Deir Al-Balah - Etymology

Etymology

"Deir al-Balah," which in Arabic translates as the "Monastery of the Date Palm," was named after the grove of date palms that lied to the west of the city. Its name dates back to the late 19th-century, before which the city was locally known as "Deir Mar Jiryis" or "Deir al-Khidr" and "Deir Darum" in Ottoman records. "Mar Jiryis" translates as "Saint George" while in Islamic tradition al-Khidr could either refer to Saint George or Elijah. The inhabitants of Deir al-Balah associated al-Khidr with Saint George. The town had been named after the mosque of al-Khidr, the most venerated saintly person throughout Palestine, inside the city which was locally believed to house his tomb.

Up until the later Ottoman era, Deir al-Balah was referred to in Arabic as "Darum" or "Darun" which derived from the settlement's Crusader-era Latin name "Darom" or "Doron." That name in turn had its roots in the Ancient Hebrew name "Darom" or "Droma" which referred to the area south of Lydda, i.e. the southern coastal plain and the northern Negev Desert. During early Arab rule, "ad-Darum" or "ad-Dairan" was the name of the southern subdistrict of Beit Jibrin.