Kur, Tulkarm

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Kur is a small Palestinian village in the Tulkarm Governorate, in the northeastern West Bank, about 19 kilometers southeast of Tulkarm. It has a village council. In 2017 the population was about 292 people (325 in 2006); in 1997 around 7.9% were refugees. Healthcare services for Kur residents are in nearby Kafr ’Abbush (MOH level 2). The name Kur may mean “digging.” Byzantine-era pottery has been found there.

Kur joined the Ottoman Empire in 1517. In 1596 it appeared in tax records as part of Bani Sa‘b in the Nablus area, with 32 households and 6 bachelors; taxes were paid on crops and other goods. In 1838 it was noted as a village in the Beni Sa‘ab district, west of Nablus. An 1870–71 Ottoman census and later records place Kur in the Bani Sa‘b area. In 1882 the Palestine Exploration Fund described it as a stone village on a ridge with cisterns, near an ancient road, and close to ruins and a watchtower.

During the British Mandate, Kur had 301 Muslim residents in 1922 and 280 Muslims in 1931, in 58 houses. In 1945 the population was 280 Muslims, with about 8,514 dunams of land: most for cereals, some for plantations and a small built‑up area. After the 1948 war, Kur came under Jordanian rule; the 1961 Jordan census counted 336 inhabitants. Since the 1967 Six‑Day War, Kur has been under Israeli occupation.