Deir Qaddis

Deir Qaddis
Other transcription(s)
– Arabic	دير قديس
– Also spelled	Deir Qiddis (official) Dayr Qaddis (unofficial)
Deir Qaddis Location of Deir Qaddis within the Palestinian territories
Coordinates: 31°56′58.27″N 35°02′44.06″E / 31.9495194°N 35.0455722°E / 31.9495194; 35.0455722Coordinates: 31°56′58.27″N 35°02′44.06″E / 31.9495194°N 35.0455722°E / 31.9495194; 35.0455722
Governorate	Ramallah & al-Bireh
Government
– Type	Village Council
– Head of Municipality	Fares Ibrahim
Area
– Jurisdiction	8,207 dunams (8.2 km2 / 3.2 sq mi)
Population (2007)
– Jurisdiction	1,942
Name meaning	"Monastery of Saints"

Deir Qaddis (Arabic: دير قديس‎) is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank, located sixteen kilometers west of Ramallah.^[1] According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of approximately 1,942 inhabitants in 2007.^[2] The town consists of 8,207 dunams, of which 438 dunams are classified as built-up area. As a result of the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, 8.9% of Deir Qaddis' land was transferred to the Palestinian National Authority, but Israel still retains full control of 91.1% of the town.^[1]

Deir Qaddis meaning the "monastery of saints" takes its name from a Crusader monastery in the village site in the mid-12th century. It retained its Arabicized name after Muslim forces recaptured the town in 1187. The town, today, contains a mosque, three schools (two primary and one secondary), two medical clinics and a sports club. The town's prominent families are Husain,Qattosa,Nasser, Abu Zeid, Hamada, Awadh, Abu Laban and Kreish.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} The Case of Deir Qiddis village Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem 10 November 2007.
2. ^ 2007 PCBS Census. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. p.114.
3. ^ History of Dayr Qaddis Palestine Remembered. (Arabic)