Herna

Huj (Arabic: هوج‎) was a Palestinian Arab village located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) northeast of Gaza City. Identified as the site of the ancient Philistine town of Oga,[2] the modern village was founded by the Ottomans in the early 19th century.

Situated in a hilly area on the northern edge of the Negev Desert, its total land area amounted to approximately 22,000 dunams of which about 3/4 was in Arab ownership while the remaining 1/4 belonged to Jewish owners and the general public. According to a 1945 census, Huj and the nearby town of Dorot had a population of 1,040 inhabitants, of which most were Arab and 240 were Jewish.[3]Contents [hide]

1 History

1.1 1948 war and aftermath

2 See also

3 References

4 Bibliography

5 External links

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History

Identified with the Philistine town of Oga, it is notable for being depicted on the 6th century Map of Madaba.[2]

The modern village of Huj, was established sometime between 1818 and 1820 by Mustafa Bey, the Ottoman Governor of Gaza and Jaffa. He built a police station to keep the village secure, and offered free land to encourage migration to the site from Gaza from amongst the surrounding Bedouin tribes. Huj and its greater vicinity were dominated by the tribes of Jebarat and Wahaideh, the latter of which participated in the 1834 rebellion against Egyptian rule. The rebellion was suppressed and most the Wahaideh were killed, imprisoned, or forced to work the lands, while the rest fled the area. In 1838, Edward Robinson noted that its houses were built of mud and that the population ranged from 200 to 300, most of whom made a living through grain cultivation and bread making.[4] In the late 19th century, "The Survey of Western Palestine" described it as a "small mud village on flat ground. It has a well some 200 feet deep. It is named from Nebi Huj".[5]

Huj witnessed battles between Ottoman and British forces known as the Charge at Huj in 1917, . Following Great Britain's victory and the...