British Mandate era Nabi Rubin

pilgrim encampments in nabi rubin, 1920–1933



the annual mawsim ( religious festival ) @ nabi rubin in 1935

in 1922 census of palestine, conducted british mandate authorities, nabi rubin, tribal area had population of 120, muslims.

in 1933, during nabi rubin celebrations, arabs went on strike , rioted against british mandatory rule. first palestinian film, 1935 documentary, presented @ nabi rubin festivals. 30,000 people made pilgrimage annually throughout month of august. temporary coffeehouses, restaurants, , stalls selling food , other merchandise set up, , people sang popular songs, — both religious , nationalist — , danced traditional dabka. sufi dervishes held dhikr sessions, , pilgrims watched horse races, magic shows , listened sermons imams , poets. city wives, virtually never socialized outside households, in particular craved participation in festival, , tawfiq canaan writes announce husbands either take me nabi rubin, or divorce me.

the writer s. yizhar, child sneaked on sands home in rehovot, later described:

1 arrives @ nabi rubin , mosque in center, watch light of bonfires...or electricity portable generators, performance of dances, whirling of dervishes, colorful candy wrappers,...the pot-bellied swaying gypsy woman ....while on side, singing keeps sawing away time, not ceasing until depths of night...

in 1946, boys school started, enrollment of 56 pupils.

the village s land area, of covered sand dunes, second largest in district after of yibna, , designated islamic waqf ( pious endowment ). of houses, scattered across site without discernible nucleus, built inside fruit orchards. shops, movie theater, built in neighborhood of shrine. villagers worked in agriculture , animal husbandry; catered visitors during mawsim. cultivated grain, followed citrus , other fruits, such figs , grapes.

in 1945 population 1,420, muslims, while total land area 31,002 dunams, according official land , population survey. of this, total of 683 dunums devoted citrus , banana cultivation, 4357 dunums allocated cereals, 184 dunums irrigated or used orchards, while 25,770 dunams classified non-cultivable land.