al-Damun, Khirbat

The village was located on the upper slopes of Mount Carmel, on the eastern edge of Wadi Falah. A secondary road connected it directly to Haifa, and another, shorter secondary road linked it to the main road leading to the city. During the Mandate period, the village was classified as a farm in the Palestine Index Gazetteer.

The inhabitants of Khirbat al-Damun were Muslim and relied on animal husbandry and agriculture for their livelihood. Their primary crop was grain, although they also cultivated olives. In 1944/1945, a total of 5 dunums were allocated for citrus and bananas, 1,619 dunums for cereals, and 280 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. Their lands also included several wooded areas. Below the village, there was a cave used as a livestock pen, which led to a series of underground chambers. Several flint tools were discovered at the entrance of the cave, dating back at least to the Neolithic period.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing of the Village

There is no exact recorded date for the occupation of the village. However, given its location, it is most likely that Khirbat al-Damun was occupied shortly before or immediately after the fall of Haifa, that is, in late April 1948. Following the fall of Haifa, the Haganah mobilized a large number of its forces to occupy the surrounding villages in order to consolidate control over the city. While the nearby village of al-Tira held out until July, it came under heavy attack in the last week of April. At that time, women and children were evacuated. A report published in The New York Times stated that while the village of al-Tira was under attack on April 26, 1948, Jewish forces were also attacking “another village nearby.” Given its proximity to al-Tira and the absence of references in other sources, it is highly likely that Khirbat al-Damun was the village referred to in that report.

The Village Today

Today, only one structure remains, which is used as a prison. The site is overgrown with cactus plants and a few fruit trees such as pomegranate and almond. The area is covered in forest and is used by Israelis as a recreational park.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

There are no Israeli settlements established on the lands of the village.