Battir

The Arabic name Battīr preserves the name Betar, an ancient Jewish town destroyed in the Bar Kokhba revolt, whose ruins can be found within the present-day village.Tamén, {{cite book |last=Conder |first=Claude R. |url=https://archive.org/stream/tentworkinpales00fundgoog#page/n168/mode/1up |title=Tent Work in Palestine: A Record of Discovery and Adventure |publisher=R. Bentley & Son |year=1887 |edition=1887 |page=143}}K. Singer, Pottery of the Early Roman Period from Betar, Tel Aviv 20, 1993, pp. 98-103. The name is first recorded in the Septuagint, in a verse missing from the Masoretic text,After Joshua 15:59 the Septuagint has "Θεκὼ καὶ Ἐφράθα, αὕτη ἐστὶν Βαιθλέεμ, καὶ Φαγὼρ καὶ Αἰτὰν καὶ Κουλὸν καὶ Τατὰμ καὶ Σωρὴς καὶ Καρὲμ καὶ Γαλλιμ καὶ Βαιθὴρ (or Θεθὴρ) καὶ Μανοχώ, πόλεις ἕνδεκα καὶ αἱ κῶμαι αὐτῶν". as Bαιθηρ, or in some manuscripts Θεθηρ.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

{{Main|Betar (ancient village)}}

Battir is built just north east of Khirbet el-Yahud ({{langx|ar|خربة اليهود|links=no|translit=|lit=Ruin of the Jews}}),Palmer, 1881, p. [https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp00conduoft/page/312/mode/1up 312] also known as Tel Beitar, an archeological site that comprises the ruins of ancient Betar. It was continuously inhabited since the Iron Age up until the second century CE, when the Romans destroyed it during the Bar Kokhba revolt.A. Oppenheimer, Between Rome and Babylon, 2005, 313-9

Spearheads, stone balls, vessels, two cisterns, and coins from both the First Jewish-Roman War and the Bar Kokhba revolt were found in Battir in 1907 when three local families who owned the land near the ruin began cleaning the stones.{{Cite journal |last=Dowling |first=Archdeacon |date=1907-10-01 |title=Interesting Coins of Pella and Bittîr |url=https://doi.org/10.1179/peq.1907.39.4.295 |journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=295–297 |doi=10.1179/peq.1907.39.4.295 |issn=0031-0328}} The Warren Cup is also said to have been found near Battir.{{Cite journal |last=WILLIAMS, Dyfri |date=2015 |title=A Cantharus from Ancient Betar near Jerusalem (the So-called Warren Cup) and Roman Silver Plate |url=https://doi.org/10.2143/BAB.90.0.3089919 |journal=Babesch |volume=90 |pages=155–198 |doi=10.2143/BAB.90.0.3089919 |issn=1783-1369}}{{Cite journal |last=Castaldo |first=Daniela |date=2018-03-22 |title=Musical Themes and Private Art in the Augustan Age |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/grms/6/1/article-p96_96.xml |journal=Greek and Roman Musical Studies |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=96–114 |doi=10.1163/22129758-12341314 |issn=2212-9758}}{{Cite journal |last=Zeichmann |first=Christopher B. |date=2020-06-18 |title=Same-Sex Intercourse Involving Jewish Men 100 BCE–100 CE |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/18785417-01001001 |journal=Religion and Gender |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=13–36 |doi=10.1163/18785417-01001001 |issn=2589-8051 |s2cid=225733805|doi-access=free }}

According to one Jewish tradition, it is also the site of the tomb of the Tannaic sage Eleazar of Modi'im.[https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=2933&st=&pgnum=346 אוצר מסעות - יהודה דוד אייזענשטיין] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002045002/https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=2933&st=&pgnum=346 |date=October 2, 2012 }}

A mosaic from the late Byzantine or early Islamic period was found in Battir.Dauphin, 1998, p. 911

