# Lajjun
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{{Short description|Depopulated Palestinian village near Jenin}}
{{About|the Palestinian village|the adjacent archaeological site|Legio}}
{{distinguish|text=[the al-Lajjun or el-Lejjun archaeological site](/source/Betthorus) in [Karak Governorate](/source/Karak_Governorate), [Jordan](/source/Jordan)}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Lajjun
| native_name = اللجّون
| native_name_lang = ar
| other_name = al-Lajjun, el-Lejjun
| settlement_type=
| image_skyline = File:Photo from the Arab village of Lajjun, 1924. Columns street half-buried and surrounded by the huts (Rockefeller Museum).jpg
| imagesize = 200
| image_caption = Lajjun, 1924. Half-buried Roman or Byzantine columns and modern huts (Rockefeller Museum).
| pushpin_map = Mandatory Palestine
| pushpin_map_caption= Location within [Mandatory Palestine](/source/Mandatory_Palestine)
| image_map = {{Historical map series|default=2|date1=1870s|date2=1940s|date3=modern|date4=1940s with modern overlay|width=225}} | map_caption = A series of historical maps of the area around Lajjun (click the buttons)
| pushpin_mapsize = 200
| coordinates = {{coord|32|34|29|N|35|10|40|E|type:city_region:PS|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name = [Palestine grid](/source/Palestine_grid)
| grid_position = 167/220
| subdivision_type = [Geopolitical entity](/source/Geopolitical_entity)
| subdivision_name = [Mandatory Palestine](/source/Mandatory_Palestine)
| subdivision_type1 = [Subdistrict](/source/Districts_of_Mandatory_Palestine)
| subdivision_name1 = [Jenin](/source/Jenin_Subdistrict)
| established_title1 = Date of depopulation
| established_date1 = May 30, 1948[Morris, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=uM_kFX6edX8C&pg=PR18 xviii], village #147. Also gives the cause of depopulation]
| established_title2 = Repopulated dates
| unit_pref = dunam
| area_total_dunam = 77,242
| population_as_of = 1948
| population_total = 1,280
| blank_name_sec1 = Cause(s) of depopulation
| blank_info_sec1 = Military assault by [Yishuv](/source/Yishuv) forces
| blank3_name_sec1 = Current Localities
| blank3_info_sec1 = [Kibbutz Megiddo](/source/Megiddo%2C_Israel)[
}}
'''Lajjun''' or '''Lejjun''' ({{langx|ar|اللجّون}}, ''el-Lejjūn'') was a large [Palestinian](/source/Palestine_(region)) [Arab](/source/Arab) village located {{convert|16|km|mi|sp=us}} northwest of [Jenin](/source/Jenin) and {{convert|1|km|sp=us}} south of the remains of the biblical city of [Megiddo](/source/Tel_Megiddo). The [Israel](/source/Israel)i [kibbutz](/source/kibbutz) of [Megiddo](/source/Megiddo%2C_Israel) was built 600 metres north-east of the depopulated village on the hill called Dhahrat ed-Dar starting from 1949.
The initial settlement grew next to a [Roman legion](/source/Roman_legion) camp, known simply as "[Legio](/source/Legio)", used by the [Legio VI Ferrata](/source/Legio_VI_Ferrata), for which it provided services.][{{Cite journal |last= Howry |first= Jeffrey C. |title= The Tale of Two Villages: New Perspective on the Historic Palestinian Landscape |journal=[Jerusalem Quarterly](/source/Jerusalem_Quarterly) |volume= 82 (Summer 2020) |year= 2020 |url= https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1650284 |access-date= 14 July 2025 |doi=10.70190/jq.I82.p38}} With map showing [Abu Shusha](/source/Abu_Shusha), Maximianopolis, Lejjun, Tel Megiddo, Legio.] Named after the camp, Lajjun's history of habitation spanned some 1,800 years, from the 2nd century during the [Roman province](/source/Roman_province) of [Syria Palaestina](/source/Syria_Palaestina), to the 20th century.[ Under [Abbasid](/source/Abbasid) rule it was the capital of a [subdistrict](/source/subdistrict), during [Mamluk](/source/Mamluk_Egypt) rule it served as an important station in the [postal route](/source/Postal_history_of_Palestine), and during [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_Empire) rule it was the capital of a district that bore its name. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire towards the end of [World War I](/source/World_War_I), Lajjun and all of Palestine was placed under the administration of the [British Mandate](/source/Mandate_for_Palestine). The village was depopulated during the [1948 Arab–Israeli War](/source/1948_Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_War), when it was captured by Israel. Most of its residents subsequently fled and settled in the nearby town of [Umm al-Fahm](/source/Umm_al-Fahm).
