Al-Mazar was a Palestinian Arab village located northeast of al-Sarafand.Morris, 2004, p. 248 In 1945, it had a population of 210.
History The village name Mazar, which is Arabic for "shrine", "a place one visits", was probably meant to commemorate the many people who were killed and buried there in the wars against the Crusaders.Khalidi, 1992, p.178
A population list from about 1887 showed that el Mizar had about 85 inhabitants; all Muslims.Schumacher, 1888, p. 178
British Mandate period In the British Mandate of Palestine period, in the 1922 census of Palestine ‘’Al Mazar’’ had a population of 134; all Muslims.Barron, 1923, Table XI, Sub-district of Haifa, p. 33 In the 1931 census, Al-Mazar was counted together with Khirbat Al-Manara, Ijzim and Qumbaza. The total population was 2,160; 88 Christians, 2,082 Muslims, in a total of 442 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 91
In the 1945 statistics the population was 210, all MuslimsGovernment of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 14 with a total of 7,976 dunams of land.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 48 Of this, 5 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 473 were plantations or irrigable land, 3,750 were for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 91 while 39 dunams were classified built-up, (urban), land.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 141
1948 and aftermath The village was first raided by the Israel Forces (IDF) on May 17 during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, with the aim of "rendering [the village] unworthy of use." The IDF encountered only 10-20 Arabs, who ran away, and the troops proceeded to "burn what could be burned." Within days of the IDF's withdrawal, some of the villagers had returned, Arab militants and civilians. The village was permanently depopulated as a result of another IDF military assault in mid-July 1948.Morris, 2004, p. 438 Following the war the area was incorporated into the State of Israel and the kibbutz of Ein Carmel was established partially on al-Mazar's land in 1950.
Shaykh Yahia/Ahya shrine The Maqam (shrine) was located on the lower slopes of a hill.Petersen, 2001, p. 216 In 1881, E. H. Palmer described the name as possibly coming from St. John of Tyre, who was noted in this direction in 1187.de Vogüé, 1860, p. 445; as noted in Palmer, 1881, p. 116 Ahya is also a name for John the Baptist.Palmer, 1881, p. 116
The shrine was surveyed by Ronen and Olami in 1964–65. They found a two roomed structure, facing east–west. The eastern room seemed the oldest; it was a domed rectangular room made of kurkar stone, where the surface were coated with plaster containing Byzantine pottery fragments. The western room was built of limestone.Ronen and Olami, 1978, as given in Petersen, 2001, p. 216
The shrine has now been destroyed, and the area has been converted into orchards.
References
Bibliography
Ronen, Avraham. Olami, Ya'aqov.(1978): (in Hebrew): Atlit map, Archaeological Survey of Israel. (p. 63-65)
External links Welcome To al-Mazar al-Mazar (Haifa), Zochrot Survey of Western Palestine, Map 5: IAA, Wikimedia commons al-Mazar, from the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center