Bayt šannā /Bēt šanna/ is an Aramaicplace-name, which means "House of the Rock" (šn’).[5] A rarely documented variant in 16th century endowment deeds reads Bayt al-šunnāra /Bēt iš-šunnāra/ [53], "the place of the cat (or ‘of the partridge’)".[5]
History
Ceramics from the Byzantine era have been found here.[6]
In 1596, it appeared in the tax registers under the name of Bayt Sanna, as being in the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Ramla, which was under the administration of the liwa ("district") of Gaza. It had a population of four household;[8] an estimated 22 persons, who were all Muslims. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, vineyards, fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 1,000 Akçe. All of the revenue went to a Waqf.[8][9]
In 1838, it was noted as Beit Shinna, a place "in ruins or deserted," in the Ibn Humar area in the District of Er-Ramleh.[10]
By the beginning of the 20th century, residents from Beit Surik settled the site, establishing it as a dependency – or satellite village – of their home village.[12]
In the 1945 statistics, the village had a population of 210 Muslims[2] with 3,617 dunams of land.[3] Of this, 44 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land, 865 for cereals,[15] while 2,708 dunams were non-cultivable areas.[16]
Bayt Shanna 1942 1:20,000
Bayt Shanna 1945 Scale 1:250,000
1948, and aftermath
Bayt Shanna became depopulated after a military assault on July 15–16, 1948.[4]
As of 1992, there were no Israeli settlement on village land. Sha'alvim, on the land of the depopulated Palestinian village of Salbit is the closest.[9]
In 1992, the village site was described: "The stone rubble of the former houses covers the village site. Large mulberry, olive, and almond trees grow amid the rubble, most of which is covered by wild vegetation. The whole site is fenced in and appears to be used as a grazing area. On the hillside east of the village, a room made of masonry still stands. Fruit trees grow around it."[9]