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Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibrin (Arabic: بيت جبرين lit. 'House of the Powerful') was an Arab village in the Hebron Subdistrict of British Mandatory Palestine, in what is today the State of Israel, which was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was preceded by the Iron Age Judahite city of Maresha, the later Hellenistic Marissa, located slightly south of Beit Jibrin's built-up area; and the Roman and Byzantine city of Beth Gabra, known from the Talmud as Beit Guvrin (also Gubrin or Govrin, Hebrew: בית גוברין, romanized: Beit Gubrin), renamed Eleutheropolis (Greek, Ἐλευθερόπολις, "Free City") after 200 CE. After the 7th-century Arab conquest of the Levant, the Arabic name of Beit Jibrin was used for the first time, followed by the Crusaders' Bethgibelin, given to a Frankish colony established around a Hospitaller castle. After the Muslim reconquest the Arab village of Beit Jibrin was reestablished.

Key Information

During the days of Herod the Great, Bet Gabra was the administrative center for the district of Idumea.[5][clarification needed] In 200 CE, after the turmoil of the First Jewish–Roman War (64-70) and the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-135), the town became a thriving Roman colony, a major administrative centre and one of the most important cities in the Roman province of Syria Palaestina under the name of Eleutheropolis. The city was then inhabited by Jews, Christians and pagans.[6] Under the British Mandate of Palestine, Bayt Jibrin again served as a district centre for surrounding villages. It was captured by Jewish forces during the 1948 war, causing its Arab inhabitants to flee eastward. Today, many of the Palestinian refugees of Bayt Jibrin and their descendants live in the camps of Bayt Jibrin (ʽAzza) and Fawwar in the southern West Bank.

The kibbutz of Beit Guvrin was established to the north of Bayt Jibrin, on the villages' lands, in 1949. The archaeological sites of Maresha and Beit Guvrin are today an Israeli national park known as the Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park, including their burial caves and underground dwellings, workshops and quarries, which are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[7] Eleutheropolis remains a titular see in the Roman Catholic Church.[8]

Location

[edit]

The entire site is located in the Lakhish region of central Israel, between the coastal plain to the west and the Hebron Hills to the east, near the 1949 ceasefire line.

Ancient Maresha was identified at Tell Sandahanna, renamed Tel Maresha. The Hellenised city of Marissa included a lower city of 320 dunams during its heydays, which surrounded the tell (mound). It covers the southern part of the Beit Guvrin-Maresha archaeological park.

Bet Gabra or Betogabris grew around a hill c. 1.5 km north of Tel Maresha, after the demise of Marissa in 40 BCE.

The Crusader colony of Bethgibelin stood at what had been the northern margin of the classical city, with its castle built over the remains of the Roman amphitheatre. Its ruins now stand adjacent to and north of the regional road.

The built-up area of the modern Arab village of Beit Jibrin was largely south of the Crusader castle, adjacent to and mainly south of the regional road.

Kibbutz Beit Guvrin was built north of the Bethgibelin Castle and former Beit Jibrin.

Geography

[edit]

Historically, the site was located on the main road between Cairo and Hebron via Gaza,[9] in an area of plains and soft hills known as the Shfela (Shephelah) in Hebrew.[10] Beit Jibrin's average elevation was of 275 meters (902 ft) above sea level.[10]

The region contains a large number of caverns, both natural formations and caves dug in the soft chalk by inhabitants of the region over the centuries for use as quarries, burial grounds, animal shelters, workshops and spaces for raising doves and pigeons. There is estimated to be 800 such caverns,[11] many linked by an underground maze of passageways. Eighty of them, known as the Bell Caves, are located on the grounds of the Beit Guvrin National Park.[12]

Name

[edit]
Map illustrating the locations of Kibbutz Beit Guvrin, historical Bayt Jibrin-Eleutheropolis, the ancient caves World Heritage Site, and Tel Maresha (1940s Survey of Palestine map with modern overlay)

The settlement was renamed over the centuries. The Aramaic name Beth Gabra, attested from at least the Early Roman period, was preserved by the geographer Ptolemy in the Greek variation of Βαιτογάβρα, Baitogabra, translates as the "house of the [strong] man" or "house of the mighty one".[13] The antecedent might be seen in the name of an Edomite king: Ḳaus-gabri or Kauš-Gabr, found on an inscription of Tiglathpileser III.[14][15]

According to historical geographer A. Schlatter, the name Betaris mentioned by Josephus should either be identified with Bittir, or else the 't'[clarification needed] amended to gamma, so as to read Begabrin.[16][17]

In the year 200 CE, Roman Emperor Septimius Severus gave it the status of a city under a new Greek name, Eleutheropolis (Ἐλευθερόπολις), meaning 'City of the Free', and its inhabitants were given the rank of Roman citizens under the laws of ius italicum.[18][19][20][21] In the Peutinger Table in 393 CE, Bayt Jibrin was called Beitogabri. In the Talmud, compiled between the 3rd and 4th centuries, it was known as Beit Gubrin or Guvrin.[13] To the Crusaders, it was known as Bethgibelin or Gibelin.[22][23] Another name in medieval times may have been Beit Jibril, meaning "house of Gabriel".[23] In Arabic, Bayt Jibrin or Jubrin (بيت جبرين) means "house of the powerful",[24] reflecting its original Aramaic name,[13] and the town was probably called Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibril throughout its rule by various Muslim dynasties.

History

[edit]

Iron Age Maresha

[edit]
Main article: Maresha

The excavations have revealed no remains older than the Iron Age, a time when the Judahite town of Maresha rose on the tell to the south of Bay Jibrin known in Arabic as Tell Sandahanna and in Hebrew as Tel Maresha.[25] This corresponds to several Hebrew Bible mentions of Maresha. However, local folklore tells that the former Arab village of Bayt Jibrin was first inhabited by Canaanites.[10][26] After the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah in 586 BCE, the city of Maresha became part of the Edomite kingdom. In the late Persian period a Sidonian community settled in Maresha, and the city is mentioned three times in the Zenon Papyri (259 BCE).[27] During the Maccabean Revolt, Maresha was a base for attacks against Judea and suffered retaliation from the Maccabees. In 112 BCE, Maresha was conquered and destroyed by the Hasmonean king, John Hyrcanus I, after which the region of Idumea (the Greek name of Edom) remained under Hasmonean control and Idumeans were forced to convert to Judaism. In 40 BCE, the Parthians devastated completely the "strong city", after which it was never rebuilt. After this date, nearby Beit Guvrin succeeded Maresha as the chief center of the area.[citation needed]

Roman and Byzantine periods

[edit]

In the Jewish War (68 CE), Vespasian slaughtered or enslaved the inhabitants of Betaris. According to Josephus: "When he had seized upon two villages, which were in the very midst of Idumea, Betaris [sic] (corrected to read Begabris),[28] and Caphartobas, he slew above ten thousand of the people, and carried into captivity above a thousand, and drove away the rest of the multitude, and placed no small part of his own forces in them, who overran and laid waste the whole mountainous country."[29] However, it continued to be a Jewish-inhabited city until the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-135 CE).[30]

'Sidonian' tombs unearthed at Beit Jibrin
Old Roman Road, leading from Jerusalem to Beit Gubrin, adjacent to regional hwy 375 in Israel

Septimius Severus, Roman Emperor from 193 to 211, granted the city municipal status,[31] under a new Greek name, Eleutheropolis, meaning "City of the Free", and giving its citizens the ius italicum and exempting them from taxes.[32][33][34] Coins minted by him, bearing the date 1 January 200, commemorate its founding and the title of polis.[35] Eleutheropolis, which covered an area of 65 hectares (160 acres) (larger at the time than Aelia Capitolina - the Roman city built over the ruins of Jewish Jerusalem), flourished under the Romans, who built public buildings, military installations, aqueducts and a large amphitheater. Towards the end of the 2nd century CE, Rabbi Judah the Prince ameliorated the condition of its Jewish citizens by releasing the city from the obligations of tithing home-grown produce, and from observing the Seventh Year laws with respect to the same produce, as believing this area of the country was not originally settled by Jews returning from the Babylonian captivity.[36] The vita[clarification needed] of Epiphanius of Salamis, born into a Christian family near Eleutheropolis, describes the general surroundings in Late Antique Judaea.[37] The second chapter of the vita describes the details of the important market of Eleutheropolis.[38] Seven routes met at Eleutheropolis,[39] and Eusebius, in his Onomasticon, uses the Roman milestones indicating the city as a central point from which the distances of other towns were measured.[21] The Madaba Map (dated 542-570 CE) shows Eleutheropolis as a walled city with three towers, a curving street with a colonnade in the central part and an important basilica. In the centre is a building with a yellowish-white dome on four columns.[40] Eleutheropolis was last mentioned in the ancient sources by the near contemporary itinerarium of the Piacenza Pilgrim,[41] about 570.

