Ed Dawayima was a Palestinian village that sat on top of a wide rocky hill in the western part of the Hebron Mountains. Some scholars have estimated that the Dawayma is located in the spot of the village of Bishkeh mentioned in the Old Testament (Joshua 15:39), meaning high or rocky.
In 1948, the village had a population of 4,304 which consisted of several clans and families. Dawayima was shaped like a star, allowing businesses to expand in all directions. There was a mosque in the center of the village. Shops were scattered inside neighborhoods near the village center, whose houses were built of stone and mud and separated from each other by narrow paths and alleys. Village economy was mostly based on agriculture, as the fertile land of Dawayima grew wheat, barley, corn, lentils, olives, figs, grapes and pomegranates among other fruits and vegetables. The village had good trade relations with Hebron, Gaza, and surrounding villages as well as the cities of Jaffa and Haifa. Ed Dawayima had several holy and archaeological significant sites, and was home to a thriving and growing population.
