Bardala (Arabic: بردلة) is a Palestinian village in the northern Jordan Valley of the West Bank, consisting of 1,607 inhabitants.[1] The town lies in the Tubas Governorate, located thirteen kilometers northeast of Tubas and 28 kilometers northeast of Nablus. The Israeli settlement of Mehola lies nearby.[3]
The main periods of settlement evidenced by archaeological excavation are the Byzantine, Early Islamic, Medieval, Ottoman and Modern ones; Roman-period finds were also present.[5][6] A Byzantine church was built here around the year 400.[7] On top of the remains of the church, of which the mosaic floor and column bases were excavated, stood a bathhouse from the Early Islamic period.[6][8]
The name Bardala derives from Bardaweel — according to tradition the name of a prince who ruled the area in ancient times.[4][5] In the town lies a palace named after him.[4][5]
Bardala's water reservoirs are known to be the oldest in the Jordan Valley.[4][dubious ] Other archaeological sites include tombs from various periods.[4][dubious ] The Maqam (shrine) of al-Khader is the oldest building in the village.[4]
The residents of Bardala originally came from nearby Tubas to exploit its cultivable and grazing land,[4] and in 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described the village as "though ruined, is inhabited in spring by peasants from the hill villages, who descend to find pasture and to cultivate melons and other vegetables round the springs."[9]
In the 1945 statistics, the population of Bardala was counted with that of Tubas and Kashda, according to an official land and population survey.[10][11]