In 1596, Battir appeared in Ottoman tax registers as a village in the Nahiya of Quds in the Liwa of Quds. It had a population of 24 households and two bachelors, all Muslims, and paid taxes on wheat, summer crops or fruit trees, and goats or beehives; a total of 4,800 Akçe. All of the revenue went to a Waqf.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 115

In 1838 it was noted as Bittir, a Muslim village in the Beni Hasan district, west of Jerusalem.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/123/mode/1up 123]Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 2, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearc00smitgoog#page/n346/mode/1up 324]-325

French explorer Victor Guérin visited the place in 1863,Guérin, 1869, p. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongogr03gugoog#page/n398/mode/1up 387] ff while an Ottoman village list from about 1870 showed that Battir had a population of 239, in a total of 62 houses, though that population count only included men. It was further noted that it had "a beautiful spring flowing through the courtyard of the mosque".Socin, 1879, p. [https://archive.org/stream/zeitschriftdesde01deut#page/148/mode/1up 148] It was also noted as located in the Beni Hasan districtHartmann, 1883, p. [https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb_BZobAQAAIAAJ#page/n930/mode/1up 122] also noted 62 houses

In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Battir as a moderate sized village, on the precipitous slope of a deep valley.Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp03conduoft#page/20/mode/1up 20]-21

In 1896 the population of Bettir was estimated to be about 750 persons.Schick, 1896, p. [https://archive.org/stream/zeitschriftdesde19deut#page/n232/mode/1up 125]

File:بلدة بتير - غرب بيت لحم.jpg passing through Battir. The 1949 armistice line passes just south of the railway, placing it on the Israeli side.]]

File:Rail ticket, Jaffa-Jerusalem Railroad - recto.jpg

File:Rail ticket, Jaffa-Jerusalem Railroad - verso.jpg

In the 20th century, Battir's development was linked to its location alongside the railroad to Jerusalem, which provided access to the marketplace as well as income from passengers who disembarked to refresh themselves en route.[http://ags.ou.edu/~bwallach/documents/A%20Window%20on%20the%20West%20Bank.pdf A Window on the West Bank], by Bret Wallach

File:Battir04.png

In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Batir had an all Muslim population of 542 persons,Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Jerusalem, p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n16/mode/1up 14] increasing in the 1931 census to 758; 755 Muslims, two Christians and one Jew, in 172 houses.Mills, 1932, p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 37]

In the 1945 statistics the population of Battir was 1,050, all Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p24.jpg 24] with a total of 8,028 dunams of land according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Jerusalem/Page-056.jpg 56] Of this, 1,805 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 2,287 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Jerusalem/Page-101.jpg 101] while 73 dunams were built-up (urban) land.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Jerusalem/Page-151.jpg 151]

File:ביתר - תחנת הרכבת.-JNF044319.jpeg

During the 1948 war, most of the villagers had fled, but Mustafa Hassan and a few others stayed. At night they would light candles in the houses, and in the morning they would take out the cattle. When nearing the village, the Israelis thought Battir was still inhabited and gave up attacking.{{cite news| url= https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/palaestinenserdorf-battir-widerstand-durch-denkmalschutz-11794439.html| title=Palästinenserdorf Battir: Widerstand durch Denkmalschutz| date= June 21, 2012| author= Hans-Christian Rößler| work=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung| language=de| access-date=June 11, 2013}} The armistice line was drawn between the railroad and the main part of the village, with Battir ending up just meters from Jordan's border with Israel on the Jordanian side. At least 30% of Battir's land lies on the Israeli side of the Green Line, as well as a few of its buildings, but the villagers were allowed to keep it in return for preventing damage to the railway, thus being the only Palestinians officially allowed to cross into Israel and work their lands before the Six-Day War. The parts of Battir falling on the Israeli side of the Green Line are officially within the territorial jurisdiction of the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council but do not have a local committee of their own and the Council's authority is not exercised there.