==Etymology==
The name ''Lajjun'' derives from the Roman name ''Legio'', referring to the Roman legion stationed there. In the 3rd century, the town was renamed ''Maximianopolis'' ("City of Maximian") by [Diocletian](/source/Diocletian) in honor of [Maximian](/source/Maximian), his co-emperor,][Tepper 2003] but the inhabitants continued to use the old name. Under the [Caliphate](/source/Caliphate), the name was [Arabicized](/source/Arabization) into ''al-Lajjûn'' or ''el-Lejjûn'',[Cline, 2002, p.[https://books.google.com/books?id=vMKtxYxoCycC&pg=PA115 115]] which was used until the [Crusader](/source/Crusades)s conquered Palestine in 1099. The Crusaders restored the Roman name ''Legio'', and introduced new names such as ''Ligum'' and ''le Lyon'', but after the town was reconquered by the Muslims in 1187,[{{cite map |scale= 1:20,000 |title = Palestine |author = Survey of Palestine|author-link=Survey of Palestine |url= http://primo.nli.org.il/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=NLI&docId=NNL_MAPS002367636 |date = 1928–1947 |pages= 16/21 Umm al-Fahm, 16/22 Megiddo}}] located on the southwestern edge of the [Jezreel Valley](/source/Jezreel_Valley) (''Marj ibn Amer''). Jenin, the entire valley, and Nazareth range are visible from it. The village was located on both the banks of a stream, a tributary of [Kishon River](/source/Kishon_River). The stream flows to the north and then east over {{convert|6|km|mi}} before arriving at Lajjun. That section is called Wadi es-Sitt (valley of the lady) in Arabic,[Palmer 1881, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp00conduoft#page/156/mode/1up 156]] The northern quarter was built in close proximity to a number of springs, including 'Ayn al Khalil, 'Ayn Nasir, 'Ayn Sitt Leila, and 'Ayn Jumma, collectively known as 'Uyun Seil Lajjun.[State of Israel, Hydrographic list part 2, items no. 282-286,295.] The eastern quarter was next to 'Ayn al Hajja.[{{cite map |scale= 1:20,000 |title = Palestine |author = Survey of Palestine |url= http://primo.nli.org.il/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=NLI&docId=NNL_MAPS002367636 |date = 1928–1947 |pages= 16/21 Umm al-Fahm, 16/22 Megiddo, 17/22 Afula}}][State of Israel, Hydrographic list part 1, item no. 177 (in list and indices).] Lajjun is bordered by Tall al-Mutsallem to the northeast, and by Tall al-Asmar to the northwest. Lajjun, which was linked by secondary roads to the Jenin-Haifa road, and the road that led southwest to the town of Umm al-Fahm, laid close to the junctions of the two highways.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.palestineremembered.com/Jinin/al-Lajjun/SatelliteView.html|title=Palestine Remembered: Satellite View of al-Lajjun - اللجون, Jinin-جنين|website=www.palestineremembered.com}}]
==History==
===Bronze and Iron Ages===
Lajjun is about {{convert|1|km|mi|sp=us}} south of [Tel Megiddo](/source/Tel_Megiddo), Arabic name: Tell al-Mutasallim, which is identified with ancient Megiddo.[ During the rule of the [Canaan](/source/Canaan)ites and then the [Israelite](/source/Israelite)s, Megiddo, located on the military road leading from [Asia](/source/Asia) to [Egypt](/source/Egypt) and in a commanding situation, was heavily fortified by both peoples.
Lajjun stream has been identified with the brook Kina, or Qina, which is mentioned in the Egyptian descriptions of [Thutmose III](/source/Thutmose_III)'s [Battle of Megiddo](/source/Battle_of_Megiddo_(15th_century_BC)). According to the reconstruction of Harold Hayden Nelson, the entire battle was fought in the valley, between the three quarters of modern Lajjun.][Nelson (1921) [1913]] However, both [Na'aman](/source/Nadav_Na'aman)[{{cite journal |jstor=27927106 |title= Shechem of the Amarna Period and the Rise of the Northern Kingdom of Israel |journal= Israel Exploration Journal |date= 2005 |last1= Finkelstein |author-link1=Israel Finkelstein|last2= Na'aman |volume= 55 |issue= 2 |page= 178}}] and [Zertal](/source/Adam_Zertal)[{{cite book |last1=Zertal |first1=Adam |title=Egypt, Canaan and Israel: History, Imperialism, Ideology and Literature |author-link1=Adam Zertal|chapter=The Arunah Pass|year=2011|pages=342–356|doi=10.1163/ej.9789004194939.i-370.122|isbn=9789004210691 }}][Zertal, 2016, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XytzCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA51 51]-52, [https://books.google.com/books?id=XytzCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA74 74]] suggested alternative locations for Qina. This stream may be the "[Waters of Megiddo](/source/Waters_of_Megiddo)" in the [Song of Deborah](/source/Deborah)[{{cite journal |last1=Gass|first1=Erasmus |title=The Deborah-Barak Composition (Jdg 4–5): Some Topographical Reflections |journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly |volume=149|issue=4 |year=2017 |pages=326–335 |issn=0031-0328 |doi=10.1080/00310328.2017.1386439|s2cid=165369658 |url=https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:384-opus4-945973 }}] In the same context, {{bibleverse|Judges|4}} attests to the presence of a branch of the [Kenite](/source/Kenite) clan somewhere in the area; relating this name to Thutmose's ''Annals'', scholars like [Shmuel Yeivin](/source/Shmuel_Yeivin) theorized that the name Qina derives from ''qyni'' ({{langx|he|קיני}}).[{{cite journal |author-link= Shmuel Yeivin |last=Yeivin |first=Shmuel |trans-title= Topographic and ethnic remarks II 5 : the five Cushite clans of Canaan |script-title =he:הערות טופוגראפיות ואתניות... חמשת בתי-האב הכושיים בכנען |journal= Beit Mikra: Journal for the Study of the Bible and Its World |language=he |date=1962 |volume=7 |issue=2 |page=31 |jstor=23499537}}] [Donald B. Redford](/source/Donald_B._Redford) noted that the Egyptian transliteration might be of "qayin".[Redford 2003, p. 109 note 26]
===Roman era===
