Dayr al-Shaykh
Dayr al-Shaykh (Arabic: دير الشيخ), also spelt Deir esh Sheikh, was a Palestinian Arab village in the Jerusalem Subdistrict, also known as the Jerusalem corridor. It was located 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) west of Jerusalem.
Dayr al-Shaykh
دير الشيخ Dayr al-Sheikh, Deir el-Sheikh, Deir al Sheikh, Deir esh-Sheikh, Dar esh-Sheikh, Dar el-Sheikh, Der esch-schech | |
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The zawiya at Dayr al-Shaykh, 2011. | |
| Etymology: The monastery (sanctuary) of the Sheikh (elder, or chief) | |
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Dayr al-Shaykh (click the buttons) | |
Dayr al-Shaykh Location within Mandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 31°44′56″N 35°04′02″E | |
| Palestine grid | 156/128 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Jerusalem |
| Date of depopulation | October 21, 1948 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,366 dunams (1.366 km2 or 338 acres) |
| Population (1945) | |
| • Total | 220 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
In the Mamluk period, Dayr al-Shaykh, originally a Christian village, transformed into a Sufi center associated with an influential Muslim dynasty founded by Sheikh Badr al-Din. Having arrived in Palestine in the 13th century, al-Din eventually settled in Dayr al-Shaykh, attracting disciples and visitors for ziyara. The village's Christian inhabitants either converted to Islam or were displaced over time.
In the 16th century, Dayr al-Shaykh became part of the Ottoman Empire, with an estimated population of 113 in 1596. In 1834, during Ibrahim Pasha's invasion, local tradition held that Shaykh Badr defended the village by summoning a swarm of bees. The population fluctuated over the years, reaching around 400 in the early 1870s. By 1883, it was described as deserted, possibly due to migration or a typhus epidemic.
In the British Mandate period, the population grew, reaching 220 in 1945. However, Dayr al-Shaykh was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The village lands saw no establishment of a Jewish settlement. Today, its ruins, including the zawiya of Sheikh Sultan Badr, stand as a historical and tourist attraction.