{"id":4725,"date":"2024-03-02T12:21:36","date_gmt":"2024-03-02T12:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nakbamemorymuseum.com\/?p=4725"},"modified":"2025-09-26T10:09:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T10:09:55","slug":"al-sumayriyya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nakbamemorymuseum.org\/en\/2024\/03\/02\/al-sumayriyya\/","title":{"rendered":"al-Sumayriyya"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The village of al-Sumayriyya<\/strong> stood on a sandstone hill near the Mediterranean coast. To the south of the village were the ancient aqueducts of Kabri<\/strong>, which passed through Wadi al-Majnuna<\/strong> and Tell al-Zuhur<\/strong>, the latter named for the abundance of wildflowers that covered it. The hill served as a picnic and bathing area for the residents of Acre and neighboring villages. One of the Kabri aqueducts passed by the village on its way to Acre.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Al-Sumayriyya was connected to Acre and Ras al-Naqura by the coastal highway. The name al-Sumayriyya<\/em> may have originated from “Calasatra”<\/strong>, a Canaanite-era name. It was later possibly named after the Samaritans<\/strong>, a sect that was expelled from the Acre area in the 18th century and resettled in Nablus<\/strong>, where their descendants still live today. During the Crusader period, the village was known as Suseria<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

By the late 19th century, al-Sumayriyya was situated in a plain surrounded by olive and fig trees. The population ranged between 200 and 400<\/strong> residents, all of whom were Muslim<\/strong>. Many homes were built of mudbrick, and the village included a mosque<\/strong> and a school<\/strong>, founded in 1941<\/strong>, which enrolled around 60 students<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Many villagers worked in stone quarries<\/strong> located in or near the village, while the majority were engaged in agriculture<\/strong>, cultivating citrus fruits, vegetables, grains, and sesame. In 1944\u20131945, approximately 632 dunums<\/strong> were irrigated or used for orchards.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

There were also two archaeological sites<\/strong> in the village: one known as Tell al-Mushayrifa<\/strong>, which contained carved stones, mosaic floors, tombs, columns, and stone capitals; and another known as Abu \u2018Ulba<\/strong>, which housed an Islamic shrine and various ceramic fragments.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

Al-Sumayriyya was occupied on the morning of May 14, 1948<\/strong>, during Operation Ben-Ami<\/strong>, when the Carmeli Brigade<\/strong> attacked the village from the northeast and the south.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

According to Israeli historian Benny Morris<\/strong>, the assault was conducted in a manner that deliberately left the eastern side of the village open to allow residents to flee. After shelling the village, the attacking units advanced, prompting the inhabitants to escape.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

However, Palestinian historian \u2018Arif al-\u2018Arif<\/strong> reports that the village fell only after intense fighting<\/strong>, during which all the young men<\/strong> of the village resisted until they ran out of ammunition.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Haganah history book<\/strong> only notes that troops landed near the village by sea and advanced inland to occupy it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Eyewitnesses provide somewhat different accounts. About 15 local fighters<\/strong> defended the village. A surprise armored unit<\/strong> attacked from the south. One villager fired warning shots into the air, mistakenly believing the forces were from the Arab Liberation Army<\/strong>\u2014he was shot and killed immediately. Most women and children were evacuated<\/strong> to Acre and neighboring villages.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The remaining men attempted to resist<\/strong> from the northeast before retreating, leaving many casualties. Some villagers later returned to collect the bodies, but only one martyr\u2019s body<\/strong> was recovered from the southern part of the village. According to one returnee, most of the village was already destroyed<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This testimony is corroborated by a photograph published in The New York Times<\/em><\/strong> less than two weeks after the occupation. Taken by Associated Press<\/strong>, the photo showed widespread destruction inflicted by Zionist forces. The caption noted that the village had been used by Arabs as a sniper base<\/strong> targeting the coastal highway running north\u2013south.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Village Today<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

Today, only one room<\/strong> of the village mosque<\/strong> remains standing, along with parts of a stone building<\/strong>, some collapsed walls<\/strong>, arches<\/strong> from ruined homes, and other structural remnants.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The remaining mosque structure is a square stone building<\/strong> with a flat roof<\/strong> supported by wooden beams. It has a now-sealed arched door<\/strong>. The site is overgrown with wild grasses and trees<\/strong>, and there is a cow shed<\/strong> in the northern part of the village. The surrounding lands are cultivated by residents of Kibbutz Regba<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

In June 1948<\/strong>, the Jewish National Fund (JNF)<\/strong> began the complete demolition<\/strong> of al-Sumayriyya after receiving authorization from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Seven months later, on January 17, 1949<\/strong>, the lands of the village were used for the establishment of the kibbutz Shomrat<\/strong> (grid ref. 11392010), which had already been founded in 1948.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The settlements of Shavei Tzion<\/strong> (grid ref. 198265) and Regba<\/strong> (grid ref. 199264) are located to the north of the village lands, although technically they lie on the lands of the nearby, still-existing village of al-Mazra\u2018a<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Shavei Tzion<\/strong> was established in 1938<\/strong> as a fortified outpost with a guard tower and later incorporated into a residential neighborhood named Shkhunat Hof<\/strong> in 1949.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Regba<\/strong>, founded in 1946<\/strong>, is located near the original site of al-Sumayriyya.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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