Modern-day historical geographers have placed the [Second Temple period](/source/Second_Temple_period) village of '''Kefar ʿUthnai''' ({{Langx|he|כפר עותנאי}}) in the confines of the Arab village, and which place-name underwent a change after a Roman Legion had camped there.[{{cite journal |last=Zissu|first=Boaz |title=Miqwaʾ ot at Kefar ʿOthnai near Legio|journal=Israel Exploration Journal |volume=56|issue=1|pages=57–66 |date=2006|jstor=27927125 }}][[Safrai](/source/Ze'ev_Safrai) (1980), p. 223 (note 5)] It appears in Latin characters under its old name '''Caporcotani''' in the [Tabula Peutingeriana](/source/Tabula_Peutingeriana) Map, and lay along the Roman road from [Caesarea](/source/Caesarea_Maritima) to Scythopolis ([Beit Shean](/source/Beit_Shean)).[Tsafrir, Di Segni & Green, p. 170][B. Isaac & I. Roll 1982][Thomsen, p. 77] [Ptolemy](/source/Ptolemy) (''[Geography](/source/Geography_(Ptolemy))'' V, 15: 3) also mentions the site in the second century CE, referring to the place under its Latin appellation, Caporcotani, and where he mentions it as one of the four cities of the Galilee, with [Sepphoris](/source/Sepphoris), [Julias](/source/Bethsaida) and [Tiberias](/source/Tiberias).[David Adan-Bayewitz, Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, [Bar-Ilan University](/source/Bar-Ilan_University), [https://lisa.biu.ac.il/en/node/9550 Question & Response] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402015159/https://lisa.biu.ac.il/en/node/9550 |date=2019-04-02 }} (2 December 2013)] Among the village's famous personalities was [Rabban Gamliel](/source/Rabban_Gamaliel_II).[[Babylonian Talmud](/source/Babylonian_Talmud), ''Gittin'' 10b (Mishnah ''Gittin'' 1:5)] After the [Bar Kochba Revolt](/source/Bar_Kochba_Revolt)—a Jewish uprising against the [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire)—had been suppressed in 135 CE, the Roman emperor [Hadrian](/source/Hadrian) ordered a second [Roman legion](/source/Roman_legion), ''[Legio VI Ferrata](/source/Legio_VI_Ferrata)'' (6th "Ironclad" Legion), to be stationed in the north of the country to guard the [Wadi Ara](/source/Wadi_Ara) region, a crucial line of communication between the [coastal plain](/source/Israeli_coastal_plain) of [Palestine](/source/Syria_Palaestina) and the [Jezreel Valley](/source/Jezreel_Valley).[Pringle, 1998, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2Y0tA0xLzwEC&pg=PA3 3]][Khalidi, 1992, p. 334] The place where it established its camp was known as '''[Legio](/source/Legio)'''.
In the 3rd century CE, when the army was removed, Legio became a city and its name was augmented with the adjectival ['''Maximianopolis'''](/source/Maximianopolis_in_Palaestina).[[http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=24904&mag_id=124 IAA Report: Kefar ‘Otnay and Legio]][[Israel Antiquities Authority](/source/Israel_Antiquities_Authority), [http://www.antiquities.org.il/m_digs_eng.aspx?shana=2004 Excavators and Excavations Permit for Year 2004], Survey Permit # A-4227]
===Early Muslim period===
Some Muslim historians believe the site of the [Battle of Ajnadayn](/source/Battle_of_Ajnadayn) between the [Muslim Arabs](/source/Rashidun_Caliphate) and the [Byzantines](/source/Byzantine_Empire) in 634 CE was at Lajjun. Following the Muslim victory, Lajjun, along with most of Palestine, and [southern Syria](/source/Hauran) were incorporated into the [Caliphate](/source/Caliphate).[Gil, 1997, p.42.] According to medieval geographers [Estakhri](/source/Estakhri) and [Ibn Hawqal](/source/Ibn_Hawqal), Lajjun was the northernmost town of [Jund Filastin](/source/Jund_Filastin) (military district of Palestine).[Estakhri and Ibn Hawqal quoted in le Strange, 1890, [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/28/mode/1up p.28].]
A hoard of [dinars](/source/Gold_dinar) dating from the [Umayyad](/source/Umayyad_Caliphate) era have been found at Lajjun.[Mayer, 1932, pp. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.56294/page/n202/mode/1up 100]–102]
The 10th-century Persian geographer [Ibn al-Faqih](/source/Ibn_al-Faqih) wrote of a local legend related by the people of Lajjun regarding the source of the abundant spring used as the town's primary water source over the ages:
there is just outside al-Lajjun a large stone of round form, over which is built a dome, which they call the [Mosque](/source/Mosque) of [Abraham](/source/Abraham). A copious stream of water flows from under the stone and it is reported that Abraham struck the stone with his staff, and there immediately flowed from it water enough to suffice for the supply of the people of the town, and also to water their lands. The spring continues to flow down to the present day.[Ibn al-Faqih quoted in le Strange, 1890, [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/492/mode/1up p.492].]
The '''Mosque of Ibrahim''', referred to in Ibn al-Faqīh's account, was a famous 10th–15th century Islamic [shrine](/source/shrine). The mosque was attributed to a miracle by the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), who is said to have struck the rock with his staff to bring forth water. This association made the site a regional place of [pilgrimage](/source/pilgrimage) for centuries. The mosque disappeared from the historical record by the 16th century, but its memory survived in local [oral tradition](/source/oral_tradition)s and place-names. Recent archaeological and historical research has proposed that the mosque may be identified with monumental remains above the ʿAyn al-Sitt spring, including a [dome](/source/dome)d structure with vaulted chambers and reused Roman elements. Scholars interpret the shrine as part of a broader [Islamization](/source/Islamization) of sacred geography in the [Levant](/source/Levant), incorporating local water traditions into the Islamic Abrahamic narrative.[[Roy Marom](/source/Roy_Marom), [Matthew J. Adams](/source/Matthew_J._Adams), & [Yotam Tepper](/source/Yotam_Tepper) (2025). "The Mosque of Ibrahim: A 10th-Century Shrine at al-Lajjun." ''Journal of Islamic Archaeology'' 11(2): 123–146. https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.28376]
In 940, [Ibn Ra'iq](/source/Ibn_Ra'iq), during his conflict over control of Syria with the [Ikhshidid](/source/Ikhshidid)s of [Egypt](/source/Egypt), fought against them in an indecisive battle at Lajjun. During the battle, Abu Nasr al-Husayn—the Ikhshidid general and brother of the Ikhshidid ruler, [Muhammad ibn Tughj](/source/Muhammad_ibn_Tughj)—was killed. Ibn Ra'iq was remorseful at the sight of Husayn's dead body and offered his seventeen-year-old son, Abu'l-Fath Muzahim, to Ibn Tughj "to do with him whatever they saw fit". Ibn Tughj was honored by Ibn Ra'iq's gesture; instead of executing Muzahim, he gave the latter several gifts and robes, then married him to his daughter Fatima.[Gil, 1997, p.318.]
