This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.Balad al-Sheikh (traditional transliteration) or Balad ash-Shaykh (most recent form of transliteration; Arabic: بلد الشيخ) was a Palestinian Arab village located just north of Mount Carmel, 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) southeast of Haifa.

[5] The town is named after Sheikh Abdallah Al-Sahli, a renowned Sufi, who was granted the taxes collected from the village by Sultan Salim II (1566-1574).

[8] In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described it as "a moderate-sized village at the foot of Carmel, with good springs below near the road, and olive gardens with a few palm trees".

[13][14] In 1934, a new cemetery for Muslim residents of Haifa, was established near the village and in 1935 Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was buried there, making the area a source of tension between Jews and Arabs.

[6] During the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine, there were frequent attacks on Jewish passenger buses near Balad al-Sheikh.

In May 1936, a police station was opened in Balad al-Sheikh in an attempt to crack down on the attacks on Jewish buses and property.

[16] In October 1936, an engagement between Arab militants and the British military, supported by aircraft, took place near the village.

[20] On April 18, 1939, a wide military and police search was conducted in Balad esh Sheikh looking for the suspects of the killings in Haifa.

[21] On May 26, 1939, Mordechai Shechtman, a train driver, was shot in the head by two Arabs who ambushed him at the railroad switch stop near Balad-el Sheikh.

[24] On December 2, 1947, shots were fired at a bus that was bringing workers from the cement factory in Nesher to their homes and was passing by the road near the village.

[30] According to Israeli historian Aryeh Yitzhaki, the attack was carried out by a combination of Palmach and Haganah forces who entered the town and fought mostly inside the houses, resulting in mostly non-combatant casualties.

[33] On April 24, 1948, the Carmeli Brigade a unit of the Haganah surrounded the village, asking the residents to hand over all their weapons.

[34][35] In 1949, Balad Al-Sheikh was resettled by Israelis who occupied most of the Arab houses, renaming the area Tel Chanan, which is now considered part of the Nesher township.