Burqin

Basic Information

Type

Town

Governorate

Jenin

Region

West Bank - Northern

Overview

Burqin (Arabic: برقين) is a Palestinian town in the Jenin Governorate of the northern West Bank, located approximately 4 km west of Jenin city. The town is of immense historical significance as the site of the Church of St. George, one of the oldest churches in the world still in continuous use, dating to the 4th-5th century CE. Burqin sits in a fertile agricultural zone surrounded by extensive olive groves. Since 1967, the town has been under Israeli occupation, with land confiscated for the nearby Shavei Shomron settlement and the Shomron Industrial Zone. The town's farmers face regular settler attacks on their olive groves and restricted access to agricultural lands. Burqin has been active in Palestinian resistance during both Intifadas.

Historical Significance

Site of the Church of St. George, one of the oldest continuously used churches in the world; historic agricultural center surrounded by olive groves.

Sources and record limitations

Source detail varies by record. Some entries include document and page references; others supply source names only. Check the cited material and the record's limitations before relying on a specific claim.

• PCBS
• ARIJ
• UN OCHA
• PASSIA
• B'Tselem
• Palestinian municipal records

Birqin is an alternative spelling. The prompt listed both Birqin and Burqin but they are the same town.