Meet Mahrous

Mahrous Bseiso stands at the beginning of a story carried through land, family, and memory.

Mr. Mahrous was born to an affluent family in Jerusalem towards the end of the 19th century and the Ottoman rule to the region
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His father, Mustafa Afandi, was a prominent pan-Palestine businessperson. The Bseiso family, to which Mahrous belongs, are a renowned elite family across the Levant and is a branch of the illustrious Kayali family. Mr. Mahrous had, therefore, multiple familial connections and exposure to business ventures in major Palestinian cities including Jaffa, Jerusalem, and Gaza.

Upon graduating school in Jerusalem, Mahrous started off his first successful business ventures in Jerusalem. He married and started a family of four in Jerusalem. However, the astute businessman sought opportunities in the virgin lands of south Palestine and began scoping the towns and areas to the south of Jerusalem.

He finally decided on Bi’r Al-Sab’ with the vision of bringing this underexplored town to the ranks of such cities, like Jerusalem and Jaffa.

1900’s

In Bi’r Al-Sab’: the early years

In the early 1900’s, Mr. Mahrous relocated to Bi’r Al-Sab’ which, then, was the center of the Ottoman district of the same name. Mahrous was not alone there, for his uncle Sha’aban and some of his immediate family members started business opportunities there.

Beginning anew in Bi’r Al-Sab’, Mahrous remarried to Hajjah Jawaher Numan-Bseiso. They had eight children, one of whom was Jawdat who would accompany his father throughout the years.

The documents indicate that Mr. Mahrous bought a large piece of land, measured in the hundreds of dunams, in 1906 (0045)
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The Ottoman land deed is the oldest surviving document from the Bseiso family collection. The date of this document reflects how successful his business was in Jerusalem and could signal the first steps towards bringing Bi’r Al-Sab’ into the currently known agricultural oasis.

Throughout the 1910’s, Mahrous continued to acquire land and establish farms and plantations.

He oversaw such agricultural endeavors in person and made subcontracts to established farmers in the area to oversee their production. Documents 0027 and 0041 exemplify such subcontracts which involved the general public in his successes. His vision was to transform the modest desert outpost that is Bi’r Al-Sab’ into an industrial, agricultural, and democratic hub in the south of Palestine.

001 - Doc Description here

Documents

In Bi’r Al-Sab’:
the burgeoning success

Starting from the mid 1920’s, Mr. Mahrous’ business ventures were booming in Bi’r Al-Sab’. The documents show massive land acquisitions (e.g., 0025, 0030, 0012, 0035). One of the major land purchases was finalized in 1929 when Mr. Mahrous purchased over 4631 dunams, a massive land area that measures around 1235 acres (see 0009). Moreover, Mr. Mahrous acquired most of the property of Mr. Hirzallah, another leading businessman in Bi’r Al-Sab’, in the 1930’s (see 0037, 0043, 0053, among others).

These lands were immediately converted into farms and mining operations. All of these land acquisitions were witnessed by the heads of tribes and pillars of the Bi’r Al-Sab’ society. Such surroundings surely indicate the increasingly advancing position of the burgeoning entrepreneur in the socio-economic ladder of the town.
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1920’s

During these great successes, Mr. Mahrous maintained his philanthropist efforts that he cultivated in Bi’r Al-Sab’ and in 1929 he commissioned the construction of a drinking water in the center of Bi’r Al-Sab’ (see 0046).

The well that he financed was a major landmark in Bi’r Al-Sab’ and was repeatedly mentioned in books documenting Bi’r Al-Sab’ in that time period (e.g., the excerpt in document 0016). The Bseiso family, at large, were known for their humanitarianism. For example, one of the two mosques in Bi’r Al-Sab’ was financed by Mahrous’ brother, Eissa Bseiso. The family name itself comes from their grandfather’s benevolence to stray cats which he adopted in his wheat mills.

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in addition to that, the documents further indicate that in achieving this success, Mahrous possessed admirable legal knowledge. The language and structure of the contracts that Mahrous wrote himself reflect his commendable prior education and knowledge that he, in his trailblazing efforts, applied in transforming a once-marginalized town to a thriving agricultural and economical hub in the south of Palestine.
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Weathering
the storm

Palestine in the first half of the twentieth century was the center of turmoil that culminated in the 1948 war. Mr. Mahrous’ legacy documents reflect the changing political powers there.

One document in particular, 0005, shows that the sale transaction was conducted in various currencies that were in circulation in Palestine: a living manifestation of the ever-changing hands over Palestine.

