| Khiyam al-Walid | |
| Native Name: | خيام الوليد |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Etymology: | "the tents of al-Walid" |
| Pushpin Map: | Mandatory Palestine |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 200 |
| Coordinates: | 33.1442°N 35.6539°W |
| Grid Name: | Palestine grid |
| Grid Position: | 211/282 |
| Subdivision Type: | Geopolitical entity |
| Subdivision Name: | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdivision Type1: | Subdistrict |
| Subdivision Name1: | Safad |
| Established Title1: | Date of depopulation |
| Established Date1: | May 1, 1948[1] |
| Established Title2: | Repopulated dates |
| Unit Pref: | dunam |
| Area Total Dunam: | 4,215 |
| Population As Of: | 1945 |
| Population Total: | 280[2] [3] |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Cause(s) of depopulation |
| Blank Info Sec1: | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | Current Localities |
| Blank3 Info Sec1: | Lehavot HaBashan |
Khiyam al-Walid (Arabic: خيام الوليد) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Safad Subdistrict located 25.5km (15.8miles) northeast of Safad along the Syrian border. It was on situated on a hill 150m (490feet) above sea level on the eastern edge of the Hula Valley. In 1945, there were 280 predominantly Muslim inhabitants. It was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine War.[4]
The name of the village in Arabic is translated as "the tents of al-Walid", which may refer to the Arab Muslim commander Khalid ibn al-Walid (d. 642).[4] According to local tradition, a shrine and the tomb of the sage Shaykh ibn al-Walid was located in the village mosque.[4]
In the 1931 census of Palestine the population of Khiyam al-Walid was 181, all Muslims, in a total of 42 houses.[5]
Khiyam al Walid was classified as a hamlet by the Palestine Index Gazeteer. During the British Mandate period, many of the houses were situated along the road to the nearby village of az-Zawiya. There was a good water source to the east, and the village consequently expanded in that direction. In a 1945 survey, the village was made up of a total 4,215 dunams. Despite its entire population being Arab, 92% of its land was Jewish-owned.[4]
Types of land use in dunams in the village in the 1945 statistics:[6] [7]
| Land Usage | Arab | Jewish |
|---|---|---|
| Irrigated and plantation | 153 | 2,599 |
| Cereal | 0 | 502 |
| Cultivable | 153 | 3,101 |
| Urban | ||
| Non-cultivable | 8 | 800 |
The land ownership of the village before occupation in dunams:[3]
| Owner | Dunams |
|---|---|
| Arab | 161 |
| Jewish | 3,901 |
| Public | 153 |
| Total | 4,215 |
According to an Israeli military report in June 1948, the residents fled on May 1 in anticipation of an attack by Israeli forces. It was occupied by the end of may in Operation Yiftach.[8]
Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi wrote of the remains of the village in 1992, saying "The site is deserted and overgrown with grass and thorns. There are a few carob trees, piles of stones, and crumbled terraces."[4]
