Khirbat Bayt Far was a Palestinian village in the Ramle Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine, located 14 km south of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 7, 1948. History Ceramics from the Byzantine era have been found here.Dauphin, 1998, p. 900 Ottoman era In 1838, in the late Ottoman era, it was noted as a village in ruins.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, p. 21Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 120
In 1863 Victor Guérin noted "important ruins" here. "There once stood a hamlet, the ruins of which are scattered over a feeble mound amid the bushes and tall grass."Guérin, 1869, p. 32
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) found here: "Walls and foundations, apparently modern, with caves and a spring."Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 237 British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Bait Far had a population of 28 Muslims,Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramleh, p. 21 decreasing in the 1931 census to 26 Muslims, in a total of 11 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 18.
In the 1945 statistics the village had a population of 300 Muslims with a total of 5,604 dunums of land. Of this, 19 dunums were for plantations and irrigable land, 5,337 dunums were for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 115 while a total of 248 dunams were classified as non-cultivable areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 165 1948, aftermath On 11 January 1948, Kfar Uriah was attacked by Arabs who came from neighboring Beit Jiz and Khirbet Beit Far.Morris, 2008, p. 102
In 1948, Beyt Pe'er was founded on village land, it later changed its name into Tal Shahar.Morris, 2004, p. 380 Morris notes that Tal Shahar was first named Tal-Boqer
In 1992 the village site was described: "All that is left of the village are debris and girders heaped together in a small area. The site is ringed by carob trees. The remains of an uprooted olive grove lies to the north and east." References
Bibliography
(p. 376)
External links Welcome To Bayt Far, Khirbat, Palestine Remembered Khirbat Bayt Far, Zochrot Survey of Western Palestine, Map 16: IAA, Wikimedia commons