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Welcome to the official website of
the Jerusalemite Khalidi family, which is considered to be one
of the oldest Arab families, and whose history is closely
entwined with that of the sacred city of Jerusalem. Indeed, the
Khalidi family has been for many centuries spiritually connected
to the holy city, given that many of its members- many of whom
were clergymen- have served its holy sites. Likewise, members of
the Khalidi family have uninterruptedly served the political
authorities that governed Palestine since the Ayyubid age until
the end of the British mandate, and have to their credit
innumerable achievements as inhabitants of Jerusalem.
The contents of this file have
been compiled over many years. They are based on- and derived
from- the library of Hajj Ragheb Khalidi in the city of Jaffa
prior to 1948. The file narrates the history of Al-Deiri Al-Khalidi
Al-Makhzumi family, one of the principal clans of Qureish whose
members are descendants of the illustrious Arab commander Khaled
Bin Walid. In fact, the family entered Jerusalem with Salah
Eddine Al-Ayyubi (Saladin) in 581 Hijri (Muslim calendar).
The file’s documentation rests on
the family tree on which corrections were undertaken based on
written sources and well-known references. Documents and
correspondences were added, which are being published for the
first time on the Internet.
The file contains waqf (religious
endowment) documents and sultanic decrees which were recorded
since the Ayyubid era, the age of the Mamluks and the Ottomans
and ultimately the mandate period within the framework of varied
linguistic forms elaborated by those members of the cultured
Khalidi family who worked at the Shari`ah Islamic court in
Jerusalem.
Furthermore, some of the deeds of
ownership belonging to the Khalidi family are published which
pertain to possessions that have been held for a very long time.
Many of these are historical buildings which continue to exist
within the boundaries of the walls of Jerusalem, most
importantly, the Khalidi library, as well as courtyards, which
have perished, in the Jewish quarter. And others which are
outside of the walls, such as the palace of Sheikh Muhammad Al-Khalili
in the Baq`a area known as the land of the American Embassy,
considered a waqf (religious endowment) particular to Saladin.
The aim of this website is to
place it in the limelight of history, and to eternalize those
whose toil is dedicated to the city of Jerusalem.
This file places into focus a
number of prominent personalities of the Khalidi family such as
Saad Al-Deiri, Sheikh Yahya, Qadi (judge) Shamseddine, Muhammad
Ali Khalidi, Musa Effendi and others.
An effort is made to underscore
the correspondence of three of the Khalidis who were in touch
with each other as a consequence of their high official
positions in the latter part of the Ottoman era (19th
century and the beginning of 20th). These notables
are Youssef Dia Pasha, Rawhi Bek Khalidi, and Haj Ragheb Khalidi,
the founder of the Khalidi library.
In the second part of the nineteenth century the Ottoman state
issued a firman sheriff kalkhaneh (decree), which called for
undertaking major reforms in the state. It began by engaging the
services of German experts to carry out rapid changes in the
provinces and the central government in Istanbul.
The Turkish reformers exerted
futile efforts to mitigate the state of decline, which was
exacerbated by continuous warfare with Russia and the
intervention of foreign consuls.
The
publishing of the letters of Dia Al-Khalidi Pasha offers a
unique perspective on the conditions prevailing in the Ottoman
state during the years prior to the Ottoman regime change. In
effect, we published his literary writings and his
correspondence, and we record his opposition to those
surrounding the Sultan, and his relations with the reformers, as
well as his position on Jewish immigration to Palestine.
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