From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

al-Bireh or el-Bira (Arabic: البيرة; Hebrew: אָל בִּירֶה‎) is a Palestinian city adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank, 15 kilometers (9 mi) north of Jerusalem. It is situated on the central ridge running through the West Bank and Israel and is 860 meters (2,822 ft) above sea level, covering an area of 22.4 square kilometers (8.6 sq mi). Its name means “Water Well,” due to the existence of many wells and springs.

Because of its location al-Bireh served as an economic crossroad between the north and south, along the caravan route between Jerusalem and Nablus.

The remains of an ancient church can still be seen in the center of the city today. It is believed that the Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab visited the city upon his capture of Syria and Palestine from the Byzantine Empire. Saladin camped in the city before he captured Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Tradition holds that a child Jesus was in the town with his parents Mary and Joseph and actually went missing for a time within the area.

Until 1917, the city served as a political and administrative center for the Ottoman Empire. On June 6, 1967, Israeli troops took control of the city during the Six-Day War. In 1994, the civil administration of the city was turned over to the Palestinian National Authority under the Oslo Accords.

al-Bireh is the second largest center of Palestinian administration after Gaza. Besides the Governor’s headquarters, it also hosts a considerable number of governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations. It is twinned with Youngstown, Ohio.

Due to its proximity with Ramallah, the towns form a single constituency for elections to the Palestinian National Authority. Its current mayor is Umar Hammayil.

The vast majority of today's al-Bireh inhabitants descent from a man named "Hussein"^{[citation needed]} from Bani Umar tribe, who came to the area from Transjordan in late-16th century, together with a close friend named "Rashed" from Haddadeen tribe. Hussein a Muslim peasant lived in al-Bireh, whereas his Christian friend Rashed (a blacksmith) lived in Ramallah.

al-Bireh is comprised of five major clans: Dar Quraan (the largest), Dar Hamayyel, Dar Abed, Dar Tawil, and Dar Caraca. Dar al-Rafidi, a Christian family, was accepted into the Dar al-Tawil clan.

• http://www.al-bireh.org/english/City website in English
• http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/populati/pop07.aspx| al-Bireh Population

• Youngstown, Ohio