In the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, Christianity penetrated the city due to its location on the route between Jerusalem and Gaza. The city's first bishop, Justus, was one of the 70 Disciples. Eleutheropolis was a "City of Excellence" in the fourth century[42] and a Christian bishopric with the largest territory in Palaestina. In 325 CE, Eleutheropolis was the seat of Bishop Macrinus, who in that year attended the First Council of Nicaea. Epiphanius of Salamis, Bishop of Salamis in Cyprus, was born at Eleutheropolis; at Ad nearby he established a monastery which is often mentioned in the polemics of Jerome with Rufinus and John, Bishop of Jerusalem. Epiphanius also mentions that Akouas, a disciple of Mani, had been the first to spread Manichaeism in Eleutheropolis and the rest of Palestine during the reign of Aurelian (270-275 AD).[43]

Beit Guvrin is mentioned in the Talmud in the 3rd and 4th centuries, indicating a revival of the Jewish community around that time.[30] The tanna Judah b. Jacob and the amora Jonathan (referred to in the Talmud as "Yonatan me-Bet Guvrin" or Jonathan of Bet Guvrin) were residents of the city. The Talmudic region known as Darom was within the area of Eleutheropolis ("Beit Guvrin"),[44] later known by its Arabic corruption ad-Dārūm.[45] Excavations at Eleutheropolis show a prosperous city, and confirm the presence of Jews and Christians in the area. It was described as one of Palestine's five "Cities of Excellence" by 4th-century Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus.[31] During the Roman-Byzantine era, water was brought into Beit Gubrin (Bayt Jibrin) via an aqueduct that passed through Wādi el-ʻUnqur, a watercourse that originates from a natural spring to the south-west of Hebron, and running in a north-westerly direction, bypassing Idhna on the north, for a total distance of about 25 kilometres (16 mi).[46] Remnants of the aqueduct are still extant. The territory under the administration of Eleutheropolis encompassed most of Idumea, with the districts of Bethletepha, western Edom and Hebron up to Ein Gedi, and included over 100 villages.[44]

Bayt Jibrin is mentioned in the Talmud (redacted 5th–6th century CE) under the name Beit Gubrin. In the Peutinger Tables (393 CE), the place is called Beto Gabra, and shown as 16 Roman miles from Ascalon.[47] The true distance is 20 English miles.[47]

The Midrash Rabba (Genesis Rabba, section 67) mentions Beit Gubrin in relation to Esau and his descendants (Idumaeans) who settled the region, and which region was renowned for its fertile ground and productivity.[citation needed]

Early Islamic period

[edit]
A mosaic showing two buildings within walls. It is labelled ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΠΟΛΙϹ.
Eleutheropolis as one of the town mosaics in the church of St. Stephen in Um er-Rasas, Jordan. Year 785.

The 9th-century historian al-Baladhuri mentions Bayt Jibrin (the name given to it by the Arabs following the Muslim conquest) as one of ten towns in Jund Filastin (military district of Palestine) conquered by the Muslims under Amr ibn al-As during the mid-630s' Muslim conquest. Amr enclosed a domain to Bayt Jibrin, which he named Ajlan, after one of his freemen.[48] The 1904 Analecta Bollandiana recounts that in 638 the Muslim army beheaded fifty soldiers in Bayt Jibrin from the Byzantine garrison of Gaza who refused to abandon Christianity and who were then buried in a church built in their honor.[49] In the beginning of the power struggle between Ali and Mu'awiya for the position of caliph, Amr left Medina in the Hejaz and took up residence at his estate called Ajlan in Bayt Jibrin with his sons Muhammad and Abdallah. The latter died there. The Umayyad prince and governor of Palestine, Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik, received the news of his becoming caliph in 715 during his stay in Bayt Jibrin.[50]

In 750 Palestine came under Abbasid rule. Bayt Jibrin may have already been devastated in 788,[51] but in any event, in 796, it was destroyed by Bedouin tribesmen in an effort to combat Christian influence in the region during a civil war between the Arab tribal federations of the area. According to a monk named Stephen, "it was laid waste, and its inhabitants carried off into captivity".[52] However, by 985, Bayt Jibrin seemed to have recovered, judging by the writings of the Jerusalemite geographer al-Muqaddasi:

"[Bayt Jibrin] is a city partly in the hill country, partly in the plain. Its territory has the name of Ad Darum (the ancient Daroma and the modern Dairan), and there are here marble [sic] quarries. The district sends its produce to the capital (Ar Ramlah). It is an emporium for the neighbouring country, and a land of riches and plenty, possessing fine domains. The population, however, is now on the decrease...."[53][54]

There is no marble quarry anywhere in Israel/Palestine, but al-Muqaddasi probably referred to the underground chalkstone quarries known today as "bell caves". Surface nari (local name for caliche) is harder than chalk.[citation needed]

Crusader and Mamluk eras

[edit]
Remains of the Crusader church in Bayt Jibrin, 2009

In 1099, Crusaders invaded Palestine and established the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1135, King Fulk of Jerusalem erected a castle on the lands of Bayt Jibrin, the first of a series of Crusader fortifications built at this time to ensure control over the ports of Caesarea and Jaffa.[22][10] In 1136, King Fulk donated the castle to the Knights Hospitallers. In 1168, the Hospitallers were granted a charter to establish a Frankish colony, which they named "Bethgibelin".[55] Christian settlers in Beit Jibrin were promised a share of property looted from the Muslims.[56] It was on the itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, who found three Jews living there when he visited the country.[57] The Ayyubid army under Saladin sacked Bethgibelin in 1187, after most of the Kingdom of Jerusalem came under Muslim control as a consequence of his victory at the Battle of Hittin. Soon after its capture Saladin ordered the demolition of the Crusader castle. From 1191 to 1192, the town was held in probate by Henry of Champagne, as lord of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, while Saladin and Richard the Lionheart negotiated a ceasefire.[58]

However, the Crusaders remained in control of Bethgibelin until 1244, when the Ayyubids reconquered it under Sultan as-Salih Ayyub. By 1283, the Mamluks had taken control and it was listed as a domain of Sultan Qalawun.[59] The city prospered under the Egypt-based Mamluk Sultanate and served as a postal station.[10] During Mamluk rule, Bayt Jibrin administratively belonged to Hebron and was under the jurisdiction of the Shafi'i (a school of law in Sunni Islam) qadi (head judge) of that city.[59]

Ottoman rule and the 'Azza family

[edit]
Bayt Jibrin in 1839, in David Roberts' The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia.

Bayt Jibrin and all of Palestine was conquered by the Ottomans after their victory over the Mamluks during the 1516 Battle of Marj Dabiq. Bayt Jibrin subsequently became part of the nahiya (subdistrict) of Hebron (al-Khalīl), which was part of the sanjak ("district") of Gaza. An Ottoman fiscal source from c. 1525-1528 mentions Beit Jibrin as one of the villages whose peasants had deserted.[60]

The Ottomans did not exercise strict control over their territories and tended to keep local leaders in their traditional positions as long as they complied with the higher authorities and paid imperial taxes.[10]

During Suleiman the Magnificent's reign, in 1552, the destroyed Crusader castle in Bayt Jibrin was partially rebuilt in order to protect the main road between Gaza and Jerusalem.[59] In 1596, the inhabitants of Bayt Jibrin, consisting of 50 Muslim families, paid taxes on wheat, barley and sesame seeds, as well as goats and beehives.[61]

In the 17th century, Bayt Jibrin may have absorbed residents from Khursa, whose village had been destroyed in an attack by the people of Dura.[62]

In the 19th century, Bayt Jibrin was the seat of the 'Azza family, who had ruled the area since migrating to Palestine from Egypt.[63] In the 1840s, after the Ottomans attempted to crush local leaders in the Hebron Hills for their refusal to pay taxes, the 'Azza family joined a revolt against Ottoman rule. They had aligned themselves to the 'Amr clan of the Hebron-area village of Dura. Between 1840 and 1846, hostilities were raging between the Qays and Yaman tribo-political factions in southern Palestine. The 'Azza and 'Amr families, part of the Qays confederation, were constantly clashing with the Yaman-aligned Abu Ghosh clan, who were based in the vicinity of Jerusalem.[64] In 1846, the shaykh (chief) of Bayt Jibrin, Muslih al-'Azza (known as the "giant of Bayt Jibrin"), the leader of the 'Amr clan, and other local leaders were exiled, but were allowed to return in the early 1850s.[65]

A sketch painting of Bayt Jibrin in 1859 by W.M. Thomson

In 1855, the newly appointed Ottoman pasha ("governor") of the sanjak ("district") of Jerusalem, Kamil Pasha, attempted to subdue the rebellion in the Hebron region. Kamil Pasha marched towards Hebron with his army in July 1855, and after crushing the opposition, he ordered the local shaykhs to summon to his camp.[66] Several of the shaykhs, including the leader of the 'Amr clan and Muslih al-'Azza, did not obey the summons. Kamil Pasha then requested that the British consul in Jerusalem, James Finn, serve as an envoy and arrange a meeting with Muslih. Finn sent his vice-consul to assure Muslih of his safety in Hebron and convinced him to meet with Kamil Pasha. Muslih was well received in Hebron and returned to Bayt Jibrin escorted by twenty of the governor's men. Soon after, the Kamil Pasha paid a visit to Bayt Jibrin to settle affairs and collect the town's overdue taxes.[66][67] Kamil Pasha took an oath of loyalty from all the local shaykhs in the Hebron region, including those under the rule of Muslih al-'Azza.[66]

