Al-Mazar, Haifa
Al-Mazar was a Palestinian Arab village located northeast of al-Sarafand. In 1945, it had a population of 210. History The village name Mazar, which is Arabic for "shrine", "a place one visits", was probably meant to commemorate the many people who were killed and buried there in the wars against the Crusaders. A population list from about 1887 showed that el Mizar had about 85 inhabitants; all Muslims. British Mandate period In the British Mandate of Palestine period, in the 1922 census of Palestine ‘’Al Mazar’’ had a population of 134; all Muslims. In the 1931 census, Al-Mazar was counted together with Khirbat Al-Manara, Ijzim and Qumbaza. The total population was 2,160; 88 Christians, 2,082 Muslims, in a total of 442 houses. In the 1945 statistics the population was 210, all Muslims with a total of 7,976 dunams of land. Of this, 5 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 473 were plantations or irrigable land, 3,750 were for cereals, while 39 dunams were classified built-up, (urban), land. 1948 and aftermath The village was first raided by the Israel Forces (IDF) on May 17 during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, with the aim of "rendering [the village] unworthy of use." The IDF