The Ruler of Nisf Jubeil – Abdel Hamid
We hear a lot of stories of Palestinian City dwellers or villagers that moved to the city and ruled, but we never read detailed accounts of rural dwellers.
Abdel Hamid Mahmood Daghlas, although not the average villager, was one of the ruling figures in the Palestinian area of Wadi Al-Sha’ir. Abdel Hamid ruled at a time that followed the Ottoman rule of Nablus, due to the continual revolutions that took place in Nablus and Jabal Nablus.
He wore the costume of the Sheikh (Zinnar and Shal), and had a watch in his pocket. He was the only one that had a watch in Nisf Jubeil. Mohammad, his youngest son, is presumed to have the most like-ness of his father – Abdel Hamid.
Although his lineage is attested (more details below), it is known that Abdel Hamid was born and raised in Burqa, and only moved to Nisf Jubeil as an adult. He belonged to a family known as ‘Mahmoud Daghlas’ believed to be part of the clan known as ‘Al-Hofah’, which are believed to originally be part of the Otaibi family. His father Mahmoud was known to be the ruler/Mukhtar/Sheikh of Burqa at the time – which automatically makes him the ruler/Mukhtar/Sheikh of Wadi Al-Sha’ir – as Burqa was the capital of Wadi Al-Sha’ir in 1800, and became the capital of East Wadi Al-Sha’ir around 1860s.
AbdelHamid
AbdelHamid & his Eldest Sons
Abdel Hamid’s Roots and Upbringing
Abdel Hamid was the youngest of five siblings from the same mother and father. The elders at Burqa village seem to remember Yousef, Abdel Hamid’s older brother, escorting him to teach him about life.
Once Abdel Hamid grew older, he moved to Nisf Jubeil. Some say his share of the inheritance was in Nisf Jubeil, while others say, he refused to take his share in land inheritance, and just accepted money, which he used to purchase land in Nisf Jubeil – making Nisf Jubeil his new home.
Given Abdel Hamid’s wealth and power, he became the Sheikh of Wadi Al-Sha’ir, at which point, he built his palace in Nisf Jubeil (circa 1890). He chose his palace to be in Nisf Jubeil due to its rich water source, its protective setting, and its natural view point. Nisf Jubeil overlooks the area of East Wadi Al-Sha’ir, which includes: Burqa, Beit Imrin, Ijnisinya, Sebastia, and is located in the corner of those villages, as well as An-Naqoura.
Abdel Hamid’s Family
Abdel Hamid married three wives – the exact dates of marriages are unaccounted for at this point. His first wife – known at the time as Mariam Yasin, but is officially registered as Mariam Samara – sister of Abdel Rahim Samara (Adnan Samara’s grandfather) – died in a fire, and doesn’t have a burial. His second wife was Amneh, which he didn’t have kids with, and hence re-married his last wife. His last wife was Halimeh Barakat. Halimeh was known to be beautiful, and the rumour was that Abdel Hamid chased her for seven years, before she accepted him as a suitor and husband.
When Abdel Hamid married Halimeh, he put her in his chamber, upstairs for the first few months, but then quickly demoted her to the main chamber on the first floor – but no one knows the story behind the demotion. The same treatment was shared with Halimeh’s daughter, which was wed to a poor man while the remainder of the daughters from Mariam were wed to the rich and wealthy of Wadi Al-Sha’ir. The reasons remain a mystery till today. However, it is a story that several ancestors repeat.
Halimeh, his wife, used to do all the house chores. She also used to build the ‘khawabeh’. Mariam, on the other hand, was known to be the mistress of the palace throughout his life. Her wishes were a command. She always ensured Abdel Hamid is consuming the best products from his region. He used to get the best cheese supply of Nisf Jubeil and Wadi Al-Sha’ir; and he only ate ‘zaghaleel’ and chicken. He would ask his son, Mohammad, to get the best zaghaleel of Wadi Al-Sha’ir which were believed to be from Beit Imrin.
One of the famous stories that the villagers narrate, dates back to the early 1940s. It was the day he came back from Hajj (pilgrimage). As part of the customs, people celebrated ‘Hujjaj’ (pilgrims) as it is one of the special moments in a Muslim’s life. In the case of Abdel Hamid, the whole town came out to welcome him at the Lodd train station and then again at the village. Abdel Hamid was greeted with songs and music – a local festival. Aref, his son, and his wife Khadija often spoke about the day they greeted Abdel Hamid at the Lodd train station. At the time, they were living in Haifa, but ensured their presence at the train station to greet Abdel Hamid during this special occasion.