In 1838, American archeologist Edward Robinson identified Bayt Jibrin as the site of both ancient Eleutheropolis and ancient Bethgebrim.[68] He cited William of Tyre's reference to the Arabic name.[69] Later travelers who visited Bayt Jibrin during that time were very impressed both by the shaykh of Bayt Jibrin, as well as by his "castle" or "manor". At the time, the remains of the Crusader fortress still served for defensive purposes in the village.[70] According to Bayt Jibrin's shaykh, in 1863, he was in command of 16 villages in the area and pledged "to provide as many as 2,000 men to the government if necessary."[71] In 1864, however, Muslih's brother told a traveler that Muslih and his property had been seized on "false charges of treason," and that he had been banished to Cyprus and then beheaded.[72]

Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 that Bayt Jibrin had a population of 508, with a total of 147 houses, though the population count included men, only.[73][74]

Bayt Jibrin's status began to decline throughout the 19th century. According to Western travelers it was "a small and insignificant village". The primary factors that contributed to the decline were the Bedouin raids on Bayt Jibrin's countryside villages, the 'Azza revolt, tribal warfare among the inhabitants of the towns and villages throughout Palestine and epidemics which struck the town and the nearby area.[64]

In 1896 the population of Bet dschibrin was estimated to be about 1,278 persons.[75]

British Mandate

[edit]

The British Army, primarily under the command of General Edmund Allenby, defeated the Ottoman Empire in a series of successful operations in the Middle East, in World War I.[76]

Beit Jibrin stood 21 kilometers (13 mi) northwest of Hebron, the district capital during Mandate times.[10]


Bayt Jibrin resumed its role as an important town in the District of Hebron. The population was entirely Muslim, and had two schools, a medical clinic, a bus and a police station. The town's inhabitants cultivated grain and fruit, and residents from nearby towns flocked to its weekly market or souk.[77] During the winter of 1920-1921 there was a severe outbreak of malaria. 157 villagers (one-sixth of the population) died with the mortality rate in the district reaching 68 per 1,000. Crops remained unharvested due to lack of people strong enough to work in the fields. The British authorities began a program of sealing open wells, improving drainage and distributing quinine across Palestine.[78][79] In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Bayt Jibrin had a population of 1,420, all Muslim,[80] increasing the 1931 census to 1,804, still all Muslim, in a total of 369 houses.[81]

On 10 January 1938, during the Palestinian Arab revolt of 1936-1939, J. L. Starkey, a well-known British archaeologist, was killed by a group of armed Arabs on the track leading from Bayt Jibrin to Hebron.[82]

In the 1945 statistics, Bayt Jibrin had 2,430 Muslim inhabitants,[1] with a total of 56,185 dunams or 56.1 km2 (13,900 acres) of land.[2] Of this, 2,477 dunams were irrigated or used for plantations, 31,616 dunams used for cereals,[83] while 287 dunams (0.28 km2 (69 acres)) were built-up (urban) areas.[84] 98% of which was Arab-owned. The town's urban area consisted of 287 m2 (0.071 acres), with 33.2 km2 (8,200 acres) of cultivable land and 21.6 km2 (5,300 acres) of non-cultivable land. 54.8% of the town's land was planted with cereal crops, 6.2% with olives and 4.4% with irrigated crops.[2][84]

Bayt Jibrin was in the territory allotted to the Arab state under the 1947 UN Partition Plan.[85]

1948 war

[edit]
The ruins of Bayt Jibrin, 2005

The First Battalion of the Egyptian Army were ordered to take up position in Bayt Jibrin during the second half of May during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. At the same time, The New York Times correspondent reported that thousands of Jaffa's inhabitants had fled inland, including "large numbers" to the Bayt Jibrin area.[86] In October 1948, the Israeli Army (IDF) launched Operation Yoav, which differed from operations three months earlier, as the IDF was now equipped with aircraft, artillery, and tanks. On October 15–16, the IDF launched bombing and strafing attacks on a number of towns and villages, including Bayt Jibrin.[87] According to Morris, the towns caught in the fighting were neither psychologically nor defensively prepared for aerial strikes, and Israeli Air Force bombing of Bayt Jibrin on October 19 set off a "panic flight" of residents from the town.[88]

On October 23, a United Nations-imposed ceasefire went into effect, however, there was an IDF raid on the neighboring police fort on the night of October 24, which resulted in more villagers fleeing Bayt Jibrin.[89] Israeli troops from the Giv'ati Brigade then occupied Bayt Jibrin and its police fort on October 27.[89] In 2008, a former resident of the town who was eight months old at the time of the raid, described his family's ordeal as follows:

In the 1948 war, the village was attacked by Israeli military units and bombed by Israeli aircraft. By that time, Beit Jibreen already hosted many refugees from neighboring villages. The fighting and bombing frightened the people. They escaped the fighting and sought shelter in the surrounding hills. [My] family found protection in a cave 5 km east of the village. They had left everything in their home, hoping to return after a few days when the attack would be over. The Israelis, however, did not allow them to return. Several men of Beit Jibreen were killed when they tried to go back.[90]

The village was located near the 1949 ceasefire line.

  • Bayt Jibrin after occupation by Harel Brigade, 1948
    Bayt Jibrin after occupation by Harel Brigade, 1948
  • Building on outskirts of Bayt Jibrin, 1948
    Building on outskirts of Bayt Jibrin, 1948
  • Beit Jibrin police station. 1948
    Beit Jibrin police station. 1948
  • Beit Guvrin Police station. 1948
    Beit Guvrin Police station. 1948
  • Members of the 89th Battalion outside Beit Gurvin, during Operation Yoav, October 1948
    Members of the 89th Battalion outside Beit Gurvin, during Operation Yoav, October 1948

State of Israel

[edit]

In 1949, kibbutz Beit Guvrin, was founded on the former village's lands.[4] The excavated areas of the successive Judahite, Hellenistic, Roman-Byzantine and Crusader towns have been included in the Beit Guvrin National Park with major points of attraction for tourists. There is little focus on any traces of Arab presence within the park, the period from the 7th century onward receiving little attention.[citation needed]

Archaeology

[edit]
Main article: Beit Guvrin National Park

Today many of the excavated areas of Maresha and Beit Guvrin can be visited as part of the Israeli Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park. Furthermore, the Archaeological Seminars Institute, under the license of the Israel Antiquities Authority, conducts excavations of Maresha's many quarried systems, and invites visitors to participate.[citation needed]

In 1838, the American Bible scholar Edward Robinson visited Bayt Jibrin, and identified it as ancient Eleutheropolis.[91] The remains of the city of Maresha on Tell Sandahanna/Tel Maresha were first excavated in 1898-1900 by Bliss and Macalister, who uncovered a planned and fortified Hellenistic city encircled by a town wall with towers. Two Hellenistic and one Israelite stratum were identified by them on the mound. Between 1989 and 2000, large-scale excavations were held by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) under the direction of Prof. Amos Kloner and conducted mainly in the Lower City of Maresha, concentrating both on the surface and on the subterranean complexes. Excavations continued in several subterranean complexes between 2001 and 2008.[citation needed]

The largely preserved remains of the amphitheater built by the Romans were excavated by Kloner. Among other unique finds was a Roman bath that has been confirmed to be the largest in Israel and the Palestinian territories.[92] Many of the ancient city's olive presses, columbaria and water cisterns can still be seen. Less than 10 percent of the caves on Tel Maresha have been excavated.[93]

The ruins of three Byzantine-era churches are located in Bayt Jibrin. A church on a northern hill of the town, later used as a private residence, had elaborate mosaics depicting the four seasons which were defaced in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.[52] A church south of the town, known as Khirbet Sandahanna, was dedicated to Saint Anne. The New Testament does not give any information about the mother of the Virgin Mary, but the widely circulated apocryphal Gospel of James gives her name as Anne, and her birthplace as Bethlehem. In another Christian tradition though, Bayt Jibrin is the birthplace of Saint Anne.[92] The initial Byzantine church was rebuilt by Crusaders in the 12th century. Today, the apse with its three arched windows and half-dome ceiling are still intact.[52]

The wider area of the Shfela has been inhabited for much longer. Excavations were conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) about 12 kilometres northeast from Bayt Jibrin at a site located on the same wadi, Nahal Guvrin, near moshav Menuha. The IAA has unearthed there artifacts from a village believed to be 6,500 years old, placing it at the end of the Stone Age or at the beginning of the Chalcolithic or "copper-and-stone age". The finds include pottery vessels and stone tools, among them flint sickle blades, cultic objects, clay figurines of horned animals, ceramic spindle whorls and animal bones belonging to pigs, goats, sheep and larger herbivores. The inhabitants probably chose this area due to the arable land and copious springs flowing even in the rainless summer months. Archaeologists believe the villagers grew grain, as indicated by the sickle blades and the grinding and pounding tools, and raised animals that supplied milk, meat and wool, as attested to by the spindle whorls. The settlement was small in scope, approximately 1.5 dunams, but there is evidence of bartering, based on the presence of basalt vessels and other lithic objects brought to the site from afar.[94]

