Birzeit

Also known as Bir Zeit, Bi'r az Zayt, Az Zayt, Bi'r Zayt

Birzeit (), also Bir Zeit (), is a Palestinian Christian town north of Ramallah, in the West Bank. Its population in the 2017 census was 5,878. Birzeit is home to Birzeit University and to the Birzeit Brewery.

Key facts

Settlement.name: Birzeit
Settlement.translit_lang1: Arabic
Settlement.translit_lang1_type: Arabic
Settlement.translit_lang1_info: بيرزيت
Settlement.type: Municipality type C
Settlement.image_skyline: BirZeit273.JPG
Settlement.pushpin_map: Palestine#West Bank
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption: Location of Birzeit within Palestine##Location of Birzeit within the West Bank
Settlement.grid_name: Palestine grid
Settlement.grid_position: 169/152
Settlement.subdivision_type: State
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Governorate
Settlement.subdivision_name1: Ramallah and al-Bireh
Settlement.established_title: Founded
Settlement.government_type: Municipality
Settlement.leader_title: Head of Municipality
Settlement.leader_name: Ibrahim Al-Sa'di
Settlement.unit_pref: dunam

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Population: 7000
Area: 14
Elevation: 815
Image: BirZeit273.JPG

Show 1 more fact

Commons category: Birzeit

Sources (1)

wikidata.org

via Wikidata · CC0

~8 min read

Article

16 sections

Contents

Etymology
Location
History
Ottoman era
British Mandate era
Jordanian era
1967–present
Landmark buildings
Religion
Education and culture
Notable people
See also
References
Bibliography
Further reading
External links

== Etymology == The origins of Birzeit are not documented, but the archaeological remains present in the municipality date back to Roman and Byzantine times. The Arabic name bir zeit, meaning "well of [olive] oil ," likely derives from those periods, as olive oil was traditionally stored in wells dug in the ground. Six of these wells still remain in the historic center of the town, although they are currently disused.