Ar-Rihiya () is a Palestinian town located six kilometers southwest of Hebron. The town is in the Hebron Governorate southern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of over 5,754 in 2017.
History Ceramics from the Byzantine era have been found here.Dauphin, 1998, p. 963
Ottoman period Oral tradition suggests that Ar-Rihiya was founded after the 16th century.Grossman, D. "The expansion of the settlement frontier of Hebron's western and southern fringes". Geography Research Forum, 5, 1982, p. 62. The village likely originated in the 19th century, founded by Kurds from Tubas who grazed their herds in the vicinity. Before the establishment of the village, they dwelled in nearby caves.Grossman, D. (1986). "Oscillations in the Rural Settlement of Samaria and Judaea in the Ottoman Period". in Shomron studies. Dar, S., Safrai, S., (eds). Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House. p. 369
French explorer Victor Guérin visited the place in 1863, which he called Khirbet el-Harayeh. Local fellahins inhabited ancient underground storage areas.Guérin, 1869, pp. 211 -212
In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described the place as being a "large ruin with caves and cisterns, appears to be an ancient site".Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 377
British Mandate In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, 'Al Rihiyeh had a population 231 inhabitants, all Muslims.Barron, 1923, Table V, Sub-district of Hebron, p. 10 This had increased slightly at the time of the 1931 census to 243 Muslims, in 38 inhabited houses.Mills, 1932, p. 33
In the 1945 statistics the population of Ar-Rihiya was 330 Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 23 who owned 2,659 dunams of land according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 50 136 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 1,093 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 94 while 25 dunams were built-up (urban) land.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 144
Jordanian rule In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Ar-Rihiya came under Jordanian rule. It was annexed by Jordan in 1950.
In 1961, the population of Rihiya was 555.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 22
Post-1967 Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Ar-Rihiya has been under Israeli occupation.
Footnotes
Bibliography
External links Welcome To al-Rihiya Survey of Western Palestine, Map 21: IAA, Wikimedia commons Ar Rihiya Village (Fact Sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem, ARIJ Ar Rihiya Village Profile, ARIJ Ar Rihiya VillageArea Photo, ARIJ The priorities and needs for development in Ar Rihiya village based on the community and local authorities’ assessment, ARIJ