Demographics

[edit]

During the Roman period, Bayt Jibrin had a mixed population of Jews, Christians and pagans.[31] Under Muslim rule, Islam gradually became the dominant religion and by the 20th century, the entire population was Muslim.[10]

In Ottoman tax records from 1596, the town had a population of 275 inhabitants. In the late 19th century its population reached 900, while in 1896 the population was estimated to be about 1,278 persons.[75] In 1912 it was estimated to be about 1,000,[95] and to 1,420 in the next decade.[80] According to the 1931 census of Palestine, Bayt Jibrin's population was 1,804.[81] A 1945 land and population survey by Sami Hadawi reported a sharp increase to 2,430.[2] The general growth pattern over every 9–11 years from 1912 to 1945 was around 400–500. In 1948, the projected population was 2,819.[96]

The number of refugees from Bayt Jibrin, including their descendants, was estimated to be 17,310 in 1998. Many live in the al-'Azza (also called Bayt Jibrin) and Fawwar camps in the southern West Bank.[96]

Beit Jibrin: culture

[edit]

Embroidery

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Bride's wedding attire from Bayt Jibrin, with the shambar expanded on the wall, exhibition at Oriental Institute, Chicago

Bayt Jibrin, together with Hebron and the surrounding villages, was known for its fine Palestinian embroidery.[97] An example is a woman's jillayeh (wedding dress) from Bayt Jibrin, dated about 1900, in the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) collection in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The dress is made of handwoven indigo linen with long, pointed wing-sleeves. The qabbeh ("chest-piece") is embroidered with the qelayed pattern; the maya ("water") motif, el-ferraneh ("the bakers wife") pattern, and the saru ("cypress") motif. The side panels are also covered with cross-stitch embroidery in a variety of traditional patterns.[98]

Also on show is a late 19th-century shambar (large veil) from Bayt Jibrin worn at weddings and festivals. It is made of embroidered handwoven black silk with a separate heavy red silk fringe.[99][100] A woman wore the shambar mainly on her wedding day, positioned so that when she covered her face the embroidered end would show. Another item in the collection is a headdress (iraqiyeh) embroidered with cross-stitch and decorated with Ottoman coins minted in AH 1223 (1808), as well as Maria Theresa coins. The iraqiyeh was worn by married women and elaborate pieces were passed down as family heirlooms. Long embroidered headbands made of cotton hanging from both sides were wrapped around the woman's braids to facilitate the bundling of her hair, then secured to the back of the headdress.[101]

Shrines

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Maqam of Sheikh Tamim, traditionally taken to be Tamim al-Dari[102]

In Islamic tradition, Bayt Jibrin is the burial place of the sahaba (companion) of Muhammad, Tamim al-Dari,[10] who was famously known for his piety and briefly served as the governor of Jerusalem in the late 7th century. Al-Dari and his family were granted trusteeship over the Hebron Hills, including Bayt Jibrin, and were assigned as the supervisors of the Cave of the Patriarchs (Ibrahimi Mosque) in Hebron. His maqam or sanctuary is the most venerated site in Bayt Jibrin, located just northwest of it. Until the present day, al-Dari's sanctuary has been a place of local Muslim pilgrimage.[103]

Other Islamic holy sites in the village include the maqam of a local shaykh named Mahmud, and the tomb of a shaykha (female religious figure) named Ameina.[104]

Prominent people

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See also

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At this site
Other topics

References

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Bibliography

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Bayt Jibrin

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Bayt Jibrin (: بيت جِبْرِين, romanized: Bayt Jibrīn) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Subdistrict of , situated in the about 21 kilometers northwest of and overlying the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Eleutheropolis. Predominantly Muslim with a 1945 population of 2,430, the village economy centered on , including cereals, olives, and across roughly 56,000 dunams of fertile land, supported by local springs and irrigation. It featured modest infrastructure like two elementary schools, a , and a , while retaining historical ties to earlier settlements, including a reputed associated with Islamic traditions. The site's ancient significance stems from its identification with Bet Guvrin, a Jewish village in Idumea noted by , which Roman Emperor elevated to the colonia of Eleutheropolis around 200 CE, granting it municipal status and an amphitheater amid a landscape of bell-shaped caves used for industry and burial. This Roman hub, meaning "city of the free," served as an administrative center in , with Byzantine and early Islamic continuity evidenced by churches, mosaics, and fortifications, though it declined after the 7th-century Muslim conquest. In the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Bayt Jibrin faced initial Israeli attacks on 24 October during , a broader offensive against Egyptian lines, culminating in its capture by the Giv'ati Brigade on 27 October after Egyptian forces withdrew toward , prompting the village's Arab residents to flee eastward amid the chaos of advancing combat and collapsing Arab defenses. Post-occupation, Israeli forces demolished most buildings, including the mosque and houses, while the lands were allocated for Jewish settlement, leading to the founding of Beit Guvrin in 1949 and integration into the Bet Guvrin-Maresha National Park, a site preserving the ancient caves and Roman remnants. Descendants of the displaced, estimated at over 17,000 by the late , form communities primarily in the and Gaza, with no return facilitated under subsequent agreements.

Geography and Location

Physical Landscape and Climate

Bayt Jibrin occupies a position in the Judean , a physiographic zone of undulating chalk hills and broad east-west valleys that transitions between the elevated Judean Highlands and the flatter . The underlying geology consists of thick, homogeneous soft chalk from the Lower Cretaceous period, fostering a landscape with extensive subterranean cave networks, including over 3,500 chambers distributed across complexes. These formations result from natural dissolution processes in the soluble rock, creating bell-shaped cavities and tunnels without significant surface relief variation, at elevations around 300 meters above . Soils in the Shephelah's valleys exhibit high sand content mixed with elements, supporting in lower areas where alluvial deposits accumulate, while the chalky hillsides are thinner and rockier. This combination enables seasonal moisture retention in depressions, contributing to the region's agricultural viability dependent on patterns. The is Mediterranean, marked by hot, arid summers with average highs exceeding 30°C and mild winters featuring average lows around 8–10°C. Annual averages 400 mm, concentrated in winter months from to , with negligible summer rainfall influencing the semi-arid character and limiting to drought-resistant scrub and grasslands outside irrigated zones. Local aquifers, such as the Avdat Group, recharge via rainfall infiltration in synclinal structures like the Bet Guvrin fold, supplemented by minor perched springs at geological contacts.

Strategic Position and Proximity to Modern Sites

Bayt Jibrin occupied a position in the western foothills of the Mountains, approximately 21 kilometers northwest of , at an elevation of roughly 250-350 meters above sea level. This topography afforded elevated vantage points for surveillance over the surrounding terrain, including Bayt Jibrin to the north, enabling oversight of approaches from the toward the Judean highlands. The site's placement along historic routes, such as the Gaza-Jerusalem road, positioned it at a natural crossroads between the Mediterranean and interior highland areas, supporting economic functions like transit and resource extraction while offering military advantages through chokepoint control. In contemporary geography, the former village aligns closely with the Israeli moshav of Beit Guvrin and lies adjacent to settlements including Kibbutz Beit Nir, forming part of the Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park, which encompasses ancient caves and archaeological features spanning the original locale.

Etymology

Ancient and Biblical References

The earliest attestation of the site's name appears in the works of the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who refers to it as Betogabra (Βαιτογάβρα), describing a village situated in the region of Idumea. This Semitic form is preserved in later Greco-Roman sources, including Ptolemy's Geography (c. 150 CE) as Betogabra and the Tabula Peutingeriana (a medieval copy of a Roman itinerarium from the 4th-5th century CE) as Betogabri, indicating its position along regional roads approximately 32 Roman miles from Jerusalem. The name derives from the Aramaic Beth Gabra (בית גברא), translating to "house of the strong man" or "house of men," with gabra denoting a strong or mighty individual in and related Hebrew gibbor carrying similar connotations of strength. This reflects a linguistic continuity in Talmudic literature, where variants such as Gubrin or Beit Guvrin appear, linking the locale to Jewish textual traditions without direct equivalence to biblical toponyms. No explicit reference to Betogabra or its equivalents occurs in the , though the absence aligns with the site's prominence emerging post-Iron Age, distinct from nearby biblical (Joshua 15:44). Under Roman administration, Emperor elevated the settlement to municipal status around 200 CE, renaming it Eleutheropolis ("city of the free") to commemorate imperial policy toward freedmen or regional autonomy. This Hellenized designation is evidenced in inscriptions, coins minted from the period bearing the inscription ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΠΟΛΙϹ, and ecclesiastical records, such as those of of Caesarea, who locates it in his Onomasticon (c. 325 CE) while noting its prior name. The transition underscores a Roman practice of overlaying administrative nomenclature on indigenous Semitic roots, preserving phonetic echoes in later forms like Bayt Jibrin.

