| Tulayl | |
| Native Name: | تليل |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Etymology: | The small mound.[1] |
| Pushpin Map: | Mandatory Palestine |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 200 |
| Coordinates: | 33.0508°N 35.62°W |
| Grid Name: | Palestine grid |
| Grid Position: | 208/272 |
| Subdivision Type: | Geopolitical entity |
| Subdivision Name: | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdivision Type1: | Subdistrict |
| Subdivision Name1: | Safad |
| Established Title1: | Date of depopulation |
| Established Date1: | late April 1948[2] |
| Established Title2: | Repopulated dates |
| Unit Pref: | dunam |
| Area Total Dunam: | 5,324 |
| Population As Of: | 1945 |
| Population Total: | 340 (together with Husayniyya)[3] |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Cause(s) of depopulation |
Tulayl (ar|تليل) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Safad Subdistrict located 14.5km (09miles) northeast of Safad. It was situated on a hill near Lake Hula. Together with the nearby village of al-Husayniyya, it had a population of 340 in 1945. Tulayl was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine War.[4]
The village was established atop the Roman period town of Thella, mentioned by the first century AD Jewish author Josephus as a village located near the Jordan River, marking the eastern boundary of Upper Galilee.[4] [5]
Archaeological discoveries from preceding eras include a fragment of an Aramaic dedication, dating from the 4th to 7th centuries CE, and the remnants of a medieval structure believed to be part of a synagogue.
Under the Ottoman Empire, in 1596, Tulayl was a part of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Jira, under the administration of Safad Sanjak, with a population of 215, or 36 households and 3 bachelors, all Muslims. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, bees, and water buffalos; a total of 3,107 Akçe. 1/12 of the revenue went to a Waqf.[6] [7]
In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the place as having "modern cattle-sheds and traces of ruins of basaltic stone".[8] The houses were built of adobe and cane.[4] In the second half of the 19th century,after the Algerian followers of Abdelkader El Djezairi had been defeated by the French in Algeria, they sought refuge in another part of the Ottoman Empire, and were given lands in various locations in Ottoman Syria, including Tulayl, and the nearby villages of Dayshum, Ammuqa, Al-Husayniyya and Marus.[9]
In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Tulail had a population of 196; all Muslims.[10] In the 1931 census it was counted with al-Husayniyya, and together they had a population of 274, still all Muslims, in a total of 64 houses.[11]
During this period Tulayl expanded westward while al-Husayniyya expanded eastward, and the two became contiguous, sharing a school and other amenities. The population was Muslim, and were mostly farmers and fishermen.[4] A large number of inhabitants were employed in cereal farming.[12]
In the 1945 statistics the village area comprised a total area of 5,324 dunams.[3]
Types of land use in dunams in the village in 1945:[12] [13]
| Land Usage | Arab | Jewish |
|---|---|---|
| Irrigated and plantation | 22 | 0 |
| Cereal | 3,388 | 1,637 |
| Urban | 48 | 0 |
| Cultivable | 3,410 | 1,637 |
| Non-cultivable | 113,116 | |
The land ownership of the village before occupation in dunams:[3]
| Owner | Dunams |
|---|---|
| Arab | 3,556 |
| Jewish | 1,753 |
| Public | 15 |
| Total | 5,324 |
Tulayl was captured by Israel during its offensive Operation Yiftach in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, probably according to Israeli historian Benny Morris in April 1948. According to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi in 1992, "The village site is thickly covered with grass and other vegetation, including some eucalyptus and palm trees. Only one old stone house, with an arched doorway, remains standing."[4]