In 945, the [Hamdanid](/source/Hamdanid)s of [Aleppo](/source/Aleppo) and the Ikhshidids fought a battle in Lajjun. It resulted in an Ikhshidid victory putting a halt to Hamdanid expansion southward under the leadership of [Sayf al-Dawla](/source/Sayf_al-Dawla).[al-Muqaddasi quoted in le Strange, 1890, [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/492/mode/1up p.492].] Moreover, it was the center of a ''[nahiya](/source/nahiya)'' (subdistrict) of [Jund al-Urdunn](/source/Jund_al-Urdunn) (military district of Jordan),[le Strange, 1890, [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/39/mode/1up p.39].] which also included the towns of [Nazareth](/source/Nazareth) and [Jenin](/source/Jenin).[al-Muqaddasi quoted in le Strange, 1890, [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/301/mode/1up p.301].][Al-Muqaddasi, ''The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions'' (Being a translation of "Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Maʿrifat al-Aqalim"), Reading 1994, p. 141 {{ISBN|1-873938-14-4}}]
===Crusader, Ayyubid and Mamluk periods===
When the Crusaders invaded and conquered the [Levant](/source/Levant) from the [Fatimid](/source/Fatimid)s in 1099, al-Lajjun's Roman name, '''Legio''', was restored and the town formed a part of the lordship of [Caesarea](/source/Caesarea_Maritima). During this time, Christian settlement in Legio grew significantly. [John of Ibelin](/source/John_of_Ibelin_(jurist)) records that the community "owed the service of 100 sergeants". Bernard, the archbishop of Nazareth granted some of the [tithe](/source/tithe)s of Legio to the hospital of the monastery of St. Mary in 1115, then in 1121, he extended the grant to include all of Legio, including its church as well as the nearby village of [Ti'inik](/source/Ti'inik). By 1147, the de Lyon family controlled Legio, but by 1168, the town was held by Payen, the lord of [Haifa](/source/Haifa). Legio had markets, a town oven and held other economic activities during this era. In 1182, the [Ayyubid](/source/Ayyubid)s raided Legio, and in 1187, it was captured by them under the leadership of [Saladin](/source/Saladin)'s nephew Husam ad-Din 'Amr and consequently its Arabic name, '''Lajjun''', was restored.[le Strange, 1890, [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/493/mode/1up p.493].] A number of Muslim kings and prominent persons passed through the village, including Ayyubid sultan [al-Kamil](/source/al-Kamil), who gave his daughter 'Ashura' in marriage to his nephew while visiting the town in 1231.[Popper 1955, p. [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.32106019613105;view=1up;seq=34 16]]). In the 14th century members of a [Yaman](/source/Qays%E2%80%93Yaman_rivalry)i tribe lived there.[Shams al-Dìn al-'Uthmànì cited in Drory 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=NBBMJJTEoKMC&pg=PA179 179]] Shams al-Din al-'Uthmani, writing probably in the 1370s, reported it was the seat of Marj ibn Amer, and had a great ''[khan](/source/Khan_(inn))'' for travellers, a "terrace of the sultan" and the [Maqam (shrine)](/source/Maqam_(shrine)) of Abraham.['Uthmani, ''Ta'rikh Safad'' sec. X, in a partial reproduction of the Arabic text in Lewis, 1953 p. 483. Cf. a complete edition in Zakkār, 2009.] The Mamluks fortified it in the 15th century and the town became a major staging post on the [postal route](/source/Postal_history_of_Palestine) (''braid'') between [Egypt](/source/Egypt) and [Damascus](/source/Damascus).[Ze'evi, 1996, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EN-Pd-JLybUC&pg=PA41 41].] When the Mamluks were completely uprooted and Selim returned to [Istanbul](/source/Istanbul), the Tarabays were granted the territory of Lajjun. The town eventually became the capital of the ''[Sanjak](/source/Sanjak)'' ("District") of Lajjun, which was a part of the province of [Damascus](/source/Damascus), and encompassed the [Jezreel Valley](/source/Jezreel_Valley), northern [Samaria](/source/Samaria), and a part of the north-central coastline of Palestine as its territory.[Agmon, 2006, p. 65.][{{Cite journal |last1=Marom |first1=Roy |last2=Tepper |first2=Yotam |last3=Adams |first3=Matthew J. |date=2023-05-09 |title=Lajjun: Forgotten Provincial Capital in Ottoman Palestine |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0xr5x18n |journal=Levant |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=218–241 |doi=10.1080/00758914.2023.2202484 |language=en}}][{{Cite web |last1=al-Bakhīt |first1=Muḥammad ʻAdnān |last2=al-Ḥamūd |first2=Nūfān Rajā |title=Daftar mufaṣṣal nāḥiyat Marj Banī ʻĀmir wa-tawābiʻihā wa-lawāḥiqihā allatī kānat fī taṣarruf al-Amīr Ṭarah Bāy sanat 945 ah |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/28579982 |access-date=2023-05-15 |website=www.worldcat.org |publisher=Jordanian University |pages=1–35 |language=en |publication-place=Amman |publication-date=1989}}] It was composed of four ''nahiyas'' ("sub-districts") (Jinin, Sahel Atlit, Sa'ra, and Shafa), and encompassed a total of 55 villages, including [Haifa](/source/Haifa), Jenin, and [Baysan](/source/Baysan).[[https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/dspace/bitstream/1887/4360/7/02.pdf The Cultural Landscape of the Tell Jenin Region]. Leiden University Open Access, p.29, p.32.]