Evolution of Names Across Eras

The ancient settlement, referenced in the Talmud as Beit Guvrin (Hebrew: בֵּית גֻּבְרִין, "house of men" or "house of the strong") during the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, reflected Aramaic roots in beit gabra, denoting "house of the powerful." This name appeared earlier as Baetogabra in Ptolemy's 2nd-century , indicating continuity from Hellenistic times. In 200 CE, elevated it to colonial status, renaming it Eleutheropolis ("city of the free"), as evidenced by contemporary coins and inscriptions issued under the . The name persisted through the Byzantine era, appearing in Eusebius's Onomasticon (ca. 330 CE) and a 6th-century labeling it ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΠΟΛΙϹ. Following the (636–640 CE), the site adapted to Bayt Jibrin (Arabic: بيت جبرين), an Arabicization preserving phonetic and semantic elements of the original, as noted in 9th-century historian al-Baladhuri's Futuh al-Buldan, which lists it among ten towns in . Local traditions linked the name to Jibril (), but etymological analysis confirms derivation from gabra ("powerful" or "strong man"), countering views of it as a novel Islamic construct disconnected from prior Semitic usage. The Crusaders, capturing it in the , rendered it Bethgibelin (or Gibelin), building a fortress there by 1137 CE, before Saladin's recapture in 1187 CE reverted it to form. Under and Ottoman rule, Ottoman defters (tax registers) from 1596 consistently recorded it as Bayt Jibrin or Bayt Jubrin, reflecting administrative stability and name persistence amid successive conquests. 19th-century European surveys and maps, such as those by the , transcribed it as Beit Jibrin, aligning with local pronunciation. Post-1948, Israeli settlement revived the Talmudic Hebrew Beit Guvrin for the adjacent , emphasizing archaeological ties to and Second Temple-period Jewish presence, as excavated at nearby Tel Maresha and evidenced by persistent onomastic elements across eras despite political shifts.

Ancient History

Iron Age and Hellenistic Settlements

Archaeological excavations at Tel , located approximately 1.5 kilometers south of the Bayt Jibrin site, reveal II (c. 1000–586 BCE) Judahite occupation, including city walls and structures consistent with a fortified settlement in the Judean . British excavations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries identified these strata beneath later Hellenistic layers, confirming Maresha's role as a regional Judahite center, potentially fortified under King around 925 BCE as referenced in biblical accounts corroborated by stratigraphic evidence. This presence underscores early Israelite territorial control in the foothills, with pottery and architectural features linking it to broader Judahite . During the (c. 333–63 BCE), evolved into a prominent Idumean urban center under Persian and subsequent Hellenistic rule, featuring extensive bell-shaped caves used for storage, industry, and burial, alongside surface structures yielding imported Greek pottery, ostraca in , Greek, and Thracian scripts, and painted tombs depicting hunting scenes and mythological figures. Seleucid and Ptolemaic influences are evident in the multicultural artifacts, including Sidonian merchant communities, reflecting economic ties to coastal trade routes, though local Idumean (Edomite-descended) dominance persisted with minimal overt in core practices. Hasmonean expansion under I around 107 BCE incorporated Idumea through conquest, evidenced by destruction layers at and regional sites, followed by forced Judaization that integrated Idumean populations via and observance, stabilizing the Judean periphery against external threats like Nabatean incursions. The site's Hellenistic fortifications, including towers and walls adapted from earlier designs, appear in excavations alongside Hasmonean-period pottery shifts toward Judean forms, indicating administrative overhaul and reduced foreign imports post-conquest. This transition fostered regional cohesion, as Hasmonean policies curbed Idumean autonomy while leveraging local manpower for defense, evident in the continuity of settlement until the Parthian invasion of 40 BCE, which razed irreparably. Thereafter, habitation shifted northward to the Bayt Jibrin locale, positioning it as the successor settlement in the Judean lowlands.

Roman and Byzantine Era Developments

Following the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132–135 CE, which impacted the surrounding Judean Shephelah region—including a reported Roman victory over rebels at nearby Khirbet el-Yahud—the settlement at Beit Guvrin expanded significantly under Roman administration. Approximately in 200 CE, Emperor Septimius Severus elevated it to colonial status as Eleutheropolis, evidenced by shared coin dies with Gaza from his reign, marking its integration into Roman civic and monetary systems. Urban infrastructure developed, including a late second-century amphitheater—measuring about 60 by 40 meters—likely built to entertain the local Roman garrison amid post-revolt stabilization efforts, and connections to broader Roman road networks facilitating trade and military movement. During the Byzantine era, Eleutheropolis attained the status of a bishopric, reflecting Christian institutional growth while Jewish communities continued to reside alongside pagans and emerging Christian populations. of Caesarea, in his early fourth-century Onomasticon, identified several biblical sites within its territory, underscoring its ecclesiastical and geographical prominence. Archaeological remains include Byzantine churches, such as the at el-Maqerqesh on a hill overlooking the city, featuring typical floors and structural elements indicative of fourth- to sixth-century construction. The city's economy centered on agricultural exports, particularly and wine, supported by numerous rock-cut presses and storage facilities dating from the Roman through Byzantine periods, which processed local produce for regional and Mediterranean trade. These installations, often underground to utilize soft chalk geology, highlight efficient production methods that sustained the settlement's prosperity amid mixed demographic and religious dynamics.

Medieval and Early Modern History

Early Islamic and Crusader Periods

The Muslim armies of the conquered Bayt Jibrin, then known as Eleutheropolis, during the campaigns led by following the in 634 CE, with the town secured as part of the broader subjugation of by 638 CE. This transition imposed dhimmi status on remaining Christian inhabitants, requiring payment of the poll tax in exchange for protection, a fiscal mechanism that incentivized conversions amid ongoing military pressures rather than fostering seamless cultural continuity. Empirical records indicate resistance, including the martyrdom of fifty Byzantine soldiers at the site in 638 CE for refusing to convert to , highlighting the coercive realities of the conquest over narratives of immediate tolerance. Under Umayyad administration from 661 CE, appropriated a local estate, integrating the area into the caliphate's fiscal system, though archaeological and textual evidence reveals no major urban expansions, with settlement patterns reflecting wartime disruptions and gradual rather than uninterrupted indigenous evolution. Intermittent conflicts, including Abbasid upheavals after 750 CE, further fragmented control, prioritizing garrisons over development. Crusader forces established Bethgibelin as a forward stronghold in 1136 CE, constructing a castrum with rectangular corner towers on the Judaean foothills to interdict Fatimid supply lines from , a site granted to the Knights Hospitaller for strategic defense of the Kingdom of Jerusalem's southern flank. This fortification exemplified causal priorities of deterrence through fortified outposts, with the castle's square layout enabling rapid deployment against raids, though its isolation exposed it to encirclement in larger campaigns. Baldwin IV reinforced such southern defenses during his reign (1174–1185 CE), bolstering Bethgibelin amid escalating threats, as part of efforts to maintain territorial cohesion against Ayyubid incursions. Saladin's forces recaptured Bethgibelin in the aftermath of the on July 4, 1187 CE, exploiting Crusader disarray to dismantle the Latin Kingdom's peripheral holdings, with Ayyubid chronicles documenting the swift sieges that prioritized dismantling fortifications to prevent reconquest. This shift reimposed Islamic governance, evidenced by renewed iqta' land grants, though repeated warfare—culminating in the 's limited recoveries—precluded stable rebuilding, underscoring how conquest cycles eroded prior infrastructural investments.

Mamluk and Ottoman Rule

Following the defeat of the Crusaders, Bayt Jibrin came under control after Sultan al-Zahir Baybars captured the site in the 1260s, amid efforts to secure frontiers against lingering Frankish threats and the aftermath of Mongol incursions at Ain Jalut in 1260. The village prospered administratively within the framework, falling under the jurisdiction of and governed by Shafi'i qadis, with fortifications likely maintained from Crusader-era structures to bolster regional defense. This period saw continuity in settlement patterns, though specific demographic records remain sparse, reflecting broader emphasis on stabilizing rural iqta' lands through taxation and military oversight rather than extensive rebuilding. After the Ottoman conquest of the region in 1516–1517, Bayt Jibrin was integrated into the of Gaza within the of , functioning as a nahiya-level village with local governance increasingly influenced by tribal dynamics. The 1596 Ottoman tahrir defter recorded 46 households and 4 unmarried adult males, yielding an estimated of approximately 275, all identified as Muslim taxpayers liable for revenues from , barley, fruits, goats, and beehives, indicating a primarily agrarian Muslim community with no explicit Christian households noted. Ottoman authorities refortified the site in 1551 to counter insecurity, issuing firmans that granted semi-autonomous control to local leaders amid central administrative decay. By the , the al-'Azza clan, migrants from , dominated Bayt Jibrin, leveraging alliances with Ottoman officials while engaging in intertribal conflicts and a failed against tax hikes in 1846, led by Muslih al-'Azza, who was briefly exiled before reinstatement. Agricultural output declined due to recurrent Bedouin raids on outlying fields and villages, compounded by tribal warfare and weakened imperial enforcement, fostering local autonomy as central authority eroded post-1700. These factors, evidenced in tax shortfalls and traveler accounts, underscore how nomadic pressures and decentralized power structures hindered sustained , though the village retained strategic value along Hebron-Gaza routes.