Battir came under Jordanian administration following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and was annexed by Jordan in 1950.{{cite book |title=Jordan and the Palestinians:The Creation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Unification of the Two Banks| chapter=Jordan and the Palestinians | series=Contemporain publications |url=https://books.openedition.org/ifpo/5014?lang=enThe|publisher= Presses de l’Ifpo|date=2013 | pages=230–245 | isbn=9782351594384 |access-date=April 15, 2020}}

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 1,321 inhabitants in Battir.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p23.pdf 23]

Since the Six-Day War in 1967, the status of Battir changed from Jordanian rule on to Israeli occupation. The population in the 1967 census was 1445.{{cite web |url=http://www.levyinstitute.org/pubs/1967_census/vol_1_tab_2.pdf |title=The 1967 Census of the West Bank and Gaza Strip: A Digitized Version |author=Perlmann, Joel |date=November 2011 – February 2012 |website=Levy Economics Institute |access-date=24 June 2016 }}

Since the signing of the Oslo II Accord in 1995, Battir has been administered by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). It is governed by a village council currently administrated by nine members appointed by the PNA. 23.7% of the village's lands were classified as Area B, while the remaining 76.3% were classified as Area C.

In 2007, Battir had a population of 3,967,[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1487.pdf 2007 PCBS Census] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. p.116. in 2012 the population was estimated at about 4,500.{{cite web| url=http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=561121| title=Palestine readying to propose Battir for UNESCO protection| publisher=Ma'an News Agency| date=February 1, 2013| access-date=June 11, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517093253/http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=561121| archive-date=May 17, 2013| url-status=dead}} In 2024, Israel approved a new settlement on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which Peace Now denounced as a threat to Battir's "ancient terraces and sophisticated irrigation systems, evidence of thousands of years of human activity".{{cite web |title=Israel Approves New Settlement On UNESCO Site Near Bethlehem |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/israel-approves-new-settlement-on-unesco-site-near-bethlehem-65b3c581 |website=Barron's |publisher=Agence France Presse |access-date=24 August 2024}}

Battir is located {{convert|6.4|km}} north-west of Bethlehem on a hill above Wadi el-Jundi (lit. "Valley of the Soldier"), which runs southwest through the Judean hills to the coastal plain.File:Battir-Land-of-Olives-and-Vines.jpg

The village's historical core is characterized by its dense structure, surrounded by agricultural terraces. A newer section of Battir extends along the main way to Bethlehem. Ein al-Balad, the village's spring, is encased in a spring house.{{Cite book |last=Ben-Yosef |first=Sefi |title=The New Israel Guide: Shefela Foothills |publisher=Keter Publishing House |year=2001 |location=Jerusalem |pages=96 |language=he}}

The PEF's Survey of Western Palestine in 1883 described the city's natural defenses, saying its houses stand upon rock terraces, having a rocky scarp below; thus from the north the place is very strong, whilst on the south a narrow neck between two ravine heads connects the hill with the main ridge. At an elevation of around {{convert|760 |m}} above sea level,{{cite web| url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/opt_arij_villageprofile_Battir.pdf| title=Battir Village Profile| publisher=The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem| date=2010| access-date=June 11, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317080218/http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/opt_arij_villageprofile_Battir.pdf| archive-date=March 17, 2014| url-status=dead}} Battir's summers are temperate, and its winters mild with occasional snowfall. The average annual temperature is 16^o C.

Battir has a unique irrigation system that utilizes man-made terraces (habbai'l) and a system of manually diverting water via sluice gates.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18012895 West Bank barrier threatens villagers' way of life]. BBC News. 2012-05-09. The Roman-era network is still in use, fed by seven springs which have provided fresh water for 2,000 years.[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/26/world/middleeast/palestinian-village-tries-to-protect-landmark.html?pagewanted=all A Palestinian Village Tries to Protect a Terraced Ancient Wonder of Agriculture]. The New York Times. 2012-06-25.[http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=545813 Threatened village proposed as next UNESCO world heritage site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212230115/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=545813 |date=2012-12-12 }}. Ma'an News Agency. The irrigation system runs through a steep valley near the Green Line where a section of the Ottoman-era Hejaz Railway was laid. Battir's eight main clans take turns each day to water the village's crops. Hence a local saying that in Battir "a week lasts eight days, not seven." According to anthropologist Giovanni Sontana of UNESCO, "There are few, if any, places left in the immediate region where such a traditional method of agriculture remains, not only intact, but as a functioning part of the village."