After a short period in which the Tarabays were in a state of rebellion, tensions suddenly died down and the Ottomans appointed Ali ibn Tarabay as the governor of Lajjun in 1559. His son Assaf Tarabay ruled Lajjun from 1571 to 1583. During his reign, he extended Tarabay power and influence to [Sanjak Nablus](/source/Sanjak_Nablus).[Ze'evi, 1996, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EN-Pd-JLybUC&pg=PA42 42].] In 1579, Assaf, referred to as the "[Sanjaqbey](/source/Sanjak-bey) of al-Lajjun," is mentioned as the builder of a mosque in the village of [al-Tira](/source/Al-Tira%2C_Haifa).[Heyd, 1960, 110 n.4. Cited in Petersen, 2002, p. [https://www.academia.edu/21620272/Gazetteer_6._S-Z 306]] Assaf was deposed and banished in 1583 to the island of [Rhodes](/source/Rhodes). Six years later, in 1589, he was pardoned and resettled in the town. At the time, an impostor also named Assaf, had attempted to seize control of Sanjak Lajjun. Known later as Assaf al-Kadhab ("Assaf the Liar"), he was arrested and executed in Damascus where he traveled in attempt to confirm his appointment as governor of the district.[Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 190. Quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p. 521.]
Assaf Tarabay was not reinstated as governor, but Lajjun remained in Tarabay hands, under the rule of Governor Tarabay ibn Ali who was succeeded upon his death by his son Ahmad in 1601, who also ruled until his death in 1657. Ahmad, known for his courage and hospitality,[Ze'evi, 1996, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EN-Pd-JLybUC&pg=PA49 49]-50.]
The Ottoman authorities of Damascus expanded Ahmad's fief as a token of gratitude. Ahmad's son Zayn Tarabay ruled Lajjun for a brief period until his death in 1660. He was succeeded by Ahmad's brother Muhammad Tarabay, who—according to his French secretary—had good intentions for governing Lajjun, but was addicted to [opium](/source/opium) and as a result had been a weak leader. After his death in 1671, other members of the Tarabay family ruled Lajjun until 1677 when the Ottomans replaced them with a government officer.[Ze'evi, 1996, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EN-Pd-JLybUC&pg=PA94 94].] Later during this century, Sheikh Ziben, ancestor to the [Arrabah](/source/Arraba%2C_Jenin)-based Abd al-Hadi clan, became the leader of Sanjak Lajjun.[Maundrell, 1836, [https://archive.org/details/ajourneyfromale00maungoog/page/n112/mode/1up p. 97]]
====Later Ottoman rule====
[[File:Khan al-Lajjun.jpg|thumb|Drawing of the remains of the [khan](/source/Khan_(inn)) and old bridge at Lajjun, 1870s[Wilson, ed., 1881, vol 2, p. [https://archive.org/stream/picturesquepales02wilsuoft#page/24/mode/1up 24]]]]
Much of the Lajjun district territories were actually taxed by the stronger families of Sanjak Nablus by 1723. Later in the 18th century, Lajjun was replaced by Jenin as the administrative capital of the ''sanjak'' which now included the Sanjak of [Ajlun](/source/Ajlun). By the 19th century it was renamed Sanjak Jenin, although 'Ajlun was separated from it.[Doumani, 1995, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=zry-tpH3rz8C&pg=PA39 39].] [Zahir al-Umar](/source/Zahir_al-Umar), who became the effective ruler of the [Galilee](/source/Galilee) for a short period during the second half of the 18th century, was reported to have used cannons against Lajjun in the course of his campaign between 1771–1773 to capture [Nablus](/source/Nablus).[Abu Dayya, 1986:51, cited in Khalidi, 1992, p.335] It is possible that this attack led to the village's decline in the years that followed.[Schumacher, 1908, p. [https://archive.org/stream/tellelmutesellim01schuuoft#page/186/mode/1up 186]]]]
[Edward Robinson](/source/Edward_Robinson_(scholar)) visited in 1838, and noted that the ''khan'', which Maundrell commented on, was for the accommodation of the caravans passing on the great road between Egypt and Damascus which comes from the [western plain along the coast](/source/Israeli_coastal_plain), over [the hills](/source/Menashe_Heights) to Lajjun, and enters the plain of [Esdraelon](/source/Esdraelon).[Robinson, [http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moa;cc=moa;q1=earthquake;rgn=full%20text;idno=afg7241.0002.001;didno=afg7241.0002.001;view=image;seq=00000346 p.328] f.f.] When the British [consul](/source/consul) [James Finn](/source/James_Finn) visited the area in the mid-19th century, he did not see a village.[[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22097/22097-h/22097-h.htm#page229 Finn 1868:229-30], also cited in Khalidi, 1992, p.335] The authors of the ''Survey of Western Palestine'' also noticed a ''khan'', south of the ruins of Lajjun in the early 1880s.[Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWPII pp. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp02conduoft#page/64/mode/1up 64]-[https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp02conduoft#page/66/mode/1up 66], cited in Khalidi, 1992, p.335.] [Gottlieb Schumacher](/source/Gottlieb_Schumacher) saw caravans resting at the Lajjun stream in the early 1900s.[Schumacher, 1908, p. [https://archive.org/stream/tellelmutesellim01schuuoft#page/6/mode/1up 6]]
[[File:Schumacher6.jpg|thumb|right|A herd of [camel](/source/camel)s near a stream in Lajjun, 1908[]]