Modern History Prior to 1948

British Mandate Period

Bayt Jibrin fell under British control following the conquest of Palestine by Allied forces in late 1917 during World War I, with the Mandate for Palestine formally commencing in 1920 after League of Nations approval. The village functioned as a local administrative and service hub for nearby communities in the Hebron Subdistrict, benefiting from its strategic location along ancient trade routes. British authorities refortified the site, drawing on its historical defensive role, to maintain order amid growing regional tensions. Demographic data from the official conducted on November 18, 1931, recorded 1,804 Muslim inhabitants living in 369 houses, reflecting steady growth from 1,420 in the 1922 . By the mid-1940s, the population had risen to around 2,250, predominantly engaged in subsistence farming. Land ownership remained largely in Arab hands, with Village Statistics for 1945 indicating 54,962 dunams under Arab control out of a total village area of 56,185 dunams, including only 1,008 dunams held by Jewish entities amid broader Zionist land acquisitions in the district. Much of the land operated under traditional communal systems like musha', though effendis held significant portions of more fertile plots. The local economy centered on , with cereals such as and dominating on 45,693 dunams, supplemented by 2,037 dunams of groves and smaller fruit plantations on 2,477 dunams. rearing, including goats and sheep, provided additional sustenance, while the village's market role facilitated in grains and produce with neighboring areas. These activities underscored self-sufficiency but vulnerability to droughts and fluctuating yields under Mandate-era policies that prioritized export-oriented crops elsewhere. Tensions escalated during the of 1936–1939, a widespread uprising against British rule and Jewish immigration, which disrupted rural life through strikes, sabotage, and clashes. Bayt Jibrin, like other villages, saw local involvement in rebel activities, prompting British military reinforcements and collective fines on non-compliant communities; the revolt's suppression involved over 5,000 Arab deaths and widespread per British estimates. Concurrently, Jewish defense groups like expanded operations to protect settlements, leading to sporadic defensive skirmishes in the district, though the village itself avoided major direct assaults until later conflicts.

Socioeconomic Conditions and Land Ownership

In 1945, Bayt Jibrin was populated almost entirely by Muslim fellahin, numbering 2,430 individuals, who sustained themselves through on the surrounding fertile valleys and hills. Residences were typically constructed from stone and mud bricks, with some families incorporating adjacent cave systems—abundant in the area—for additional living space, storage, or , reflecting adaptive resource use amid limited building materials. The socioeconomic structure exhibited a divide between peasants and a landowning elite, exacerbated by the , which required formal registration of (state ) lands and enabled urban or clan notables to consolidate titles, often reducing fellahin to sharecroppers paying rents or portions of harvests to absentee owners. Land ownership remained predominantly Arab-held, with approximately 54,962 dunums under control compared to 1,008 dunums Jewish-owned, encompassing most of the village's 56,000-dunum municipal area (including uncultivable portions). Influential local families, such as the 'Azza —which had migrated from and established dominance in the region by the mid-19th century—amassed substantial estates, functioning as rulers and mediating between villagers and Ottoman authorities, though specific endowments under their control are not documented in Mandate-era records. This concentration fostered tenant dynamics, where fellahin tilled plots in exchange for fixed shares of output, limiting and perpetuating cycles of indebtedness during poor harvests. The economy centered on grain production, with cereals (primarily and ) covering 30,613 dunums in 1944/45, constituting over half the cultivable land; olives occupied about 6.2% (roughly 3,500 dunums), while irrigated vegetables, fruits, and orchards utilized 2,477 dunums reliant on springs and wells. Surplus crops were transported by or cart to markets, underscoring economic interdependence with the district center, though the absence of industry or cash crops like indicated vulnerability to climatic variability and modest yields—Village Statistics metrics show no or export-oriented farming, aligning with broader fellahin evidenced by per capita land holdings under 25 dunums and dependence on subsistence levels.

The 1948 Arab-Israeli War

Prelude and Strategic Context

The adopted Resolution 181 on November 29, 1947, proposing the partition of into separate Jewish and Arab states alongside an international zone for , a plan accepted by Jewish leadership but rejected outright by Arab states and Palestinian Arab representatives, who viewed it as infringing on their claims to the entire territory. This rejection precipitated from late 1947, escalating into full-scale following Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, and the immediate invasion by armies from , , , , and , with Egyptian forces entering from the south to contest control of southern . Egyptian troops advanced northward through the , capturing positions that severed the primary road linking central to Jewish settlements in the Desert, thereby isolating approximately 20 kibbutzim and other outposts with around 500 defenders who faced acute shortages of supplies, , and by mid-1948. Bayt Jibrin, situated on the Beersheba-Hebron axis approximately 15 kilometers northwest of , emerged as a key node in Egyptian defensive lines connecting coastal positions at Majdal (now ) to inland strongholds, facilitating Arab control over lateral supply routes and enabling interdiction of Jewish traffic in the region. intelligence identified the village and surrounding area as hosting Egyptian forward elements and local fighters who had conducted raids, including ambushes on convoys along inter-settlement paths, exacerbating the siege on communities. In response to these pressures, Israeli forces initiated on October 15, 1948—triggered by a specific Egyptian raid on communications routes the previous day—with the primary military objective of breaching Egyptian lines to restore access to besieged settlements, sever Arab logistics from the coast to the Hebron-Jerusalem road, and secure the 's southern expanse against further encirclement. IDF planning documents emphasized linking isolated units with northern forces south of , prioritizing the disruption of Egyptian reinforcements numbering in the thousands along the Majdal-Beit Jibrin corridor to prevent collapse of supply efforts via improvised air drops, which had sustained the outposts but proved insufficient amid ongoing Arab offensives.

Capture and Depopulation Events

During Operation Yoav, launched on 15 October 1948 to relieve the Egyptian blockade of the Negev, the 52nd Battalion of the Givati Brigade, supported by elements of the 8th Brigade, assaulted Bayt Jibrin on 23 October. The village encountered light resistance from local Arab irregulars and withdrawing Egyptian forces, facilitating a swift capture amid the broader Israeli advance northward toward Hebron. Prior to the war, Bayt Jibrin had approximately 2,820 inhabitants, primarily Muslim Arabs engaged in agriculture. As Israeli forces approached, most villagers evacuated eastward toward Hebron, influenced by the collapse of nearby Egyptian positions, including al-Qubayba on 24 October, and the momentum of Operation Yoav following earlier setbacks like the fall of Lydda in July. Egyptian troops withdrew from the area around 27 October, with some villagers accompanying them, resulting in near-total depopulation without documented massacres at the site, in contrast to events at al-Dawayima days later. Following capture, Israeli forces demolished most houses in Bayt Jibrin as part of standard IDF policy to render villages uninhabitable and prevent re-infiltration or return by displaced populations, securing the southern front against Arab irregulars who had participated in prior hostilities. This destruction aligned with operational directives during the war's final phases to consolidate territorial gains amid ongoing combat.

Differing Historical Narratives

The Palestinian narrative, as conveyed through oral histories of refugees from Bayt Jibrin preserved by organizations such as the Palestine Remembered project, portrays the depopulation as a forced expulsion orchestrated by Israeli forces during the village's capture on October 27, 1948, fitting into the broader framework of the Nakba—the catastrophic displacement of approximately 700,000 amid the 1948 war. These accounts emphasize direct military pressure and destruction of homes post-capture, attributing the exodus eastward to and beyond to deliberate rather than voluntary departure. However, such testimonies, while valuable for personal perspectives, often reflect post-event shaped by trauma and lack contemporaneous documentation specific to Bayt Jibrin, contrasting with archival records from the period. In contrast, Israeli historical analysis, particularly from scholar in his examination of refugee causes, classifies Bayt Jibrin's depopulation as resulting from abandonment during the Egyptian army's retreat under , where Israeli brigades (including Giv'ati's 52nd Battalion and the 8th Brigade) advanced against faltering positions without issuing explicit expulsion orders for this site—unlike documented cases such as Lydda. Egyptian forces, which had positioned in and around the village as a forward base, withdrew toward on October 27 amid the Israeli offensive, with villagers fleeing alongside them to evade the collapsing front lines; no massacres or systematic roundups were recorded here, distinguishing it from nearby incidents like al-Dawayima. This view aligns with broader patterns in Morris's archival review of over 400 depopulated villages, where fear of combat, prior collapses in neighboring areas (e.g., al-Qubayba), and leadership's tactical withdrawals contributed more to flight than premeditated Israeli in peripheral southern locales. Empirical evidence tempers claims of targeted expulsion: while the issued general evacuation directives in urban centers like and to clear civilian areas for irregular fighters, no such orders are documented for Bayt Jibrin, a rural outpost integrated into Egyptian military operations. Post-depopulation, the absence of returns stemmed causally from the 1949 armistice lines placing the village firmly within Israeli-controlled territory, compounded by resumed hostilities that precluded refugee ingress amid mutual expulsions—over 800,000 Jews displaced from Arab states in parallel wartime dynamics. These factors frame the event not as isolated but as a byproduct of total warfare's attrition, where defensive collapses induced preemptive evacuations; politicized interpretations in media or advocacy sources often amplify expulsion without village-specific corroboration from military logs or eyewitnesses beyond oral recall.

