‘Atlit

The village of ‘Atlit stood on a sandstone hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. To the east lay coastal agricultural lands, and to the southwest, large evaporation ponds used for extracting salt from seawater. Archaeological excavations conducted in the 1930s in Wadi al-Maghara, approximately three kilometers southeast of the village, uncovered evidence of early human habitation in the caves of al-Wad, al-Tabun, and al-Skhul. About three kilometers to the northeast, at the entrance of Wadi al-Falah, evidence of Neolithic human presence was also discovered through cave excavations. Nearby excavations to the east of the village uncovered a site that had been inhabited from the 2nd millennium BCE until the 7th century CE. A Hellenistic source identified the site as Adarus, reportedly one of Sidon’s colonies.

The Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi (d. 1229) referenced the village in his book Mu’jam al-Buldan, describing it as a fortress called al-Ahmar. In 1218, the Crusaders built a town and large fortress at the site of Adarus, which they called Castrum Peregrinorum (“Fortress of the Pilgrims”). ‘Atlit remained under Crusader control until 1291, when it was abandoned following the general Crusader withdrawal from the Palestinian coast.

In 1296, members of the ‘Awairat tribe (al-Nathariya) settled in ‘Atlit and its surrounding areas. By 1596, it was registered as a tax-paying farm under Ottoman rule. In the early 19th century, British traveler Buckingham observed the ruins of the village from afar. Later in the century, another traveler, Thomson, reported that the Palestinian village of ‘Atlit had been built among the remnants of the Crusader site. The authors of the Survey of Western Palestine described ‘Atlit as a farm built of mudbrick, with an estimated population of about 200 people cultivating twenty feddans (1 feddan = 100–250 dunums).

In 1903, Zionist settlers established a colony near ‘Atlit, naming it the same. During World War I, this Jewish colony became a base for the Nili underground movement (Netzah Yisrael Lo Yeshaker, or “The Eternity of Israel Will Not Lie”), which was a Zionist espionage group aiding the British. In the 1920s, the Palestinian village of ‘Atlit joined a regional cooperative body that worked to improve the conditions of farmers and included around 25 villages in the Haifa district.

By 1938, the combined population of the Palestinian village and the Jewish colony of ‘Atlit had reached 712, including 508 Arabs and 224 Jews. However, by 1944–1945, the Arab population had decreased to just 150: 90 Muslims and 60 Christians. Of their land, only 15 dunums remained under Arab ownership—3 dunums were planted with grains, and 11 were irrigated or used for orchards. The village had a train station, which remains operational today. In the 1930s, C. N. Johns conducted archaeological excavations at the Crusader city and fortress on behalf of the Palestine Department of Antiquities. Modern excavations have suggested that the northern harbor of the city may have Hellenistic origins. An Islamic cemetery lies east of the Crusader fortress, including a gravestone dated to the year 1800.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

According to the History of the Haganah, ‘Atlit served as a center for Haganah activity and a recruitment site for the Jewish colony’s residents. However, Israeli historian Benny Morris does not list ‘Atlit among the villages explicitly conquered or depopulated in 1948. The exact time and manner in which ‘Atlit came under Israeli control remains unclear.

The Village Today

No trace remains of the Arab homes. The railway station that once served the village is still in use. Nearby stands a prison facility used by the Israeli authorities in 1989 to detain Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands

Zionist settlers established the colony of ‘Atlit (grid ref. 145232) in 1903, and Neve Yam (grid ref. 143231) in 1999. Both settlements are located on the original lands of the village.