It has been occasionally identified with the
Old Testament town of
Bosqat, the home of
Josiah's mother
Jedidah (
2 Kings, 22:1) though the association has not found widespread acceptance. Al-Dawayima's historical remains encompass a long period from the
Bronze Age, through to the Persian and Hellenistic, down to the Ottoman period. Bulldozing what remains of the Palestinian village to prepare a new Israeli village has revealed an ancient
olive press, a
columbarium cave, a villa from the
Second Temple era, and both
mikvehs and cisterns.
Ottoman era In the late
Ottoman era, in May, 1838,
Edward Robinson visited during harvesting time. He noted that Al-Dawayima was situated on a hill, with a view of several villages to the east. During the harvest, several Christians from
Beit Jala were employed here as labourers; the
barley harvest was coming to an end, while the
wheat harvest was just beginning. He further noted it as a
Muslim village, between the mountains and
Gaza, but subject to the government of
el-Khulil. In the mid-19th century, al-Dawāymeh’s residents cultivated formerly abandoned lands, which were reclassified as privately held under Ottoman land reform. This process formed part of a broader pattern of rural resettlement and expansion across the western fringes of Jabal al-Khalīl. In 1863
Victor Guérin visited twice, and he estimated that the village contained 900 inhabitants, while an
Ottoman village list from about 1870 found that Dawaime had only a population of 85, in a total of 34 houses, though the population count included men, only. It also noted that it was located west of
Hebron. In 1883, the
PEF's
Survey of Western Palestine described al-Dawayima as a village on a high stony ridge that had
olive groves beneath it. On a higher ridge to the west stood a shrine that was topped by a white stone. File:Ad Dawayima 1894.jpg|Map with Al-Dawayima dated 1894. bottom centre File:Ed Dawayima 1933.jpg|Al-Dawayima 1933 1:20,000 File:Dawayima 1945.jpg|Al-Dawayima 1945 1:250,000 The people of al-Dawayima were
Muslims. They maintained several religious shrines, chief among them the shrine of Shaykh ´Ali. This shrine had a large courtyard, a number of rooms, and one large hall for prayers, and was surrounded by fig and carob trees and cactuses. It attracted visitors from the neighboring villages. A mosque was located in the village center, it was maintained by the followers of
al-tariqa al-khalwatiyya, a
Sufi mystic order founded by Shaykh Umar al-Khalwati (d.1397)
British Mandate era In the
1922 census of Palestine conducted by the
British Mandate authorities,
AI Dawaima had a population of 2,441 inhabitants, all Muslims, increasing in the
1931 census to 2,688, still all Muslim, in a total of 559 houses. The villagers expanded and renovated the village
mosque in the 1930s, and added a tall
minaret. while 179 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.
The Institute for Palestine Studies and
The Palestinian Museum note the following about the town's built environment:"Shops were scattered throughout the various neighborhoods of the village center. Houses were made of stone and mud, separated by narrow streets and alleys. The older houses were clustered closely together. Each set of houses shared a
hawsh, a large courtyard that provided space for women to do their domestic chores, for children to play, and for families to gather in the evening and on special occasions. As the village expanded people began to build new houses outside of the village core. These new houses were larger and built of whitewashed stone some of them had thick, stone walls and were called
jidaris (from the Arabic word for wall,
jidar)....Each house had two levels: the upper level was occupied by the family members and the lower level by their animals. The houses of the well-to-do villagers had their own courtyards and large guest rooms, in addition to animal stables."
1948 war and aftermath Al-Dawaymima was captured by
Israel's
Eighty Ninth Battalion (commanded by Dov Chesis) of the
8th Armored Brigade led by the founder of the
Palmach,
Yitzhak Sadeh, after
Operation Yoav on 29 October 1948, five days after the start of the truce. It was the site of the
al-Dawayima massacre in which 80–200 civilians were killed, including women and children. The massacre was cited by
Yigal Allon as the reason for the halting of the creeping annexation that included
Bayt Jibrin,
Qubeiba and Tel Maresha. It was also seen as a reprisal by the Israelis for the massacre of Jews in
Kfar Etzion months before, on May 13, 1948, by Palestinian fighters and some members of the Arab Legion. The
moshav of
Amatzia was established in 1955 on land that had belonged to Al-Dawayima. According to the Palestinian historian
Walid Khalidi :"The site has been fenced in. A cowshed, a chicken coop, and granaries have been built at its center (which has been leveled). The southern side of the site contains stone terraces and the remnants of a house. The eastern side is occupied by the residential area of the moshav." In 2013, the whole area, apart from some ancient Jewish remains, was bulldozed to pave the way for the erection of a new community called
Karmei Katif, which was completed in 2016 and which houses evacuees of the
Gaza Strip settlements. The new name is reminiscent of
Gush Katif. ==Culture==