Aboud () is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of the State of Palestine, in the central West Bank, northwest of Ramallah and 30 kilometers north of Jerusalem. Nearby towns include al-Lubban to the northeast and Bani Zeid to the northwest.
Aboud is believed to be the site of a Jewish settlement before the Bar Kokhba revolt. During the Byzantine period, Aboud likely housed a significant Christian community, with the early architectural elements of St. Mary Church indicating construction from that era. Despite Arabization during the early Muslim period, the community retained the Aramaic language for ceremonial and liturgical purposes. During the Crusades, Aboud was known as Casale Santa Maria, primarily inhabited by local Orthodox Christians with a minority of Crusader settlers. Ottoman records indicate a predominant Syrian Christian majority in the sixteenth century, a status that endured into the nineteenth century.
According to the 2017 census conducted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 2,153. The majority of the village's citizens are Christians, most of whom are Greek Orthodox. Near the village are numerous natural springs, which are sources for the Yarkon River.
Location Abud is located 17.7 km northwest of Ramallah. It is bordered by Deir Nidham to the east, Bani Zeid to the north, Rantis and al Lubban el Gharbi to the west, and Deir Abu Mash'al to the south. ‘Abud Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 5
History
Sherds from the Iron Age II, Byzantine, Crusader/Ayyubid and Mamluk eras have been found here.Finkelstein et al, 1997, pp. 202–203 There is archeological evidence that the village was inhabited during the Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman eras.
Roman period Based on the findings in the nearby 'Abud Cave and in the adjacent necropolis of Mokata 'Abud, archaeologists believe 'Aboud was the site of a Jewish settlement during the late Second Temple period and up until the Bar Kokhba revolt. Although construction from later periods has covered the ancient settlement's remains, the magnificence of the ancient burial caves indicates the splendor of the ancient settlement.
Byzantine period During the Byzantine era, Aboud seems to have had a prominent Christian community. The earliest architectural parts of the St. Mary Church in Aboud indicate a fifth- to sixth-century construction date.
Early Muslim period Although it appears that the community in 'Abud underwent a process of Arabization during the early Muslim period, they were still able to preserve the Christian Palestinian Aramaic language and tradition long into this period and beyond it. However, they no longer used it as a spoken language; instead, they used this dialect for ceremonial events and liturgical uses. A Palestinian Syriac inscription in the St. Mary Church indicate that it was active 1058, during Fatimid rule.
Crusader/Mamluk era In 1099, Aboud and much of Syria was conquered by European Crusaders. During the Crusader period, Aboud was known by them as the Latin Casale Santa Maria. At the time, it was an unfortified agricultural village inhabited mostly by local Orthodox Christians. A minority of the population consisted of Crusader settlers.Ellenblum, 2003, pp. 130– 131 The Crusaders made improvements and additions to the church, such as the nave and the north aisle.Ellenblum, 2003, p. 133
In 1104, Mufarij ibn Abu al-Hayr al-Abudi, a monk from Aboud, copied Syriac manuscripts in the Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai. In 1167, Casale Santa Maria was sold by King Baldwin IV to the Knights Hospitallers. Starting in 1176, they used revenues from the village to supply white bread to the sick in the hospital of Jerusalem.Röhricht, 1893, RHH, p. 145, no 547; cited in Pringle, 1993, p. 18
In 1225, Yaqut al-Hamawi noted Aboud was a "small town in Filastin Province, near Jerusalem. The name is Hebrew, and [has] become Arabicized."Yaqut al-Hamawi quoted in le Strange, 1890, p. 382. At another point in the 13th century, an Aboud monk, Sarur ibn Abd al-Masih al-Abudi, was recorded as copying Syriac manuscripts in Cairo. The southern part of Aboud was founded in the 13th or 14th century, during Mamluk rule. Two ornate mausoleums in this part of Aboud were built during the Mamluk period.Ellenblum, 2003, p. 132 Arab historian al-Maqrizi mentioned these in the 14th century.
