Ghazaleh

Ghazaleh is a depopulated Palestinian village in the northern Negev, administratively part of the Beersheba District, located approximately 20 km from Beersheba.

The village was named “Ghazaleh” (meaning gazelle) in reference to the beauty of its landscape and surroundings. Its terrain consisted of low hills and short plains, with scattered elevations and mounds. It was bordered to the east by al-ʿAraqib, Umm al-Baqar, and al-Batil; to the west by Qawawqa; to the north by Khirbat Abu Mansur, Sabila, and al-Shariʿa; and to the south by Abu Samara.

A railway line running northward divided the village geographically into two sections.

Prominent families of the village included: al-Qurainawi, Abu Mazghoul, Abu al-ʿAsal, Abu Khattab, Abu Shannar, al-ʿAyouti, Abu Kashif, al-Khattatba, al-ʿAyyid Tarabin, al-Deirawi, al-Naqiz, and Abu Shbeith.

The Village’s Intellectual and Cultural Legacy

In the late eighteenth century, Ghazaleh became an early center of intellectual and cultural awakening, distinguished particularly in the fields of medicine and heritage preservation. This legacy is embodied in the figure of Hakmeh ʿAyyid Tarabin, a daughter of the village and an ophthalmologist who studied at the Bimaristan of al-Mansur Qalawun in Egypt.

Upon her return to Ghazaleh, she introduced a groundbreaking idea uncommon in her social environment: rather than burying the personal belongings of deceased tribal members with them—as was customary—she advocated preserving these items in a designated place.

In 1790, she founded the “Heritage Museum from the Scent of the Soil,” considered the first private museum dedicated to Palestinian heritage. The Bedouin community embraced this initiative, recognizing the importance of linking mind and body, and connecting past and present in pursuit of a more conscious and cohesive future.

After her death, the village commemorated her by constructing “Maqam al-Hajjah Hakmeh” over her grave, honoring her pioneering contributions to the community’s cultural and health life.

The museum assembled a vast collection of Bedouin artifacts—including metalwork, jewelry, and traditional objects—exceeding 15,000 items.

Landmarks of the Village

The village had a government school established in 1944, located on the western side of the village on land owned by Hajj Khalil al-Qurainawi, whose family covered all of the school’s expenses.

Prior to that, education was provided through a kuttab (traditional Quranic school) led by Ibrahim al-Qalaʿi and Muhammad al-Masri, who taught children from Ghazaleh and neighboring villages Arabic language, arithmetic, and the Qur’an.

The village also housed the customary tribal court hall of the ʿAyyid Tarabin, where inter-tribal disputes were settled according to the well-known traditional legal code known as “Ahkam al-Baʿsha.”

In 1898, the renowned Russian Imperial painter Ilya Repin visited the village and its museum during his journey to the Holy Land. The ʿAyyid Tarabin family donated fifteen traditional garments to him, which he later used in paintings depicting scenes from Palestine. These garments are reportedly preserved to this day at the Academy of the Museum of Arts in Saint Petersburg.

Depopulation and Documentation Efforts

The village was completely depopulated before the fall of Beersheba in 1948. Its families were dispersed between Gaza and Jordan, while a small number remained within the country.

In recent years, researchers and academics have worked to reconstruct Ghazaleh’s historical and geographical features with the assistance of a field team that included researcher Mutahaf ʿAyyid Tarabin, historian Mustafa Kabha, Mousa al-Hajuj, and engineer Samer al-Zoubi. Together with researcher Ali Abu Ria, author of Historical Maps of Palestine, they produced a documented geographical map of the village.

Sources:
“The Village of Ghazaleh… Incubator of the First Private Museum in Palestinian Heritage.” Al-Dustour Newspaper (Jordan), 2025.
“The Negev Desert… Home to Israel’s Strategic Military and Security Projects.” Al Jazeera Net, archived 2025.
“Heritage Museum from the Scent of the Soil… From Establishment to Development.” Al-Dustour Newspaper (Jordan), 2025.