Zir'in

The Crusaders referred to it as "le Petit Gerin" or "the Little Jenin" to distinguish it from Jenin, which they called "le Grand Gerin".

A vaulted building and other structures remain from a castle that belonged to the Templars by the 1180s. In September 1184, Saladin and his Ayyubid forces passed through the village on their way to Nablus.

In 1517, Zir'in was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire along with the rest of Palestine. During the 16th and 17th centuries, it belonged to the Turabay Emirate (1517 1683), which encompassed also the Jezreel Valley, Haifa, Jenin, Beit She'an Valley, northern Jabal Nablus, Bilad al Ruha/Ramot Menashe, and the northern part of the Sharon plain. In 1596 Zir'in was a part of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Jinin, a part of Sanjak Lajjun. A village of 4 Muslim households, it paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on wheat, barley, beehives, and goats; a total of 5,000 akçe. In the 17th and 18th centuries the village was most likely under the control of the Turabay, an Arab tribe that ruled part of northern Palestine on behalf of the Ottomans at the time. In 1799, Pierre Jacotin named the village Zezin on his map from the French campaign in Egypt and Syria. In 1838, Edward Robinson said Zir'in contained about 20 houses. In 1870/1871 (1288 AH), an Ottoman census listed the village in the nahiya (sub district) of Shafa al Qibly. In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine found Zir'in as consisting of about thirty houses, with the most prominent family living in a tall, tower like house in the village center. A spring and well supplied Zir'in with water. The Ottomans founded a boys' school in the village. all 4 Christians were Orthodox. In the 1931 census this had increased to a population of 978 persons; 975 Muslims and 3 Christians, in 239 inhabited houses. In the early 20th century, Zir'in was the birthplace of Mahmud Salim, a leader of the 1936 39 revolt in Palestine. The majority of the village's houses were constructed of mud and were clustered together, but house building and renovation also expanded. The commercial center of Zir'in consisted of the Mosque of Baybars, a marketplace, and the Ottoman school. Residents mainly cultivated grains, fruits, and vegetables. with a total of 23,920 dunams of land. while 81 dunams were built up (urban) areas.

Prior to the 1948 Arab Israeli War, in March 1948, Zir'in's defenders, the Arab Liberation Army (ALA), reported that the Haganah had attempted several times to capture the village, but their assaults were suspended for ten days after heavy losses. Controlled by the ALA, Zir'in was located in a strategic commanding position overlooking the towns of Afula and Baysan. The fear of Iraqi forces from Gesher in the east and Jenin in the south to form a "spearhead" and capture the Baysan and Jezreel valleys convinced the Jews to take Zir'in. After a mortar barrage to soften its defense, the village was captured on May 28 by the Thirteenth Battalion of the Golani Brigade with "little resistance". and after word had spread of its capture, the residents of nearby Nuris and al Mazar also abandoned their villages. The ALA unsuccessfully attempted to recapture Zir'in two days later. On July 10, the Iraqi Army based in Jenin, intended to recapture the village, but were unable to break through Israeli lines, followed by another unsuccessful attempt on July 19, after the second truce of the war. The final armistice line was drawn just to the south of Zir'in.

In the 19th century this was described as the Castle of Zir'in, which was used as an inn (manzil) for travellers. A representative for the Palestine Antiquities Museum (PAM), Mr Husseini, visited Zir'in in 1941, and noted: "S E. of Church in a lane a part of a wall about 8m. long with two rough courses of masonry S. within house of Abdul Karim Abdul Hadi in an open yard more building foundations are visible to N. two medieval vaults known as el Uqud." Denys Pringle believes the vaults are part of the destroyed Crusader castle, In 1945, it consisted of 23,920 dunams. rising to 978 in the 1931 census. an increase of roughly 1.5% since 1931. All of the inhabitants were Muslims. Refugees from Zir'in and their descendants numbered 10,116 in 1998.