al-Samiriyya

The village was built on a flat area of land in the Baysan Valley, east of the main road leading to Baysan. It was located at the intersection of several roads, including the main Baysan–Jericho road. The village mosque was situated at the junction of two roads: one leading to the village of Qa‘un and the other connecting Al-Samariya to the village of ‘Arab al-‘Arīḍah.

Towards the end of the Mandate period, the village expanded with the construction of new houses alongside the main road.

In 1945, the population of Al-Samariya was 250, comprising 240 Muslims and 10 Christians. During 1944–1945, a total of 2,801 dunums of land were dedicated to cereal cultivation, and 11 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.

There were three archaeological sites near the village:

Khirbat al-Hamra (195205), where remains of a mill exist,

Tallul al-Thum (196205), and

The twin tells, Tell al-Khab (1962059).

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

An Israeli military attack on 27 May 1948 led to the evacuation of the village’s inhabitants. This likely occurred following the “cleansing” of the Baysan Valley and in preparation for an unsuccessful assault on Jenin.

The book History of the War of Independence provides indirect evidence of this event, stating that the 4th Battalion of the Golani Brigade occupied a number of villages located along the road to Jenin. It is possible that Al-Samariya fell at the same time as the villages of al-Mazar and Nawras, both of which were destroyed and razed by the occupying forces during that operation.

The Village Today

Only the ruined roofs of houses remain at the western edge of the Sde Trumot settlement.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

In 1951, the settlement of Sde Trumot (196205) was established directly north of the village site, on the lands of Al-Samariya.