File:Bitar1893.jpg

In 2007, the village of Battir sued the Israeli Defense Ministry to try to force them to change the planned route of the Israeli West Bank barrier which would cut through part of Battir's 2,000-year-old irrigation system, which is still in use. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA), which approved the fence's original route in 2005, changed its mind and wrote in a 13-page policy paper that Battir's terraces were also an Israeli heritage site and should be carefully safeguarded, stating that agricultural terraces around Battir attesting to millennia-old methods of farming in the region will be irreversibly harmed by the fence, no matter how narrow its route. It was the first time an Israeli government agency expressed opposition to the construction of a segment of the fence.{{cite web| url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/for-first-time-israeli-state-agency-opposes-segment-of-west-bank-separation-fence-1.464599| title=For first time, Israeli state agency opposes segment of West Bank separation fence| author= Zafrir Rinat | work=Haaretz| date= September 13, 2012| access-date=June 11, 2013}} This affidavit was one of four expert opinions that contended the fence would decimate the unique farming system, and in early May 2013, the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that the Defense Ministry must explain “why should the route of the separation barrier in the Battir village area not be nullified or changed, and alternately why should the barrier not be reconfigured.” The Defense Ministry had to submit a new plan for securing the border that will not destroy Battir by July 2, 2013.{{cite web| url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/133899/land-for-peace-battir?all=1| title=Land for Peace in the Battle Over Millennia-Old Palestinian Farming Terraces| author=Daniella Cheslow| work=Tablet Magazine| date=June 10, 2013| access-date=June 11, 2013}} A separate petition against the separation barrier was also filed by the nearby Jewish city Beitar Illit, fearing that it would prevent them from expanding the settlement.{{ cite web| url=http://www.english.rfi.fr/middle-east/20130312-historic-palestinian-agricultural-village-fights-separation-wall| date=March 12, 2013 | title=Historic Palestinian village fights Israel's separation wall | author=Ruth Michaelson | work=Radio France Internationale| access-date=June 11, 2013}}

File:Beitar-146.jpg

In 2011 UNESCO awarded Battir a $15,000 prize for "Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes" due to its care for its ancient terraces and irrigation system.{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:PPGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=13EC90164E2955F0&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|title=West Bank Barrier Threatens Farms|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=May 14, 2012|author=Daniella Cheslow|access-date=August 22, 2012}}

In May 2012, the Palestinian National Authority sent a delegation to UNESCO headquarters in Paris to discuss the possibility of adding Battir to its World Heritage List. The PNA's deputy minister of tourism, Hamadan Taha, said that the organization wants to "maintain it as a Palestinian and humanitarian heritage," making special note of its historic terraces and irrigation systems.{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:WXNA&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=13F1D3FBE4FEBFB8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|title=PNA intensifies efforts to add more sites to World Heritage list|publisher=Xinhua News Agency|date=May 30, 2012|access-date=August 22, 2012}} the nomination of Battir was blocked at the last minute because the formal submission was too late. In a document concerning the damage the separation barrier would do to the area, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) noted "The struggle of our neighbors to name the area a World Heritage Site places us in an embarrassing position, and we should work together with them to protect the landscape." The area was designated a World Heritage Site in the State of Palestine in 2014.{{Cite web |last=Zion |first=Ilan Ben |date=2023-06-21 |title=In the West Bank, UNESCO site Battir could face a water shortage from a planned Israeli settlement |url=https://apnews.com/article/west-bank-israel-palestinians-settlements-environment-water-7b03b43c007b9fb84f6dee42a6edf7f1 |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=AP News |language=en}}

In January 2015, according to the village mayor Akram Badir, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected the IDF request to build the separation barrier through the village [http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=751709 'Israeli Supreme Court rules against separation wall in Battir,'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109022550/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=751709 |date=2015-01-09 }} Ma'an News Agency 4 January 2015.

