Abu Shukheidim does not appear in records from the 16th century. By the 19th century, it was a small village. The village, founded when the area was under Ottoman rule, likely grew into a permanent settlement as a result of the local Qays–Yaman war.[3]
Sherds from the early Ottoman era has also been found here. The historical core of the village is predominantly uninhabited.[4]
In 1838, it was noted as a Muslim village, Abu Shukheidim, in the Bani Harith district, north of Jerusalem.[5][6]
In 1863 Victor Guérin found it consisting of a dozen houses. A birket (artificial pond) was lined on the inside with good cement, but needed repairs. Near the birket were several very old buildings. The villagers were compelled to stock up on water at a well located at the bottom of the mountain whose village occupies the summit.[7]
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that Abu Schechedim had 14 houses and a population of 76, though the population count included men, only.[8][9]
In 1945 statisticsAbu Shukheidim had a population of 250 Muslims,[14] and a total land area of 1,430 dunams.[15] Of this, 781 dunams were for plantations and irrigable land, 178 were for cereals,[16] while 23 dunams were built-up areas.[17]
Abu Shukheidim's population in 1922 was estimated at 139 people, and in 1945, 150 people.[20] After an influx of refugees in 1967, the number reached about 5,069 people; in 1987 it became 773 people, and in 1996 the number reached 1,025.[citation needed] The population was 2,438 in 2017.[1]
Most of the village's residents have roots in Deir Dibwan, although the original settlers came from Hebron. There's an old ruin nearby sharing the same name, and a family with the same name in Hebron.[3]
^ abGrossman, D. (1986). "Oscillations in the Rural Settlement of Samaria and Judaea in the Ottoman Period". in Shomron studies. Dar, S., Safrai, S., (eds). Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House. p. 359