Abdel Hamid, had three daughters and six sons from two wives. It is known among the villagers that their sons and daughters had a major disagreement during his lifetime. Today, only one son is still alive, while his daughter Karimeh died in 2019. Karimeh Abdel Hamid – believed to be the youngest daughter, was known to be special. Accounts of villagers confirm that her dad loved her and treated her well. She was envied, and people would refer to her with fortune and good manners. She actually took care of her youngest brother Mohammad. Mohammad is the youngest son, he still speaks highly of his dad – expressing gratitude everyday for raising him as a tough man. He narrates that his dad, Abdel Hamid, used to send him to stay at one of the fields to protect the crops, plants and trees. His son Mohammad would stay all night in the grape field alone (known as Dawali), even when he was super young. This was during the British mandate times which came with a lot of uncertainties, clashes and crime. It was also a time when electricity didn’t exist and villagers had all kinds of superstitious stories. He would play the drums all night to keep ‘monsters’ and ‘ghosts’ away. However, according to his son Mohammad, he was more scared of disobeying his dad or arguing with his dad than sitting in the field alone all night. Nevertheless he would come home in the morning and bring his dad the best grapes from the vineyard.
Abdel Hamid’s Strength
One story emphasising Abdel Hamid’s strength was related to his apricot fields. Abdel Hamid owned the apricot fields which produced vast amounts. Mohammad’s classmates often requested apricots from the family’s field, so one day Mohammad along with his brother Fayez decided to pick apricots for his classmates. As they were picking apricots, his father came catching Mohammad (while Fayez fled) yelling at him saying: “You steal Apricots?!?!?”. He was accused of stealing, and tied him to a tree under the hot sun all day. Until his sister Karimeh found him, and rescued him. Karimeh and his sons/daughters used to obey their dad. He was very firm and gave orders. Karimeh quotes that when she was called, she would answer with fear.
As for those outside the family, most describe him as powerful, but some describe him as extremely generous, while others as extremely unjust.
Mohammad, his youngest son, recalls how remorseful Abdel Hamid was during his last years. He narrates a story of when Mohammad was in the army, and ran across his father Abdel Hamid riding back to Nisf Jubeil in a bus. Mohammad rushed to greet him and kiss his hand for everything he’s done to secure his upbringing. Abdel Hamid cried of joy when he saw his son after years of absence and asked him to come back.
Mohammad AbdelHamid
Abdel Hamid’s Death
These were his last days. When he got ill – he sold a lot of land to pay for his medical expenses and recovery. On his death bed, Abdel Hamid called to see all his sons, daughters and grandchildren. So they all came to see him including Mohammad, who was living in Zarqa (Jordan) at the time. He loved his daughters and sons, and felt that he didn’t treat his children lovingly and equally. One of his grandchildren narrates that he was weak and helpless for the first time. Abdel Hamid was able to see all his children that were still alive at the time, except his son Aref – as he was a wanted man and a fugitive. Rumours say that Aref came one night down the mountain, and checked on his dad from the window. Abdel Hamid died in 1959, leaving the village of Nisf Jubeil and its reign. He was the last Sheikh of Wadi Al-Sha’ir and was not replaced.
Today, he is buried in Dar Mahmoud’s cemetery, which is located across the street from Nisf Jubeil’s cemetery.
His house was abandoned, years after, and specifically with the Palestinian defeat during the six-day war in 1967, which ended with the occupation of Israelis to the West Bank – the remainder of historical Palestine. His grandchildren were split between An-Naqoura and Nisf Jubeil – land which Abdel Hamid owned, and divided among his children. His brothers and their ancestors mostly stayed in Burqa, and were believed to have ruled Burqa. While his son Mohammad lived and continue to live in An-Naqoura today.
Mohammad AbdelHamid Mahmoud Daghlas
His Legacy
Today, Abdel Hamid is considered the root of the family – several of his ancestors carry his name as their last names, while others clearly refer to his name with pride.
However, the Mahmoud family today is split into four common last names: Daghlas, Mahmoud, Otaibi and then Abdel Hamid. Those that went to Jordan, or were in Jordan during the census in the 1950s, were converted to Daghlas. While those that went to the gulf, mostly switched to Otaibi – believe to be the original family source. Finally, those that stayed in Wadi Al-Sha’ir maintained their reference to Mahmoud. There were few exceptions – the ancestors of Abdel Hamid’s eldest sons, started referring to themselves with Abdel Hamid, and those that stayed in Nisf Jubeil, are only recently considering switching to Abdel Hamid as their last name. But Burqa was the main exception, where the splitting of the Mahmoud family was mostly evident – as some of its residents maintained Mahmoud, others switched to Daghlas, and the remainders switched to Otaibi.
Abdel Hamid was a strict and firm ruler of Nisf Jubeil. According to his late daughter Fatmeh, “when Abdel Hamid would walk around in the village, the villagers would hide like mice in their holes.”