Post-1948 Developments

Establishment of Israeli Settlements

Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Beit Guvrin was founded in 1949 on lands previously cultivated by the depopulated village of Bayt Jibrin, positioned to the north of the former village site to bolster security along Israel's southwestern border. This establishment aligned with broader Israeli state policies to populate strategic frontier zones with Jewish communities, reclaiming territory amid ongoing regional hostilities and facilitating agricultural colonization in semi-arid areas bordering the . The kibbutz's creation emphasized collective defense and land utilization, drawing initial settlers from existing Jewish agricultural groups to rapidly secure and develop the area against potential infiltration or attack. The absorbed waves of Jewish immigrants, primarily refugees expelled or fleeing in Arab countries such as , , and , whose displacements—totaling over 800,000 individuals between 1948 and the early 1950s—mirrored the scale of Arab refugee movements from Israeli-controlled territories. These newcomers, often with limited farming experience, were integrated into kibbutz life through structured absorption programs that prioritized communal labor and ideological commitment to Zionist settlement ideals, despite cultural and socioeconomic frictions reported in state records. Nearby moshavim, such as Beit Nir established in 1950, expanded cooperative farming initiatives on adjacent lands, contributing to Negev periphery development by introducing irrigated crops and livestock rearing to counter and economic isolation. Agricultural revival at Beit Guvrin relied on post-1948 advances, including tractors and systems imported or adapted for collective use, transforming former village fields into productive orchards, vineyards, and grain operations that yielded measurable increases in output per compared to pre-war subsistence methods. State-backed cooperatives provided fertilizers, , and technical training, enabling settlers to achieve self-sufficiency and export surpluses by the mid-1950s, as documented in agricultural ministry reports emphasizing causal links between adoption and yield gains in reclaimed borderlands. These efforts underscored a pragmatic focus on empirical over traditional practices, fostering economic viability amid demographic pressures from mass .

Transformation into National Park

The Israeli government, through the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, designated the area surrounding the ancient sites of Beit Guvrin and as a in the post-1948 period, with formal development accelerating in the and via state-funded surveys and infrastructure to safeguard the site's archaeological integrity. Prior to this, under Ottoman and British Mandate rule, the ruins experienced sporadic documentation—such as the 1900 excavations by Frederick Bliss and R.A.S. Macalister—but lacked systematic protection, allowing continued use for quarrying, agriculture, and habitation that risked further degradation of subterranean features and surface structures. These Israeli initiatives shifted focus toward excavation, stabilization, and public access, prioritizing the site's pre-modern layers while addressing environmental threats like in the soft formations. The park's preservation efforts extended to multi-period remains, including Byzantine-era elements linked to historical Beit Guvrin (ancient Eleutheropolis), integrated alongside Hellenistic and Roman features to present a continuous historical continuum rather than isolated narratives. Some Ottoman and Mandate-period structures from the former Bayt Jibrin village, such as the police station, were repurposed or documented within the park boundaries, providing tangible continuity with 19th-20th century occupation amid broader ancient preservation—efforts that later validated by inscribing the "Caves of and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands" as a in 2014 for their exceptional testimony to 2,000 years of human adaptation in cave environments. This designation underscores Israeli management's role in maintaining the site's authenticity and , countering assertions of heritage erasure by highlighting sustained investment in a layered that includes post-ancient traces without privileging any single era. Tourism development within the has emphasized guided of over 3,500 documented chambers, including bell-shaped quarries and columbaria, fostering economic growth in the surrounding Judean Lowlands through visitor facilities, educational programs, and partnerships with local settlements like Kibbutz Beit Guvrin. These activities have drawn international and domestic audiences, enhancing regional employment in and conservation while generating revenue that supports ongoing maintenance—demonstrating how state-led transformation into a has revitalized an underutilized historical asset previously constrained by informal reuse.

Archaeology

Major Excavations and Discoveries

Initial archaeological surveys of Bayt Jibrin (ancient Eleutheropolis) and adjacent occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with explorers documenting rock-cut caves and surface indicating continuous occupation from the . F.J. Bliss and R.A.S. Macalister conducted the first systematic excavations at Maresha's in 1900 under the , uncovering Hellenistic fortifications and residential structures dated via ceramic typology to the 3rd–2nd centuries BCE. Following Israel's establishment in 1948, the Israel Antiquities Authority initiated comprehensive surveys and digs, revealing stratified deposits from Hellenistic through Byzantine eras. Amos Kloner directed major excavations at Maresha from 1989 and Beit Guvrin from the early 1990s to 2000, employing stratigraphic sequencing, numismatic evidence, and comparative artifact analysis to establish chronologies; these efforts exposed over 20 underground complexes originally quarried in the Hellenistic period and repurposed for industrial and funerary uses. Prominent discoveries include the Sidonian burial caves in Maresha's eastern , excavated in the , featuring frescoes of hunting scenes, mythological figures, and Phoenician inscriptions dated to circa 250–175 BCE through associated lamps and amphorae handles, reflecting multicultural Hellenistic influences among Idumean and Sidonian communities. At Beit Guvrin, the Roman amphitheater—unearthed via probe in 1981 and fully excavated in the —spans 70 by 50 meters with seating for up to 5,000, constructed around 200 CE as evidenced by foundational strata overlying earlier quarries and Bar Kokhba revolt-era coins, marking it as one of few such structures in the southern Levant. Hellenistic columbaria, vast rock-hewn dovecotes with niches numbering in the thousands, were systematically mapped and partially excavated post-1980s, their dated to the BCE by marks and tool traces consistent with contemporaneous systems, indicating agricultural intensification.

Cave Systems and Underground Features

The subterranean landscape surrounding historical Bayt Jibrin features over 800 bell-shaped s, primarily excavated as during the Late Roman to Early periods ( CE) into the soft , with chambers expanding downward from narrow surface entrances to form stable, dome-like voids up to 20 meters deep. These yielded high-quality limestone blocks for , and their interconnected networks, some spanning multiple tunnels, were later repurposed as hideouts during the (132–135 CE), where Jewish rebels concealed weapons, supplies, and fighters from Roman legions by leveraging the s' natural and defensibility. Columbarium caves, distinguished by walls honeycombed with thousands of small niches (up to 8,000 in major examples), date to the Hellenistic and Roman eras (3rd century BCE–3rd century CE) and functioned mainly for breeding doves and pigeons, yielding , eggs, feathers, and to bolster local and possibly support sacrifices in ancient Judean and Idumean practices. Evidence from niche dimensions and residue analysis indicates for economic output, with the caves' controlled humidity preserving populations year-round. The region's , comprising thick Eocene chalk layers that are malleable when moist but solidify upon drying, enabled large-scale manual expansion without collapse, as verified by spelunking surveys mapping over 3,500 chambers across complexes; this anthropogenic karstification, driven by systematic quarrying rather than solely dissolution, underscores the causal role of soft, homogeneous substrata in fostering such dense underground infrastructure.

Preservation and Tourism

UNESCO Designation and Management

The Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands, encompassing subterranean complexes associated with ancient Bet-Guvrin (near historical Bayt Jibrin), received World Heritage designation in 2014 under criterion (v), recognizing them as an outstanding example of human adaptation to geological conditions through the excavation and reuse of over 475 man-made caves for purposes including quarrying, storage, housing, and industrial activities spanning from the to the Crusader period. This status highlights the site's role as a microcosm illustrating successive cultural layers in the "Land of the Caves," with thick, homogeneous strata facilitating extensive underground networks preserved due to their architectural durability and historical disuse above ground. Management of the site falls under the Nature and Parks Authority (INPA), which implements a comprehensive system including conservation plans, archaeological oversight, and public access protocols to maintain structural integrity while promoting educational tourism. INPA's efforts involve regular maintenance, such as stabilizing cave walls and documenting epigraphic and artifactual remains, coordinated with legal frameworks that designate the area as a to prevent unauthorized excavation. Preservation challenges include balancing visitor access with risks of and , as evidenced by incidents of site damage that have prompted enhanced enforcement and monitoring, though the caves' inherent design has aided long-term survival. Ongoing initiatives prioritize non-invasive techniques to mitigate from , ensuring the site's authenticity without compromising its universal value.