Battir is renowned for its distinctive local eggplant variety, known as the Battiri eggplant or "Bitinjan Battiri" to Palestinians.{{Cite web |last=Network (PNN) |first=Palestine News |title=In Battir, the Eggplant Festival to encourage local production and Palestinian culture |url=https://english.pnn.ps/news/45444 |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=english.pnn.ps |language=Arabic}}{{Cite web |date=2013-09-16 |title=ريبورتاج - مهرجان ل"الباذنجان" في قرية بتير القريبة من بيت لحم في الضفة الغربية |url=https://www.france24.com/ar/20130916-%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B0%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AA-%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%85-%D8%A8%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B6%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9 |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=فرانس 24 / France 24 |language=ar}}{{Cite journal |last=Gola |first=Alessandra |last2=Perugini |first2=N. |last3=Samir |first3=H. |date=2010 |title=The recovery of historical paths for tourism as tool for social and territorial development: the palestinian case of Battir |url=https://almatourism.unibo.it/article/view/1888 |journal=Almatourism - Journal of Tourism, Culture and Territorial Development |language=en |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=61 |doi=10.6092/issn.2036-5195/1888 |issn=2036-5195}} This elongated eggplant features a light purple hue and seedless, soft white flesh,{{Cite web |title=Eggplant and Sumac Fatteh Recipe - Suzanne Matar (I'billin) |url=https://asif.org/he/%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%A4%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%94-%D7%97%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%A7/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Asif |language=en-US}} and is a key ingredient in Palestinian dishes such as Maqluba.{{Cite web |title=The Flavors of Summer in Palestine |url=https://thisweekinpalestine.com/the-flavors-of-summer-in-palestine/ |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=This Week in Palestine |language=en-US}} Battir is also known for its khyar abyad, a white cucumber grown in the village and in nearby Wadi Fukin.{{Cite web |last=Bauck |first=Whitney |title=‘They kept us alive for thousands of years’: could saving Palestinian seeds also save the world? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2024/mar/29/palestinian-seeds-conservation-climate-crisis |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}

Every summer, Battir hosts the Eggplant Festival, an event dedicated to supporting local producers and farmers, and celebrating the cultivation of the renowned Battiri eggplants.{{Cite web |title=The Battir Eggplant Festival |url=https://enjoybethlehem.com/do/the-battir-eggplant-festival |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=enjoybethlehem.com |language=en}}

Among the residents of Battir village are members of the Abu 'Ebeid Allah, Abu Ni'ma, Batma, Batha, Kttoush, Mashni, Mu'ammar, and 'Uweina families.[http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/pdfs/VP/Battir_vp_en.pdf Battir village profile], ARIJ, p, 7

File:Roman_Inscription_found_near_Bettir_in_19th_century.jpgAn old Roman bath fed by a spring is located in the middle of the village.

Archaeologist D. Ussishkin dates the village to the Iron Age, and states that at the time of the Revolt it was a village of between one and two thousand people chosen by Bar Kochba for its spring, defensible hilltop location, and proximity to the main Jerusalem-Gaza road.D. Ussishkin, [http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/archaeology/projects/proj_past_betar.html Soundings in Betar, Bar-Kochba's Last Stronghold], Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, 20, 1993, pp. 66-97. A Roman inscription was also discovered near one of the city's natural springs on which are inscribed the names of the Fifth Macedonian Legion and the Eleventh Claudian Legion, which said legions presumably took part in the siege of the city during Emperor Hadrian's reign.Clermont-Ganneau, 1899, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/archaeologicalre01cler#page/463/mode/1up 463]-470.