Andrew Petersen, inspecting the place in 1993, noted that the principal extant buildings at the site are the ''khan'' and a bridge. The bridge, which crosses a major tributary of the [Kishon River](/source/Kishon_River), is approximately {{convert|4|m|ft|sp=us}} wide and {{convert|16|m|ft|sp=us}} to {{convert|20|m|ft|sp=us}} long. It is carried on three arches, the north side has been robbed of its outer face, while the south side is heavily overgrown with vegetation. According to Petersen, the bridge was already in ruins when drawn by [Charles William Wilson](/source/Charles_William_Wilson) in the 1870s. The ''khan'' is located on a low hill {{convert|150|m|ft|sp=us}} to the southwest of the bridge. It is a square enclosure measuring approximately {{convert|30|m|ft|sp=us}} per side with a central courtyard. The ruins are covered with vegetation, and only the remains of one room is visible.][Petersen, 2001, p. [https://www.academia.edu/21620056/Gazetteer_5_K-R 201]]
The modern village of Lajjun was a satellite village Umm al-Fahm. During its existence it came to eclipse its mother settlement in infrastructure and economic importance.[{{Cite journal |last1=Marom |first1=Roy |last2=Tepper |first2=Yotam |last3=Adams |first3=Matthew J. |date=2024-01-03 |title=Al-Lajjun: a Social and geographic account of a Palestinian Village during the British Mandate Period |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/93p3k4hj |journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |pages=1–27 |language=en |doi=10.1080/13530194.2023.2279340}}] Originally, in the late 19th century, Arabs from [Umm al-Fahm](/source/Umm_al-Fahm) started to make use of the Lajjun farmland, settling for the season.[Rami, S. [http://www.jerusalemites.org/crimes/destroyed_villages/44.htm al-Lajjun] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120041759/http://www.jerusalemites.org/crimes/destroyed_villages/44.htm |date=2008-11-20 }} Jerusalemites.][Khalidi, 1992, p.335][Schumacher, 1908, p. [https://archive.org/stream/tellelmutesellim01schuuoft#page/7/mode/1up 7]] and calls the village along the stream ''Ain es-Sitt''. Which, he noted, "consists of only nine shabby huts in the midst of ruins and heaps of dung." and a few more [fellah](/source/fellah)in huts south of the stream.[Schumacher, 1908, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/tellelmutesellim01schuuoft#page/186/mode/1up 186-187]] By 1925 some of the inhabitants of Lajjun reused stones from the ancient structure that had been unearthed to build new housing.[[Fisher](/source/Clarence_Stanley_Fisher), 1929, ''[http://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/oic4.pdf The Excavation of Armageddon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009114905/http://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/oic4.pdf |date=2012-10-09 }},'' p. 18, cited in Khalidi, 1992, p.335] At some point in the early 20th century the four ''[hamula](/source/hamula)s'' ("clans") of Umm al-Fahm divided the land among themselves: al-Mahajina, al-Ghubariyya, al-Jabbarin and al-Mahamid clans.[Kana´na and Mahamid 1987:44-45][Bronstein, 2004. pp. 7, 16] Lajjun thus transformed into three ‘Lajjuns’, or administratively separate neighbourhoods reflecting the Hebronite/Khalīlī settlement pattern of its founders.[{{Cite journal |last1=Marom |first1=Roy |last2=Tepper |first2=Yotam |last3=Adams |first3=Matthew J. |date=2024-01-03 |title=Al-Lajjun: a Social and geographic account of a Palestinian Village during the British Mandate Period |url=https://www.academia.edu/112920818 |journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |language=en |pages=8–11 |doi=10.1080/13530194.2023.2279340 |issn=1353-0194}}]
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Karte des tell-el-mutsellim und von el-leddschōn.jpg
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| alt1 = Map of Tel Megiddo and Lajjun in 1905. The village is at the dark knee of the stream
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===British Mandate period===
More people moved to Lajjun during the [British mandate](/source/Mandatory_Palestine) period, particularly in the late thirties, due to the British crackdown on participants in the [1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine](/source/1936%E2%80%931939_Arab_revolt_in_Palestine).[Bronstein 2004, pp. 8, 13] During 1940–1941, a police station belonging to the [Tegart fort](/source/Tegart_fort)s system was constructed at the road intersection outside Lajjun by the British Mandate government.[{{cite journal|jstor=27927125 |page=57 |title=Miqwa'ot at Kefar Othnai near Legio |first1=Boaz |last1= Zissu |first2= Y. |last2= Tepper|author-link2=Yotam Tepper |first3= David |last3= Amit |journal= Israel Exploration Journal |volume=56 |issue= 1 |date= 2006 }}]
Lajjun's economy grew rapidly as a result of the influx of the additional population.[Kana´na and Mahamid 1987:7-9. Cited in Khalidi, 1992, p.335] As the village expanded, it was divided into three quarters, one to the east, one to the west, and the older one in the north. Each quarter was inhabited by one or more ''hamula'' ("clan").[Kana´na and Mahamid 1987:44. Cited in Khalidi, 1992, p. 335]
[[File:Lajjun (Survey of Palestine map).jpg|thumb|[Survey of Palestine](/source/Survey_of_Palestine) map of Lajjun, 1946]]
Lajjun had a school that was founded in 1937 and that had an enrollment of 83 in 1944. It was located in the quarter belonging to the al-Mahajina al-Fawqa clan, that is, in Khirbat al-Khan. In 1943, one of the large landowners in the village financed the construction of a mosque, built of white stone, in the al-Ghubariyya (eastern) quarter. Another mosque was also established in the al-Mahamid quarter during the same period, and was financed by the residents themselves.[Bronstein 2004, pp. 6, 7]
