Al-Mazar

The village of Al-Mazar was built on the lower western slopes of Mount Carmel, overlooking the narrow coastal plain and the Mediterranean Sea. Approximately one-third of the village’s land was located on Mount Carmel, with the remainder extending into the coastal plain. The main coastal highway passed along the western edge of the village, while the Crusader fortress of Atlit lay only about 2.5 kilometers to the north.

The name Al-Mazar is most likely derived from the large number of individuals who were killed and buried in the area during battles against the Crusaders. The village was square-shaped in layout. Its inhabitants, all of whom were Muslim, obtained their household water from a spring located southeast of the village.

The village economy was based primarily on agriculture and livestock raising. The main crops were grains, though vegetables and fruit trees were also cultivated. In 1944–1945, a total of 5 dunums were used for citrus and bananas, 3,750 dunums for grain, and 473 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards, including 100 dunums planted with olive trees.

The site contained archaeological remains such as pottery shards, rock-cut tombs, and carved stones.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

Al-Mazar—along with Al-Tira and Ayn Hawd—was among the few villages south of Haifa that remained unoccupied for nearly six weeks following the city’s fall in late April 1948. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, the village was occupied in mid-July, along with other nearby villages. This occurred during a joint land-sea military operation conducted in the ten days between the two official ceasefires of the 1948 war.

It is likely that the residents of Al-Mazar were expelled in a manner similar to those of Al-Tira. However, the operation failed to capture all villages in the area. The nearby “Little Triangle”—comprising the villages of Ijzim, Jaba’, and Ayn Ghazal, located just south of Al-Mazar—held out for a few more days before falling to a major Israeli offensive that violated the second truce.

It is therefore possible that Al-Mazar also resisted Israeli attacks until late July 1948.

The Village Today

The site is scattered with rubble from destroyed stone houses. It is overgrown with wild vegetation, thorns, cacti, fig trees, pomegranate, and mulberry trees. Visible remnants include standing sections of stone walls and the ruins of the mosque, which remained standing until 1983.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

In 1947, the settlement of Ein Carmel was established approximately one kilometer west of the village. Some of its buildings are now located on lands that once belonged to Al-Mazar.