Nonetheless, Mahrous was at the forefront of the economic development in Palestine at the time. Documents 0052, 0055, 0018 and 0051, for example, give a glimpse of the state-of-the-art cutting-edge agricultural machinery he introduced to Bi’r Al-Sab’. Contracts and leases from The Jaffa Iron Works and the Engineering Corporation of Palestine give clues to his vision of bringing progress to Bi’r Al-Sab’ despite the political ever-increasing unrest that was brewing.

1940’s

In reality, by the end of the 1940’s Mr. Mahrous was the main economic player in Bi’r Al-Sab’ . Documents 0013, 0031, 0004, 0019 show the large amount of property for which his business acquisitions paid taxes.

However, his successes in Bi’r Al-Sab’ were cut short by the 1948 war. Few documents narrate his business ventures afterwards, including 0032 which documents his founding of a company in the West Bank.

After the fall of Bi’r Al-Sab’ in 1948, Mr. Mahrous refused to give up his land and his successes. But he was forcibly removed from Bi’r Al-Sab’ to join the Palestinian diaspora.

Post 1948

Mr. Mahrous couldn’t carry much while under the crosshairs of weapons. The few surviving documents before you show only a handful of his property in Bi’r Al-Sab’ that, if mapped, could mean he owned much of the city as it stands today. Bi’r Al-Sab’ was renamed to its current colonial name of Beersheba at this time.

Meet Mahrous

Mahrous Bseiso stands at the beginning of a story carried through land, family, and memory.

Mr. Mahrous was born to an affluent family in Jerusalem towards the end of the 19th century and the Ottoman rule to the region

Upon graduating school in Jerusalem, Mahrous started off his first successful business ventures in Jerusalem. He married and started a family of four in Jerusalem.
However, the astute businessman sought opportunities in the virgin lands of south Palestine and began scoping the towns and areas to the south of Jerusalem.

He finally decided on Bi’r Al-Sab’ with the vision of bringing this underexplored town to the ranks of such cities, like Jerusalem and Jaffa.

1900’s

In Bi’r Al-Sab’: the early years

The documents indicate that Mr. Mahrous bought a large piece of land, measured in the hundreds of dunams, in 1906 (0045)

The Ottoman land deed is the oldest surviving document from the Bseiso family collection. The date of this document reflects how successful his business was in Jerusalem and could signal the first steps towards bringing Bi’r Al-Sab’ into the currently known agricultural oasis. Throughout the 1910’s, Mahrous continued to acquire land and establish farms and plantations.

001 - Doc Description here

Documents

In Bi’r Al-Sab’:
the burgeoning success

Starting from the mid 1920’s, Mr. Mahrous’ business ventures were booming in Bi’r Al-Sab’. The documents show massive land acquisitions (e.g., 0025, 0030, 0012, 0035). One of the major land purchases was finalized in 1929 when Mr.

Mahrous purchased over 4631 dunams, a massive land area that measures around 1235 acres (see 0009). Moreover, Mr. Mahrous acquired most of the property of Mr. Hirzallah, another leading businessman in Bi’r Al-Sab’, in the 1930’s (see 0037, 0043, 0053, among others).

These lands were immediately converted into farms and mining operations. All of these land acquisitions were witnessed by the heads of tribes and pillars of the Bi’r Al-Sab’ society. Such surroundings surely indicate the increasingly advancing position of the burgeoning entrepreneur in the socio-economic ladder of the town.
‍

1920’s

During these great successes, Mr. Mahrous maintained his philanthropist efforts that he cultivated in Bi’r Al-Sab’ and in 1929 he commissioned the construction of a drinking water in the center of Bi’r Al-Sab’ (see 0046).

Weathering
the storm

1940’s

In reality, by the end of the 1940’s Mr. Mahrous was the main economic player in Bi’r Al-Sab’ . Documents 0013, 0031, 0004, 0019 show the large amount of property for which his business acquisitions paid taxes. However, his successes in Bi’r Al-Sab’ were cut short by the 1948 war. Few documents narrate his business ventures afterwards, including 0032 which documents his founding of a company in the West Bank.

After the fall of Bi’r Al-Sab’ in 1948, Mr. Mahrous refused to give up his land and his successes. But he was forcibly removed from Bi’r Al-Sab’ to join the Palestinian diaspora.