Ottoman era Aboud as part of Palestine was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. In the 1553–57 tax records, Aboud had a population of 35 families; 19 of whom were Christian and 16 Muslim. In the 1596 Ottoman tax records, it was classified as part of the nahiya ("sub-district") of Ramla, part of the Sanjak of Gaza. Its population remained the same, with 19 Christian households and 16 Muslim households,Petersen, 2005, p. 131 and the inhabitants paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on wheat, barley, and other produce; a total of 21,000 akçe. All of the revenue went to a waqf.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 156 It was later designated as a part of the Bani Zeid administrative region, still under the Ottomans.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 124
In 1870 the French explorer Victor Guérin found that Aboud contained 800 inhabitants, half Greek Orthodox and half Muslims,Guérin, 1875, pp. 87–90 while an Ottoman village list of about the same year showed that Aboud had 225 Muslims with 69 houses, and 170 Greek Orthodox with 66 houses, though the population count included men only.Socin, 1879, p. 142 Noted to be in the Beni Zeid districtHartmann, 1883, p. 106, found 110 houses
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described the village as "a large and flourishing Christian village, of stone, the houses nearly all marked with the Cross in red paint," with a population of 400 Orthodox Christians and 100 Muslims.Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 289
In 1896 the population of Abud was estimated to be about 303 Muslims and 366 Christians.Schick, 1896, p. 122
British Mandate era
In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Aboud had a population of 754; 352 Muslim and 402 Christians.Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramallah, p. 16 The latter included 335 Orthodox, 41 Roman Catholics, and 26 who belonged to the Church of England.Barron, 1923, Table XIV, p. 45 At the time of the 1931 census, the population had increased to 910; 470 Christians and 440 Muslims, in 215 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 47 The Christians largely inhabited the older, northern part of Aboud, while the Muslims inhabited the relatively newer, southern part.
In the 1945 statistics, the population was 1,080; 550 Muslims and 530 Christians.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 26 The total land area was 15,007 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 64 Of this, 4,843 dunams were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, and 1,905 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 111 while 55 dunams were classified as built-up (urban) areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 161
Jordanian era In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Aboud came under Jordanian rule. It was annexed by Jordan in 1950.
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 1,521 inhabitants,Government of Jordan, 1964, p. 24 of whom 716 were Christians.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, pp. 115–116
1967–present Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Aboud has been under Israeli occupation. After Oslo II in 1995, 16.8% of village land was classified as Area B, and the remaining 83.2% as Area C. Israel has confiscated land from Aboud in order to construct the Israeli settlements of Beit Aryeh-Ofarim. ‘Abud Village Profile, ARIJ, pp. 16–17 In late July 2018, Israeli authorities informed village elders that they intended seizing a further 324 dunums (80 acres) of land shared by both Aboud and Al-Lubban al-Gharbi on grounds that the land was needed in order to construct an Israeli-only road between the settlements of Beit Arye and Ofarim.Yumna Patel, 'Drowning among Israeli settlements, an ancient Christian village in Palestine struggles to survive,' Mondoweiss 17 August 2018
Church of St Mary (Sitti Miriam)
Al-Abudiyah Church, also known as Saint Mary's Church, is situated in the center of Aboud. The earliest remains, including two capitals and the semi-circular arches they support, suggests a fifth- to sixth-century construction date.Pringle, 1993, p. 18 It was long believed to have been founded during the Crusader period in Palestine, when it was known as Casale Santa Maria. But, an Aramaic inscription on a vault in the church, found during late 20th century restoration work, indicates that it was founded before the arrival of Crusaders, but fell into disrepair. According to the inscription, the church was rebuilt in 1058 CE during the Fatimid era. In the 18th century an additional wall, as well as several windows and doors were constructed.Pringle, 1993, pp. 20
Restorations and conservation were conducted in 1997. This uncovered remains of a Byzantine church with mosaic floors.Pringle, 2009, p. 249 The cement plaster in the vaulting of the church was replaced with traditional mortar, stones inside the church were cleaned, the atrium was repaved, and a reinforcing northern wall was constructed.
In 2013 Christians from the United Kingdom worked on a project with the church choir of St. Mary's Church to record "The Mary Prayers"The Mary Prayers as a fundraising initiative. Proceeds from the sales of the CD or downloads are directed to humanitarian projects for the Muslims and Christians in Aboud.
Demographics According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of approximately 2,084 inhabitants in 2007.2007 PCBS Census . Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. p. 112. It has a mixed population of Muslims and Christians, mostly Eastern Orthodox. It has ancient churches built during the Byzantine period of the 6th to 8th centuries.
Economy Historically, Aboud's economy was centered on agriculture, specifically olives. Their cultivation in the 21st century takes up 43% of village lands. In total, 57% of Aboud's lands are cultivable; other crops are figs, apples, grapes, and almonds. Its primary agricultural products are olive oil, olive-based soap, dried figs, and almonds. In 2005 agriculture employed 19% of the village's labor force. The remaining 81% work in the governmental and private sectors, construction, and animal husbandry.
Following the Second Intifada, which began in 2000, the residents who worked in Israel (10% of Aboud's labor force) lost their jobs there.'Aboud, the city of flowers, threatened by the Israeli Segregation Wall Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem. 9 June 2005.
Archaeology 'Abud Cave
The 'Abud cave, a large karst cave in the vicinity of the village, is also a significant archeological site. Artifacts from the Chalcolithic, Middle Bronze, and Iron Ages, as well as the Roman, Byzantine, and early Arab periods, have been discovered in it. During the Bar Kokhba revolt, it served as a refuge cave for Jewish refugees who left there numerous objects, including oil lamps, glass and metal artifacts, and coins typical of the period.