In [1945](/source/Village_Statistics%2C_1945), Lajjun, Umm al-Fahm and seven hamlets had a total land area of {{Convert|77.24|km2|sqmi}}, of which {{Convert|68.3|km2|sqmi}} was Arab-owned, and the remainder being public property.[Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p17.jpg 17]][Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Jinin/Page-055.jpg p.55]. The seven hamlets were [Aqqada](/source/Aqqada), [Ein Ibrahim](/source/Ein_Ibrahim), [Khirbet al-Buweishat](/source/Khirbet_al-Buweishat), [Mu'awiya](/source/Mu'awiya%2C_Basma), [Musheirifa](/source/Musheirifa), [al-Murtafi'a](/source/al-Murtafi'a), and [Musmus](/source/Musmus).] There was a total of {{Convert|50|km2|acre|abbr=on}} of land that was cultivated; {{Convert|4.3|km2|acre|abbr=on}} were used for plantations and irrigated, and {{Convert|44.6|km2|acre|abbr=on}} were planted with cereals (wheat and barley).[Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Jinin/Page-100.jpg p.100].] The built-up area of the villages was {{Convert|0.128|km2|acre|abbr=on}}, most of it being in Umm al-Fahm and Lajjun.[Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Jinin/Page-100.jpg p.150]] Former villagers recall they grew wheat and corn in the fields, and irrigated crops such as eggplant, tomato, okra, cowpea and watermelon.[Bronstein 2004, pp. 3, 6, 10-11, 12] A survey map from 1946 shows most of the buildings in the eastern and western quarters as built from stone and mud,[{{cite map |author =Survey of Palestine |author-link =Survey of Palestine |title =Lajjun |date =1947 |url =http://www.archives.gov.il/en/archives/#/Archive/0b07170680034d87/File/0b071706804e088f |scale =1:2,500 |series =Village Surveys 1946 |via =[Israel State Archives](/source/Israel_State_Archives) |access-date =2018-03-03 |archive-date =2023-04-08 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20230408115228/https://www.archives.gov.il/en/archives/#/Archive/0b07170680034d87/File/0b071706804e088f |url-status =dead }}] but some used mud over wood.[Bronstein 2004, pp. 5-6] Many houses had neighbouring small plots marked as "orchards".[Kana´na and Mahamid 1987:48-49. Cited in Khalidi, 1992, p. 335]
In addition to agriculture, residents practiced [animal husbandry](/source/animal_husbandry) which formed was an important source of income for the town. In 1943, they owned 512 heads of [cattle](/source/cattle), 834 [sheep](/source/sheep) over a year old, 167 [goat](/source/goat)s over a year old, 26 [camel](/source/camel)s, 85 [horse](/source/horse)s, 13 [mule](/source/mule)s, 481 [donkey](/source/donkey)s, 3822 [fowl](/source/fowl)s, 700 [pigeons](/source/Domestic_pigeon), and 206 [pig](/source/pig)s.[{{Cite journal |last=Marom |first=Roy |last2=Tepper |first2=Yotam |last3=Adams |first3=Matthew J. |date=2024-01-03 |title=Al-Lajjun: a Social and geographic account of a Palestinian Village during the British Mandate Period |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13530194.2023.2279340 |journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |language=en |page=20 |doi=10.1080/13530194.2023.2279340 |issn=1353-0194|url-access=subscription }}]
====1948 War====
Lajjun was allotted to the Arab state in the 1947 proposed [United Nations Partition Plan](/source/United_Nations_Partition_Plan). The village was defended by the [Arab Liberation Army](/source/Arab_Liberation_Army) (ALA),[Schmidt, Dana Adams. [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C17FA3F59157A93C7A8178FD85F4C8485F9&scp=8&sq=Lajjun&st=cse British Repudiate Palestine Charge; Deny Obstructing U.N. Unit - Violence Flares as Big Evacuation Convoy Starts] ''[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)''. 1948-04-14. The New York Times Company.] [Palmach](/source/Palmach) units of the Haganah raided and blew up much of Lajjun on the night of April 15–16.[Morris, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=uM_kFX6edX8C&pg=PA242 242]]
On April 17, it was occupied by the Haganah. According to the newspaper, Lajjun was the "most important place taken by the Jews, whose offensive has carried them through ten villages south and east of Mishmar Ha'emek." The report added that women and children had been removed from the village and that 27 buildings in the village were blown up by the Haganah. However, al-Qawuqji states that attacks resumed on May 6, when ALA positions in the area of Lajjun were attacked by Haganah forces. The ALA's Yarmouk Battalion and other ALA units drove back their forces, but two days later, the ALA commander reported that the Haganah was "trying to cut off the Lajjun area from [Tulkarm](/source/Tulkarm) in preparation of seizing Lajjun and Jenin".[Schmidt, Dana Adams. [https://www.nytimes.com/1948/04/16/archives/jews-press-arabs-in-pitched-battle-in-north-palestine-seize-10.html?scp=2&st=cse Jews press Arabs in Pitched Battle in North Palestine; Seize 10 Villages and 7 Guns in Mishmar Haemek Area - Repel Counter-Attacks UN Session Opens Today, Special Assembly to Gather at Flushing Meadow in Gloom - Zionist Rejects Truce Pitched Battle Rages in Palestine Jew Press Arabs in North Palestine] ''[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)''. 1948-04-16. The New York Times Company.]
