Burqa (Arabic: بُرقه) is a Palestinian village in the Nablus Governorate, located in the northern West Bank, approximately 10.7 kilometers (6.6 mi) northwest of the city of Nablus. It is classified as a Municipality Type C by the Palestinian Authority.
Etymology
The name "Burqa" derives from an Arabic term meaning "sandy soil covered with dark stones, especially flints."
Geography
Burqa is bordered by Beit Imrin and Nisf Jubeil to the east; Jaba', Fandaqumiya, Silat ad-Dhahr, and Al 'Attara to the north; 'Anabta, Bizzariya, and Ramin to the west; and Deir Sharaf and Sabastiya to the south.
Demographics
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Burqa had a population of 4,030 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 4,152 by the 2017 census.
History
Ancient and Medieval Periods: Ceramics from the late Roman era, the Byzantine era, and the Early Muslim era have been found in the village.
Ottoman Era (1517–1917): Burqa was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517. In 1596, Ottoman tax registers recorded the village in the Nahiya of Jabal Sami, part of the Sanjak of Nablus, with a population of 15 Muslim households. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on agricultural products including wheat, barley, summer crops, olives, goats, and beehives. In 1838, American biblical scholar Edward Robinson described Burqa as "a large village situated upon a sort of terrace on the side of the northern ridge, overlooking the whole basin of Sebustieh," noting a mixed population of Greek Christians and Muslims. French explorer Victor Guérin found approximately 1,000 inhabitants in 1863. The 1882 Survey of Western Palestine described it as a large stone village with olive groves, two springs, and cactus hedges.
British Mandate Era (1920–1948): The 1922 British census recorded a population of 1,688 (1,589 Muslims and 99 Christians). The 1931 census recorded 448 houses and a population of 1,890 (1,785 Muslims and 105 Christians). By the 1945 statistics, the population had grown to 2,590 (2,410 Muslims and 180 Christians), with 18,486 dunams of land. Christians living in the village left in 1946, moving to Haifa.
Jordanian Era (1948–1967): Following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Burqa came under Jordanian rule. The 1961 Jordanian census recorded 3,352 inhabitants.
Post-1967: Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Burqa has been under Israeli occupation. The 1967 Israeli census recorded a population of 2,477. Following the 1995 Oslo Accords, 27% of the village's land is designated Area A (full Palestinian civil and security control), 29% Area B (Palestinian civil control, Israeli security control), and 44% Area C (full Israeli control). Israel confiscated 1,014 dunams of land from Burqa to establish the Israeli settlement of Homesh, which was evacuated in 2005 and later used as a military base.
Government
The head of the municipality is Mohammed Jamil Darbi.
Notable Incident
In 2017, a women's center funded by UN Women and Norway was constructed in Burqa and named the Dalal Mughrabi Women Community Center, after a Palestinian militant involved in the 1978 Coastal Road attack in Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 38 civilians. The naming prompted Norway to request reimbursement of its funds, stating that Norway does not support the glorification of violence.