There isn't any evidence of habitation in the period immediately after the Revolt.

• {{flagicon|UK}} Luton, United Kingdom[http://www.twinningwithpalestine.net/twin-lutonbattir.html Britain Palestine Twinning Network.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927013221/http://www.twinningwithpalestine.net/twin-lutonbattir.html |date=September 27, 2007 }}

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• {{cite book|last=Guérin|first=V.|author-link=Victor Guérin|year=1869|url=https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr03gugoog|title= Description Géographique, Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine. Judee, Vol 1, pt 2, part 1|publisher=Paris, Imprimé par autorisation de l'empereur à l'Impr. impériale}}
• {{cite book|title=Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine|url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html|first=S.|last=Hadawi|author-link=Sami Hadawi|year=1970|publisher=Palestine Liberation Organization Research Centre}}
• {{cite journal | last = Hartmann | first =M.| author-link = Martin Hartmann | title = Die Ortschaftenliste des Liwa Jerusalem in dem türkischen Staatskalender für Syrien auf das Jahr 1288 der Flucht (1871) | journal = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins | volume = 6 | pages = 102–149 | url =https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_BZobAQAAIAAJ | year = 1883}}
• {{cite book | last1= Hütteroth |first1=W.-D.|author-link1=Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth |first2=K. | last2=Abdulfattah |author-link2=Kamal Abdulfattah| title = Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ | year = 1977 | publisher = Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft|isbn= 3-920405-41-2}}
• {{cite book | editor = Mills, E. | title = Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas |url=https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas | publisher = Government of Palestine | location = Jerusalem | year = 1932}}
• {{cite book|last=Palmer|first=E.H.|author-link=Edward Henry Palmer|year=1881|url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp00conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer|publisher=Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund}}
• {{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearc00smitgoog |title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838| location=Boston|publisher=Crocker & Brewster|volume=2}}
• {{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft |title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838| location=Boston|publisher=Crocker & Brewster|volume=3}}
• {{cite journal | last = Schick | first =C.| author-link = Conrad Schick | title = Zur Einwohnerzahl des Bezirks Jerusalem | journal = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins | volume = 19 | pages = 120–127 | url =https://archive.org/details/zeitschriftdesde19deut | year = 1896}}
• {{cite journal | last = Socin | first =A.| author-link = Albert Socin | title = Alphabetisches Verzeichniss von Ortschaften des Paschalik Jerusalem | journal = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins | volume = 2 | pages = 135–163 | url = https://archive.org/details/zeitschriftdesde01deut | year = 1879}}

{{Refend}}

{{commons category}}

{{External links|date=June 2018}}

• [http://www.palestineremembered.com/GeoPoints/Battir_839/index.html Welcome To Battir]
• [https://www.welcometopalestine.com/destinations/bethlehem/battir/ Battir], Welcome to Palestine
• Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: [http://www.iaa-archives.org.il/zoom/zoom.aspx?folder_id=93&type_id=6&id=8379 IAA], Wikimedia commons
• [http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/pdfs/EN/Battir%20Village_fs_en.pdf Battir Village (Fact Sheet)], Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ)
• [http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/pdfs/VP/Battir_vp_en.pdf Battir Village Profile], ARIJ
• [http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/images/areal/Battir_ap_en.jpg Battir Village Area Photo], ARIJ
• [http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/pdfs/needsfordevelopment/Battir_vp_en.pdf The priorities and needs for development in Battir village based on the community and local authorities’ assessment], ARIJ
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050207133324/http://www.battir.i8.com/ www.battir.i8.com]
• [http://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?navid=452&picid=0&picturesize=medium Battir village photos]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gikAblpovO0 Battir Video]

{{Bethlehem Governorate}}

{{World Heritage Sites in Jerusalem and Palestine}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Seam Zone

Category:Populated places in the Bethlehem Governorate

Category:Towns in the West Bank

Category:World Heritage Sites in Danger

Category:World Heritage Sites in Palestine

Category:Municipalities of Palestine