed a healthy location with fresh air and clear atmosphere. The Qaluniya Valley extended along its eastern edge. The village was located on the main Jerusalem-Jaffa road, six kilometers northwest of Jerusalem, at an elevation of 620 meters above sea level. Dirt roads connected it to neighboring villages. Qaluniya was established on the site of the Canaanite town of Moza, as indicated by ceramic vessels found at Tel al-Nasbeh.

After 71 AD, Emperor Vespasian stationed 800 Roman soldiers in the town, which became a Roman settlement known as Colonia Amosa or Colonia Imus. The term “Colonia” is the source of the Byzantine name given to the site: Colonia. The status of the site during the early Islamic period is unknown, but its name remained as it was during the Crusader period—Qaluni or Qaluniya. Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali (died 1522) mentioned that in 1192 it was a village near Jerusalem.

In 1596, Qaluniya was a village in the Jerusalem subdistrict (liwa’ al-Quds), with a population of 110 people who paid taxes on various crops such as wheat, barley, and olives, as well as other products like goats, beehives, and carob syrup. By the late 19th century, Qaluniya was a medium-sized village located on the slope of a hill, rising about 300 feet above a valley. Travelers noted that it had a restaurant at the time. Its inhabitants cultivated citrus trees around a spring located in the valley.

In 1859, Qaluniya became the first rural site in Palestine where Jewish immigrants purchased agricultural land. Although a few settlers began farming the land, they did not permanently reside in the village until the early 20th century when the small settlement of Motza was established.

Qaluniya was roughly circular in shape. Most of its houses were built of stone, separated by winding alleys, and divided into several neighborhoods. Newer houses initially extended northwest, then southward parallel to the Jerusalem-Jaffa main road. By the mid-1940s, the population consisted of approximately 900 Muslims and 10 Christians. The village mosque, named Sheikh Hamad Mosque, was located on the eastern side of the site. Qaluniya had several shops and an elementary school. The residents obtained water from springs surrounding the village. Agriculture included rain-fed and irrigated farming, with lands planted with grains, vegetables, fruit trees, olive trees, and vineyards.

The total land area of Qaluniya was approximately 4,884 dunams, including 64 dunams for roads and 1,048 dunams that were confiscated by Jews. In 1944/1945, about 846 dunams were dedicated to grains, and 1,022 dunams were irrigated or used as orchards, including 200 dunams for olives. Historical remains in the village include the remains of an arched building. There are also two ruins north of the village containing foundations of old buildings and caves carved into the rock.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing of the Village

Qaluniya was a primary target of Operation Nachshon (see Beit Naqquba, Jerusalem District). Palmach forces attacked the village on April 11, 1948, according to the Haganah history. Israeli historian Benny Morris wrote that the occupying units worked for two days to blow up and level the houses, which was confirmed by Haganah reports. The New York Times reported that the Haganah forces occupied Qaluniya on April 11 and “blew up a group of houses, leaving the entire village a prey to fire.”

Regarding the displacement of the villagers, Israeli sources vary in their accounts. Morris claims that the villagers left on April 2 or 3 due to an attack, while a broadcast by the Irgun radio at the time reported that the residents fled due to the massacre at Deir Yassin on April 9. A New York Times correspondent noted that most villagers were evacuated, while others were ordered to leave before the village’s destruction.

The testimony of Harry Levin, an English Jew living in Jerusalem who accompanied the Palmach during the attack on April 11, provides an interesting eyewitness account. He described the scene: “Suddenly the village erupted like a volcano when our artillery fired the first shell. In an instant, the village became a storm of gunfire responses. They fired their weapons in all directions. Suddenly there was an explosion that tore the hillside apart, cries of terror. Our commando soldiers and sappers reached the houses; more explosions followed, and the matter was over within thirty minutes.” Levin counted 14 dead but noted there may have been more. As he left, sappers were blowing up houses, and sturdy stone buildings, some built in an advanced urban style, exploded and collapsed one after another.

The Village Today

Only a few houses remain in the southwestern part of the site near the cemetery; these houses have arched doors and windows. A Jewish family currently resides in one of these houses. Scattered around the site are rubble, parts of crumbling concrete roofs, and iron window frames. An old synagogue built in 1871 also still stands, featuring arched doors and windows. Every year, wild grasses growing on the site are burned to clear the area near the nearby settlement. The village terraces have been preserved and currently bear almond, fig, and olive trees, alongside cactus plants.

Zionist Settlements on the Village Lands

In 1956, the settlement of Mevaseret Yerushalayim (165134) was established on the village lands. Later, the settlement of Maoz Zion (164133), built in 1951 on al-Qastal lands, was annexed to form the suburb of Jerusalem called Mevaseret Zion (164134), located northeast of the village site, mostly on village lands.

The settlement of Motza was also built near the village on lands purchased by Jewish settlers in the mid-19th century. It was destroyed during fighting between Palestinians and Zionists in July 1929 but was rebuilt and renamed Motza Tahtit (166133) in 1930. Three years later, Motza Illit (165133) was established nearby. Both settlements were depopulated in the 1948 war and later repopulated, becoming suburbs of Jerusalem adjacent to the village lands, but not on them.

Due to its location on the Jerusalem-Jaffa road, Qaluniya was connected to Palestinian cities and villages along that route, such as Jerusalem, Lifta, al-Qastal, Abu Ghosh, Beit Mahsir, al-Qubab, Lydda, Ramla, and Jaffa. It also had paved road access to villages including Beit Iksa, Beit Surik, Bidu, Deir Yassin, and Ein Karem.

Because of its strategic location, Qaluniya was one of the Roman settlements established by Roman commanders on an important military route.