===State of Israel===
On May 30, 1948, in the first stage of the [1948 Arab-Israeli War](/source/1948_Arab-Israeli_War), Lajjun was captured by [Israel](/source/Israel)'s [Golani Brigade](/source/Golani_Brigade) in [Operation Gideon](/source/Operation_Gideon). The capture was particularly important for the Israelis because of its strategic location at the entrance of the [Wadi Ara](/source/Wadi_Ara), which thus, brought their forces closer to Jenin.[Tal, 2004, p. 232.] During the second truce between Israel and the Arab coalition, in early September, a [United Nations](/source/United_Nations) official fixed the permanent truce line in the area of Lajjun, according to press reports. A 500-yard strip was established on both sides of the line in which Arabs and Jews were allowed to harvest their crops.[Morris, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=uM_kFX6edX8C&pg=PA439 439]]
[Kibbutz Megiddo](/source/Megiddo%2C_Israel) was built on some of Lajjun's village lands starting in 1949. Lajjun's buildings were demolished in the following months.[
In November 1953, {{convert|34.6|km2|sqmi}} of the lands of Umm al-Fahm were confiscated by the state, invoking the [Land Acquisition (Validation of Acts and Compensation) Law, 5713-1953](/source/Israeli_land_and_property_laws). These included much of the built-up area of Lajjun (at Block 20420, covering {{convert|0.2|km2|sqmi}}).][See GIS map by the [Survey of Israel](/source/Survey_of_Israel): [https://www.govmap.gov.il/?c=216740.55,719700.95&z=6&b=4&lay=SUB_GUSH_ALL].] It was later [planted with forest trees](/source/afforestation).
In 1992 [Walid Khalidi](/source/Walid_Khalidi) described the remains: "Only the white stone mosque, one village mill, the village health center, and a few partially destroyed houses remain on the site. The mosque has been converted into a carpentry workshop and one of the houses has been made into a chicken coop. The health center and grain mill are deserted, and the school is gone. The cemetery remains, but it is in a neglected state; the tomb of Yusuf al-Hamdan, a prominent nationalist who fell in the 1936 revolt, is clearly visible. The surrounding lands are planted with almond trees, wheat, and barley; they also contain animal sheds, a fodder plant, and a pump installed on the spring of 'Ayn al-Hajja. The site is tightly fenced in and entry is blocked."[Khalidi, 1992, pp. 336-337] In 2000 [Meron Benvenisti](/source/Meron_Benvenisti) restated the information about the 1943 white mosque.[Benvenisti, 2000, p. [https://archive.org/details/sacredlandscapeb00benvrich/page/n348 319]] By 2007 it was evacuated and sealed up.
[{{cite news |url= http://www.badil.org/en/component/k2/item/407-highlighting-1948-dispossession-in-the-israeli-courts.html |author= Isabelle Humphries |issue= 35 |date= Autumn 2007 |publisher= BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights |newspaper= al-Majdal |title= Highlighting 1948 Dispossession in the Israeli Courts |access-date= 2018-03-26 |archive-date= 2018-03-27 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180327084419/http://www.badil.org/en/component/k2/item/407-highlighting-1948-dispossession-in-the-israeli-courts.html |url-status= dead }}] and the supreme court held the decision in 2010.[{{cite news| url= https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/7172 |date= 2010-01-12 | publisher= Adalah |title= Israeli Supreme Court Rules that Lands Confiscated in Lajoun from 486 Arab Families in 1953 for "Settlement Needs" will not be Returned to Them }}]
Lajjun is among the Palestinian villages for which commemorative Marches of Return have taken place, typically as part of [Nakba Day](/source/Nakba_Day), such as the demonstrations organized by [the Association for the Defence of the Rights of the Internally Displaced](/source/the_Association_for_the_Defence_of_the_Rights_of_the_Internally_Displaced).[{{Cite web |last=Charif |first=Maher |title=Meanings of the Nakba |url=https://www.palquest.org/en/highlight/6585/meanings-nakba |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question – palquest |language=en}}]
In 2013, architect Shadi Habib Allah presented a proposal for a Palestinian village to be rebuilt on Lajjun in areas that are currently a park and inhabited by descendants of its displaced residents. The presentation was made for the "From Truth to Redress" conference organized by [Zochrot](/source/Zochrot).[{{Cite news| last = Pessah| first = Tom| title = At annual conference, Palestinians and Israelis turn 'return' into reality| work = +972 Magazine| access-date = 2024-02-29| date = 2013-10-05| url = https://www.972mag.com/at-annual-conference-palestinians-and-israelis-turn-return-into-reality/}}]
==Demographics==
During early Ottoman rule, in 1596, Lajjun had a population of 226 people.[ In the [British Mandate](/source/Mandate_for_Palestine) census in 1922, there were 417 inhabitants.][Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Jenin, p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n32/mode/1up 30]] In the [1931 census of Palestine](/source/1931_census_of_Palestine), the population had more than doubled to 857, of which 829 were [Muslim](/source/Muslim)s, 26 were [Christian](/source/Arab_Christian)s, as well as two [Jew](/source/Jew)s.[Mills, 1932, p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 69]] In that year, there were 162 houses in the village.[[http://www.palestineremembered.com/Jinin/al-Lajjun/index.html#Statistics Welcome to al-Lajjun] Palestine Remembered.][ At the end of 1940, Lajjun had 1,103 inhabitants.
The prominent families of al-Lajjun were the Jabbarin, Ghubayriyya, Mahamid and the Mahajina. Around 80% of its inhabitants fled to Umm al-Fahm, where they currently live as [Arab citizens of Israel](/source/Arab_citizens_of_Israel) and [internally displaced Palestinians](/source/internally_displaced_Palestinians).]