Qaqun was a Palestinian village once located near the city of Tulkarm in the West Bank. It is surrounded by natural wonders like Mount Nablus and the Sharon Plain and had once been inhabited by mostly Palestinian families.

The village of Qaqun, along with hundreds of other Palestinian towns, were destroyed and depopulated in 1948. Known as “The Nakba,” or “Catastrophe” in Arabic, the mass forced removal resulted in the displacement of the Palestinian families living in the destroyed towns. Hundreds of thousands of people across historic Palestine were forced to flee and become refugees from their homes.

Diverse Histories

Evidence of settlement in Qaqun has been found traced back to the time of the Assyrian rule in the 8th to 9th century BCE throughout the region now known as the Middle East. Archeological sites and medieval ruins in the soil and mounds around the village confirm Assyrian settlement.

Between 1000 and 1300 BCE, the Crusades occurred as Christian empires expanded outside of Europe and took over the region. Ruins from that period, such as Mamluk Castle and a fortress, can be found at the historical site of Qaqun village. Under European rule, Qaqun village became “a postal station on the Gaza-Damascus road.”

After the Crusades, Qaqun as well as other parts of the region fell to Ottoman rule. During this time, “markets were re-established” and Qaqun soon became a “commercial center” for merchants, travelers, and their products. The region “paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat and barley, as well as on other types of produce, such as goats and beehives.”

Until the late nineteenth century, Qaqun thrived as a largely Muslim and Palestinian village built around the central tower of the Mamluk Castle. Houses in the area were built from stone and mud and “dispersed over the surface of the hill.” The land was fertile, arable, and very capable for supporting communities. A 1928 shows the homes and infrastructure of the flourishing Qaqun village sitting upon a hill.

Depopulating and Demolishing Qaqun

In 1945, Qaqun village had a population of around 1,900 Muslims and Palestinians. By 1948, this number had blossomed to nearly 2,300 people. Violence began in March of 1948 when Qaqun was attacked in a raid by the Irgun Zvai Leumi, a Jewish terrorist organization.

According to the History of the Haganah book, the assault on the village occurred in the late evening of March 6. The Palestinian newspaper Filastin reported an attack on the morning of March 7, 1948. The book History of the War of Independence states that the village was targeted again on the night of June 4, 1948. Sources say the violence was carried out by the Third Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade. A New York Times article called the battle “one of the bloodiest to date” in the region.

The battle went on until the next day and fighting continued for several days in the surrounding areas, towns, and villages. Over that course of time, much of the native population of Qaqun was forcibly displaced. In total, 434 homes and buildings were demolished, damaged, or destroyed in the violent attacks during the 1948 Nakba.

Once emptied, Jewish settlement groups and organizations quickly made plans for the acquired land. For example, Palquest reports that on June 7, 1948 “a top official of the Jewish National Fund was considering the question of whether the village should be destroyed.” Eventually, it was. What was once the vibrant village of Qaqun was demolished with the exception Qaqun’s boys’ school. In addition to the school, a fortress built on the top of a hill on village land was also kept intact as a historic site and national trail.

Qaqun Remembered: Archival Images

The memory of Qaqun village, its buildings, and the surrounding landscape are remembered in several online archival collections. Among the images are documentation of the village before the settler invasion:

• Students and faculty at the Qaqun boy’s school in 1938
• Residents of Qaqun on village land in 1940
• Villagers carrying loads, driving wagons, and lounging in Qaqun

Remarkably, there is also documentation of the Zvai Leumi and other Jewish terrorist groups entering the village and occupying its land in the month June of 1948:

• Jewish settlers enter Qaqun village on June 4, 1948
• A Jewish solider stands in front of a military truck in Qaqun
• A group of Jewish settlers approach the village during the Nakba
• Settlers, armed with weapons, pose around military vehicles near Qaqun
• Kibbutz fighters looting stones from destroyed buildings in the village

Archival collections further reveal the aftermath of the Jewish invasion and settlement of Qaqun village:

• The remains of Mamluk Castle built by the Crusaders
• Village lands with rubble and dilapidated buildings
• Several images documenting the destroyed façade of the Qaqun mosque

The “Battle of Qaqun” led to the mass depopulation of the village and the death of thousands of Palestinian people during the 1948 Nakba. In the aftermath of this destruction, Jewish settlements, historic monuments, and national parks were built over the lands of the former Palestinian residents of Qaqun.

Recognizing Palestinian History

Qaqun is just one of the 452 towns and villages that were depopulated and demolished in this period. Ultimately, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children were expelled from their homes during the 1948 Nakba.

Beyond the castle fortress, the former boys’ school is the only surviving building in Qaqun. The site may be currently occupied and utilized as a schoolhouse by Israeli settlers. Jewish scholars from around the world are bringing attention to the history of violence behind historical Palestinian sites like Qaqun.

To learn more about building peace in Israel and Palestine and how you can get involved.

Visit The Promised Land Museum and consider hosting an exhibit.