Umm Burj, Khirbat

Khirbat Umm Burj was located atop a hill that offered a commanding view in all directions. The village’s name likely derives from a tower (Arabic: “burj”) that once stood at the center of the site. In the late 19th century, the area was described as a ruined village with a central tower, mistakenly thought at the time to be of recent construction. It is possible that the original, now-lost name included the Greek word “Pyrgos”, meaning “tower.”

Two unpaved roads connected the village to the main road between Bayt Jibrin and Hebron, as well as to another main road running northeast from Bayt Jibrin toward the Jerusalem–Jaffa highway. The village was also linked to nearby communities—including Deir Nakhkhas, Surif, and Nuba—via a network of mountainous paths.

During the British Mandate era, Khirbat Umm Burj was classified as a farm in the Palestine Index Gazetteer. It extended along an east–west axis, with stone-built houses. The residents, all Muslims, sourced drinking water from three wells located in the northern part of the site.

The local economy was based primarily on rain-fed agriculture and livestock herding. The villagers cultivated grains and fruit trees such as olive and grapevines. In the agricultural year 1944/1945, 3,546 dunums were used for grain production and 28 dunums were irrigated or allocated to orchards. The area originally comprised an uninhabited ruin that included stone walls, cisterns, caves, and carved stones. At least 20 additional ruins existed on surrounding lands, including Khirbat Jamrura, which may correspond to the Roman-era site of Gemmruis. Although the full historical record of the area remains under study, the presence of cisterns and bath towers suggests continuous habitation during Roman times.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

Israeli forces are believed to have entered Khirbat Umm Burj on 28 October 1948, during the third phase of Operation Yoav. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, this phase involved instances of mass panic, expulsions, and atrocities, most notably the massacre in the village of al-Dawayima on 29 October.

Despite the prevailing conditions, some residents remained in their homes. On 6 November 1948, an Israeli military unit was dispatched to “expel refugees” from the region and found around 150 individuals still in the village. According to Morris, this unit—a platoon from the Harel Brigade, which had recently taken control of a nearby location—expelled approximately 100 people, reportedly injuring some. These operations, and others conducted between November 1948 and April 1949, were part of a broader campaign to “cleanse” areas along the armistice lines, separating Israeli-controlled territory from land held by Jordan. Ultimately, the village came to lie just inside the Israeli side of the armistice line.

The Village Today

Today, what remains of the village are clusters of ruined, tightly packed stone houses, many of which retain their doorways and windows, though roofs and portions of the walls have collapsed. A large stone archway still stands amid the ruins.

At the western foot of the hill, there is a large, abandoned building that once housed an irrigation pump, accessible through an eastern entrance. A carob tree now grows inside the structure. Nearby are a pool and a well.

Several caves, once used as dwellings, can still be seen along the northern and northeastern perimeters of the site. In the southern part, cactus plants are scattered throughout the terrain.