Archive

Meet Mahrous

Mr. Mahrous was born to an affluent family in Jerusalem towards the end of the 19th century and the Ottoman rule to the region‍

In Bi’r Al-Sab’: the early years

The documents indicate that Mr. Mahrous bought a large piece of land, measured in the hundreds of dunams, in 1906 (0045)‍

In Bi’r Al-Sab’: the burgeoning success

During these great successes, Mr. Mahrous maintained his philanthropist efforts that he cultivated in Bi’r Al-Sab’ and in 1929 he commissioned the construction of a drinking water in the center of Bi’r Al-Sab’ (see 0046).

Weathering the storm

Post 1948

Meet Mahrous

Mr. Mahrous was born to an affluent family in Jerusalem towards the end of the 19th century and the Ottoman rule to the region

In Bi’r Al-Sab’: the early years

The documents indicate that Mr. Mahrous bought a large piece of land, measured in the hundreds of dunams, in 1906 (0045)

In Bi’r Al-Sab’: the burgeoning success

During these great successes, Mr. Mahrous maintained his philanthropist efforts that he cultivated in Bi’r Al-Sab’ and in 1929 he commissioned the construction of a drinking water in the center of Bi’r Al-Sab’ (see 0046).

Weathering the storm

Post 1948

Mr. Mahrous’ Legacy

Related Documents

Doc 1: Property Tax Receipt, 1947

Doc 2: Payment Receipts, 1950

Doc 3: (Back of Doc 2), 1950

Doc 4 : Property Tax Receipt, 1946

Doc 5: Mortgage Property Agreement, 1927

Doc 6: Mortgage Property Agreement, 1927

Doc 7: Sample Tax Form

Doc 8: Back of Doc 7 w/writings

Doc 9: Property Sale Agreement, 1922

Doc 10: Property Sale Agreement, 1932

Doc 11: Property Sale Agreement, 1930

Doc 12: Property Sale Agreement, 1924

Doc 13: Property Tax Receipt, 1946

Doc 14: Quittance Agreement

Doc 15: Back of Doc 14-Blank

Doc 16: Landowner Records, 1931

Doc 17: Reservoir Record

Doc 18: Closing Request Note, 1944

Doc 19: Notice of Govt Easement, 1945

Doc 20: Tax Demand Note, 1946

Doc 21: Land Sale Agreement, 1929

Doc 22: Land Registration, 1945

Doc 23: Land Sale Agreement, 1931

Doc 24: Back of Doc 23

Doc 25: Land Sale Agreement, 1922

Doc 26: Back of Doc 25

Doc 27: Reservoir Rental Agreement, 1928

Doc 28: Back of Doc 27

Doc 29: Land Sale Agreement, 1931

Doc 30 : Business Sale Contract, 1924

Doc 31: Court Order, 1946

Doc 32: Partnership Agreement, 1963

Doc 33: Land Deed, 1944

Doc 34: Land Deed Form

Doc 35: Deed Certificate, 1926

Doc 36: Deed Registration Sample

Doc 37: Land Sale Agreement, 1934

Doc 38: Receipt of payment, 1934

Doc 39: Land Sale Agreement, 1944

Doc 40 : Land Sale Agreement, 1931

Doc 41: Reservoir Sale Agreement, 1946

Doc 42: Land Sale Agreement, 1927

Doc 43: Land Sale Agreement, 1932

Doc 44: Receipt of Doc 43, 1934

Doc 45: Land Registry, 1906

Doc 46: Reservoir Constr. Contract, 1929

Doc 47: Land Registry, 1977

Doc 48: Tax Ordinance, 1946

Doc 49: Steel Company Agreement, 1936

Doc 50: Reservoir Equip. Rental

Doc 51: Truck Rental Agreement

Doc 52: Equipment Rental Agreement, 1938

Doc 53: Sale of Land(Deed), 1931

Doc 54: Record Deed/Agreement, 1934

Doc 55: Farm Rental Agreement

Doc 5: Mortgage Property Agreement, 1927

Doc 6: Mortgage Property Agreement, 1927

Doc 9: Property Sale Agreement, 1922

Doc 10: Property Sale Agreement, 1932

Doc 11: Property Sale Agreement, 1930

Doc 12: Property Sale Agreement, 1924

Mr. Mahrous was born to an affluent family in Jerusalem towards the end of the 19th century and the Ottoman rule to the region
‍

The documents indicate that Mr. Mahrous bought a large piece of land, measured in the hundreds of dunams, in 1906 (0045)
‍

In Bi’r Al-Sab’:
the burgeoning success

Weathering
the storm

In Bi’r Al-Sab’:
the burgeoning success

Weathering
the storm