▁sweet ▁mel ons , ▁pom eg ran ates ▁and ▁dates . ▁S urr ounding ▁the ▁town ▁were ▁the ▁enc amp ments ▁of ▁the ▁Bat n ▁J arm , ▁an ▁Arab ▁cl an ▁that ▁also ▁lived ▁around ▁Gaz a . ▁ ▁Ott oman ▁era ▁S omet ime ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁con quest ▁of ▁Palest ine ▁in ▁ 1 5 1 6 ▁or ▁in ▁the ▁beginning ▁years ▁of ▁Ott oman ▁rule , ▁Dar um ▁gained ▁the ▁additional ▁name ▁of ▁" De ir " ▁as ▁in ▁" De ir ▁Dar um " ▁after ▁its ▁By z antine - era ▁monaster y . ▁The ▁village ▁continued ▁to ▁th rive ▁during ▁the ▁early ▁Ott oman ▁era ▁in ▁Palest ine ▁which ▁is ▁attributed ▁to ▁the ▁urban ▁infrastr ucture ▁originally ▁established ▁by ▁the ▁Cr us aders . ▁Its ▁continued ▁importance ▁also ▁stem med ▁from ▁its ▁close ▁proxim ity ▁to ▁Gaz a ▁and ▁its ▁position ▁on ▁the ▁former ▁Via ▁Mar is ▁trade ▁route . ▁The ▁first ▁Ott oman ▁tax ▁census ▁in ▁ 1 5 2 5 ▁revealed ▁De ir ▁al - Bal ah ▁was ▁a ▁relatively ▁large ▁village ▁with ▁a ▁religious ly ▁mixed ▁population ▁of ▁ 8 7 ▁Christian ▁families ▁and ▁ 5 6 ▁Muslim ▁families . ▁In ▁ 1 5 9 6 ▁it ▁was ▁part ▁of ▁Gaz a ▁San jak ▁( D istrict ▁of ▁Gaz a ) ▁and ▁had ▁a ▁Muslim ▁majority ▁with ▁ 1 7 5 ▁Muslim ▁families ▁and ▁ 1 2 5 ▁Christian ▁families . ▁With ▁an ▁estimated ▁population ▁of ▁ 1 , 5 0 0