Statistic/Fact	Value
Israeli occupation date	April 25, 1948
Distance from district center	9 (km) East of Jaffa
Elevation from the sea	25 (meters)
Map location	See location number #22 on the map
Israeli military operation	Operation Chametz
Israeli attacking brigade	Alexandroni Brigade
Defenders	Arab Liberation Army
Exodus Cause	Influence of fall of, or exoduce from, neighboring town
Village remains after destruction by Israelis	A number of houses remain standing; some are deserted, and some are being used as office buildings or storage warehouses by Israeli Jewish settlers.
Ethnically cleansing by Israelis	Bayt Dajan inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed.
Land ownership before occupation	Ethnic Group Land Ownership (Dunums) Arab 12,261 Jewish 1,975 Public 3,091 Total 17,327
Land usage in 1945	Land Usage Type Arab (Dunum) Jewish (Dunum) Area planted w/ citrus 7,990 1,078 Irrigated & Plantation 3,195 758 Area planted w/ olives 35 0 Planted W/ Cereal 676 83 Built up 60 0 Cultivable 11,861 1,919 Non-Cultivable 3,431 56
Population before occupation	Year Population 1596 633 1922 1,714 1931 2,653 1945 3,840 1948 4,454 Est. Refugees 1998 27,355
Number of houses	Year Number of houses 1931 591 1948 992
Town's name through history	Beit Dajan was mentioned in the Old Testament by Beth Dagon. During the Assyrian period, the village was known by Bit Daganna, and the Romans called it Keparada gon.
Schools	Beit Dajan had two elementary schools: the 1st was an elementary school for boys in 1920 and it had an enrollment of 353 boys in 1945; the 2nd school was for girls and it had an enrollment of 102 girls in 1945.
Archeological sites	The Ummayyad Caliph Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik (A.D. 724- 743) built a palace in the village, and also the Crusades built a castle known by Casal Maen.
Exculsive jewish colonies on town's lands	Beyt Dagan, Mishrnar ha-Shiv'a, Chemed, and Gannot.
Related Maps	خرائط تفصيلية للمحافظة View from satellite Help us map this town at WikiMapia
More Information	Language External Links Arabic PalGates Hebrew Nakba in Hebrew   Nakba-Online

Bibliography and References

Town Today

According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are:
"A number of houses remain; some are deserted, others are occupied by Jewish families, or used as stores, office buildings, or warehouses. They exhibit a variety of architectural features. One inhabited house is made of concrete and has a rectangular plan, a flat roof, rectangular front windows, and two arched side windows. Another has been converted into the Eli Cohen synagogue; it is made of concrete and has a flat roof and a round-arched front door and window."

• Nakba Oral History Podcast: Interview with Hasan al-Zul
• Video Nakba Oral History Podcast: Interview with Fu'ad al-Madi
• Video Nakba Oral History Podcast: Interview with Salih al-Qanna