Yibnā (Yavneh) in the Late Ottoman and British Mandate Periods (ca. 1750–1948): A Palestinian Village in Transition

This article examines the history, archaeology, and material culture of the Palestinian village of Yibnā (Yavneh) during the Late Ottoman and British Mandate periods (ca. 1750–1948). Yibnā, located in the southern coastal plain between Jaffa and Majdal ʿAsqalān, was one of the largest villages in the Gaza subdistrict, occupying the ancient mound of Iamnia/Yavneh and its environs. The study integrates diverse sources in Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, and English with data from intensive archaeological surveys, aerial photographs, maps, and recent excavations. Particular attention is given to Yibnā’s demographic composition—including old landholding families, Egyptian immigrants, and nomadic groups; its religious landscape centered on the shrine of Abū Hurayra; and its role within regional networks of pilgrimage and trade. Analysis of village planning, architecture, and land tenure reveals a settlement in transition from mudbrick and stone construction to cement and Western-style tiles, and from subsistence farming to export-oriented citrus cultivation. Survey and excavation finds, including local and imported ceramics, roof tiles, smoking pipes, glass vessels, and jewelry, illustrate the interplay of traditional lifeways and modern consumption practices. The combined historical and archaeological evidence portrays Yibnā as a dynamic rural society that balanced continuity and adaptation until its depopulation in 1948.