Lajjun
Lajjun
اللجّون al-Lajjun, el-Lejjun | |
|---|---|
Lajjun, 1924. Half-buried Roman or Byzantine columns and modern huts (Rockefeller Museum). | |
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Lajjun (click the buttons) | |
Lajjun Location within Mandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 32°34′29″N 35°10′40″E / 32.57472°N 35.17778°E | |
| Palestine grid | 167/220 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Jenin |
| Date of depopulation | May 30, 1948[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 77,242 dunams (77.242 km2 or 29.823 sq mi) |
| Population (1948) | |
• Total | 1,280 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Kibbutz Megiddo[2] |
Lajjun or Lejjun (Arabic: اللجّون, el-Lejjūn) was a large Palestinian Arab village located 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) northwest of Jenin and 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) south of the remains of the biblical city of Megiddo. The Israeli kibbutz of Megiddo was built 600 metres north-east of the depopulated village on the hill called Dhahrat ed-Dar starting from 1949.
The initial settlement grew next to a Roman legion camp, known simply as "Legio", used by the Legio VI Ferrata, for which it provided services.[3] Named after the camp, Lajjun's history of habitation spanned some 1,800 years, from the 2nd century during the Roman province of Syria Palaestina, to the 20th century.[3] Under Abbasid rule it was the capital of a subdistrict, during Mamluk rule it served as an important station in the postal route, and during Ottoman rule it was the capital of a district that bore its name. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire towards the end of World War I, Lajjun and all of Palestine was placed under the administration of the British Mandate. The village was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, when it was captured by Israel. Most of its residents subsequently fled and settled in the nearby town of Umm al-Fahm.
- ^ Morris, 2004, p. xviii, village #147. Also gives the cause of depopulation
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Benvenistip319was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Howry, Jeffrey C. (2020). "The Tale of Two Villages: New Perspective on the Historic Palestinian Landscape". Jerusalem Quarterly. 82 (Summer 2020). Retrieved 14 July 2025. With map showing Abu Shusha, Maximianopolis, Lejjun, Tel Megiddo, Legio.