Global InformationSepphoris information
Sepphoris / Tzipori / Saffuriya
צִפּוֹרִי / صفورية | |
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  Sepphoris / Tzipori / Saffuriya | |
| Coordinates: 32°44′44″N 35°16′43″E / 32.74556°N 35.27861°E | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Northern |
| Council | Jezreel Valley |
| Founded | 5000 BCE (First settlement) 104 BCE (Hasmonean city) 634 (Saffuriya) 1948 (depopulated) |
Sepphoris (/sɪˈfɔːrɪs/ sif-OR-iss; Ancient Greek: Σέπφωρις, romanized: Sépphōris), known in Hebrew as Tzipori (צִפּוֹרִי Ṣīppōrī)[2][3] and in Arabic as Saffuriya[4] (صفورية Ṣaffūriya)[a] is an archaeological site located in the central Galilee region of Israel, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north-northwest of Nazareth.[5] It lies 286 meters (938 ft) above sea level and overlooks the Beit Netofa Valley. The site holds a rich and diverse historical and architectural legacy that includes Hellenistic, ancient Jewish, Roman, Byzantine, early Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk and Ottoman remains. In the Roman period, it was also called Diocaesaraea. In Mandatory Palestine, Saffuriya was a Palestinian Arab town with a population of approximately 5000 people at the time of its depopulation in 1948.
Since Late Antiquity, it was believed to be the birthplace of Mary, mother of Jesus, and the village where Saints Anna and Joachim are often said to have resided, where today a fifth-century basilica is excavated at the site honouring the birth of Mary.[6] Notable structures at the site include a Roman theatre, two early Christian churches, a Crusader fort partly rebuilt by Zahir al-Umar in the 18th century, and over sixty different mosaics dating from the third to the sixth century CE.[7][8]
Following the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132–135, Sepphoris was one of the Galilean centers where rabbinical families from neighboring Judea relocated.[9] Remains of a synagogue dated to the first half of the fifth century were discovered on the northern side of town.[10] In the 7th century, the town was conquered by the Arab Rashidun armies during the Muslim conquest of the Levant. Successive Muslim dynasties ruled the area until the Crusades.
Until its depopulation during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War,[11][12] Saffuriya was a Palestinian Arab village. Moshav Tzippori was established adjacent to the site in 1949. It falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council, and in 2022 had a population of 1,030.
The area where the remains of the ancient city have been excavated, occupied until 1948 by the Arab village,[13] was designated an archaeological reserve named Tzipori National Park in 1992.[14]
- ^ Petersen (2001), p. 270
- ^ "Tzipori National Park – Israel Nature and Parks Authority". en.parks.org.il. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ a b Palmer (1881), p. 115
- ^ Shapira, Ran (12 December 2014). "Ancient Jewish tombstone found repurposed in 19th century Muslim mausoleum". Haaretz. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ Leroy Waterman (1931). "Sepphoris, Israel". The Kelsey Online. Archived from the original on 27 June 2006.
- ^ Eric Meyers, ed. (1999). Galilee, Confluence of Cultures. Winona Lake, Indiana pp. 396–7: Eisenbrauns.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Weiss, Zeev (2009). "The Mosaics of the Nile Festival Building at Sepphoris and the legacy of the Antiochene Tradition". Katrin Kogman-Appel, Mati Meyer (eds.). Between Judaism and Christianity: Art Historical Essays in Honor of Elisheva (Elizabeth) Revel-Neher, BRILL, pp. 9–24, p. 10.
- ^ Mariam Shahin (2005). Palestine: A Guide. Interlink Books: Northampton, Massachusetts.
- ^ Miller (1984), p. 132
- ^ The Mosaic Pavements of Roman and Byzantine Zippori
- ^ Research Fellow Truman Institute Benny Morris; Benny Morris; Morris Benny (2004). Charles Tripp (ed.). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. pp. 516–7. ISBN 978-0-521-00967-6. OCLC 1025810122.
- ^ Research Fellow Truman Institute Benny Morris; Benny Morris; Morris Benny (2004). Charles Tripp (ed.). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. pp. 417–. ISBN 978-0-521-00967-6. OCLC 1025810122.
- ^ Nur Masalha (2014). The Zionist Bible: Biblical Precedent, Colonialism and the Erasure of Memory. Routledge. ISBN 9781317544647. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ Zippori and the Mona Lisa of the Galilee
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