Abu Dis () is a
Palestinian town in the
Jerusalem Governorate, bordering
Jerusalem. Abu Dis is due east of the Jerusalem municipal border. According to the
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of approximately 12,100 in mid-year 2006.
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)
Abu Dis has a boys' secondary school, a girls' secondary school and a primary school. Abu Dis is also home to the
Al-Quds University.
History
Ottoman era
Abu Dis was one of the most populous villages in the Sanjak of Jerusalem during the 16th century, with a population of several hundred. Wheat and barley formed the bulk of cash crops, but were supplemented by grapes, olives, fruit trees, beans, and products from goats and bees. Descendants of
Saladin lived in the village and were entrusted one-third of the grain revenue by the
Ottoman Empire. The adult males of the village paid a combined 6,250
akçe in annual taxes, a much more lower figure than other villages of the same size in the
sanjak such as
Beit Jala,
Ein Karim, and
Deir Dibwan. This could indicate that Abu Dis was less prosperous, alternatively it could be because it had fewer non - Muslims. In October 1553, Shaykh Sa'd al-Din al-Sharafi al-Maliki was appointed as the administrator of the
waqf of the village, but was replaced in 1554 by Muhammad al-Fakhuri...
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