Recent Developments and Accessibility

In July 2025, the and Parks Authority introduced the "Nari" installation in the of , a video-sound exhibit created by artists , Meirav Shaham, and Eli Haziza, which ran through November and utilized advanced lighting and audio systems to evoke themes of strength and historical continuity. The installation, named after the durable overlying the site's caves, aimed to deepen public engagement with the underground features through immersive technology, building on prior efforts to repurpose closed caves for cultural programming. Archaeological interest persists, with the Roman amphitheater—excavated in prior decades—highlighted in recent public outreach, including structural analyses underscoring Roman engineering feats, though no major new digs were reported post-2020. Complementary programs, such as olive harvesting events in the park's surrounding areas in October 2025, have drawn participants for experiential tied to the site's ancient olive presses, fostering educational ties to Hellenistic and Roman land use. Accessibility enhancements include ongoing upgrades by the Nature and Parks Authority, such as reception facilities, signage, and partial path adaptations across sites like Beit Guvrin, though steep steps in cave and amphitheater areas limit full wheelchair access. Digital aids, like those piloted in the "Nari" exhibit, support broader visitor inclusion, including sensory adaptations, amid tourism recovery efforts despite regional security disruptions since 2023. The park's role in underscores economic contributions through sustained operations, with innovations promoting resilience in visitor numbers.

Demographics and Population Changes

Pre-1948 Inhabitants

In the Ottoman period, Bayt Jibrin had a recorded of 275 inhabitants according to 1596 tax registers. By the late , this had grown to an estimated 900–1,000, reflecting migration and natural increase rather than unbroken indigenous continuity. The British Mandate census of 1922 enumerated 1,420 residents, all , increasing to 1,804 by 1931. The 1945 Village Statistics reported a population of 2,430 Muslims, comprising the entirety of the village's demographic composition with no recorded Christian minority. The 'Azza clan dominated local affairs, having migrated from Egypt centuries earlier and establishing control over the region by the 19th century. Inhabitants pursued an agrarian economy centered on rainfed cultivation of grains, olives, and fruits, with ancient cave systems integrated into daily life for storage, shelter, and animal husbandry. British surveys documented 369 houses in 1931, constructed primarily of stone and mud, indicative of a stable rural settlement pattern.

Refugee Outcomes and Diaspora

Following the capture of Bayt Jibrin by Israeli forces on October 27, 1948, its approximately 2,430 Arab inhabitants fled or were displaced primarily eastward to the and regions of the under Jordanian control. Many initially sought refuge in nearby areas, with subsequent settlement in UNRWA-established camps such as Beit Jibrin (also known as al-Azza) near , which was founded in 1950 specifically for families originating from the village. Others dispersed to Fawwar camp south of , joining refugees from adjacent southern villages west of the area. UNRWA registered these displaced persons and their patrilineal descendants as eligible for services, a policy distinct from standard UNHCR practices for other global populations by maintaining hereditary status across generations. As of 2023, the agency lists around 3,100 registered in Beit Jibrin camp alone, with extreme exceeding 114,000 per square kilometer exacerbating strains. Integration has been limited, as camp residents contend with overcrowding, insufficient water and sanitation systems, absence of on-site schools or clinics (necessitating travel to adjacent facilities), and recurrent access restrictions amid ongoing security tensions. In parallel, integrated over 700,000 Jewish refugees expelled from countries between and the early 1970s, providing and resettlement without perpetuating camp-based segregation. The 1949 Israel-Jordan Armistice Agreement, governing the relevant sector, committed parties to "promote the return to permanent peace" through mutual non-aggression but omitted enforceable provisions for displaced persons, leaving outcomes contingent on broader negotiations. Continued -Israeli hostilities, including Jordan's involvement in the 1948-1949 and subsequent conflicts, blocked any practical , mirroring the irreversible expulsion of from states where host governments denied return and absorbed none into their societies. No verified returns from Bayt Jibrin have occurred, with diaspora communities sustaining ties through family networks in camps rather than formal relocation or pathways.

Cultural Heritage

Palestinian Traditions and Artifacts

In Bayt Jibrin, women practiced tatreez, the traditional Palestinian , incorporating regional motifs such as feathers characteristic of the Beit Jibrin area, often applied to thobes and household textiles. These patterns, documented in ethnographic studies of Palestinian , reflected local agrarian motifs like and , with stitches executed on using or cotton threads dyed in vibrant colors. Following the depopulation, tatreez items from the village were preserved among families, influencing projects that replicate Bayt Jibrin-specific designs in modern kits and cultural preservation efforts. Local oral traditions associated the village name "Bayt Jibrin" with the Jibril (), interpreting it as "house of Gabriel" through a post-Byzantine Islamic lens overlaid on the ancient site's origins "Beit Gubrin," meaning "house of the powerful." This , noted in medieval sources, underscores a cultural rather than indigenous invention, blending Levantine Semitic linguistics with Islamic reverence for prophetic figures, though archaeological evidence points to no pre-Islamic angelic cult at the locale. Material artifacts from the village's Arab-era phases include early shards, such as wheel-thrown bowls and storage jars exhibiting continuity with Byzantine forms like buff wares, unearthed in excavations at the overlying ancient tell. These fragments, dated to the 7th-11th centuries CE via typological analysis, indicate utilitarian production influenced by regional trade networks rather than distinct or fellahin innovations, with glazed examples rare until later periods. Such finds, recovered from domestic contexts, highlight practical adaptations to the site's systems for storage, without evidence of specialized artistic output beyond everyday functionality.

Religious Shrines and Folklore

In Bayt Jibrin, the primary Islamic religious shrine was the Maqam Nabi Jibrin, located near the village entrance adjacent to what is now , venerated by local as a sacred site purportedly associated with the Archangel ( in ). This attribution reflects local oral traditions linking the village name—literally "House of "—to the angel's presence, though historical records provide no empirical verification of such a , suggesting instead a syncretic overlay from successive religious dominations in the region. Pilgrims and residents historically performed rituals at the maqam, including prayers and offerings, underscoring its role in communal reverence despite the site's modest stone structure. Adjacent to this was the Maqam Sheikh Tamim, dedicated to , a companion (sahabi) of who converted from and was granted iqta' rights over Bayt Jibrin and surrounding villages by the around 630 CE, according to Islamic biographical sources. Tamim's tomb drew veneration for his piety and eschatological narratives, with traditions claiming his burial there after his death circa 660 CE; Ottoman-era records affirmed the site's endowment for maintenance, attracting Muslim visitors for supplications tied to his reputed ascetic life. These practices, documented in 19th-century traveler accounts, involved annual commemorations blending prayer with local of Tamim's protective intercession against calamities. Pre-Islamic layers contributed to the area's religious , with the site of ancient Eleutheropolis (renamed Bayt Jibrin post-conquest) serving as a Byzantine Christian by the CE, evidenced by ecclesiastical records of bishops and probable church foundations amid Roman ruins. Earlier Jewish presence is attested in Talmudic references to Beit Guvrin as a settlement with ritual significance, potentially including remnants integrated into later structures, though archaeological confirmation remains limited to regional Hellenistic-Jewish artifacts nearby. This stratification illustrates causal influences of conquests—Jewish-Roman wars, Christian , and Arab-Islamic expansions—fostering syncretic where earlier sacred motifs were repurposed, as seen in traveler descriptions of blended reverence sites without distinct pre-Islamic shrines preserved intact.

Notable Individuals

Historical Figures

The Roman emperor (r. 193–211 AD) elevated the ancient settlement of Beit Guvrin to colonial status circa 200 AD, renaming it Eleutheropolis ("City of the Free") and integrating it as a key urban center in Roman Judea with administrative privileges and territorial grants. In the Crusader , King Fulk (r. 1131–1143) commissioned the construction of a fortress at Bayt Jibrin in 1135–1136 to fortify the frontier against Muslim forces from , later granting the site to the Knights Hospitaller for defense and settlement oversight. During Ottoman rule, the al-'Azza clan, originating from and settling in the region by the late , dominated Bayt Jibrin as local sheikhs from the early 1800s, administering lands and leading a peasant revolt against central authority in the 1840s that culminated in family members' execution or exile by Ibrahim Pasha's forces.

Modern Associations

The al-'Azza family, which held sway over Bayt Jibrin since their migration from and served as the village's ruling clan in the , maintains prominence among displaced from the area in 1948. Descendants of this family form a significant portion of the population in Beit Jibrin Camp (also known as al-'Azza Camp) near , where many original villagers and their progeny resettled following the depopulation. Nidal al-Azza, a family member and activist born around 1968, directs Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, advocating for refugee return rights and critiquing international policies on Palestinian displacement. Other al-'Azza descendants have engaged in community leadership and education within settings. For example, Ahmed al-Azza, a retired from the , co-founded initiatives preserving Nakba narratives alongside his wife Shahrazad, emphasizing intergenerational memory of the 1948 events. These figures represent localized influence rather than widespread public prominence, reflecting the broader trajectory of Bayt Jibrin's approximately 2,800 pre-1948 Muslim inhabitants into camps like al-'Azza and Fawwar. No globally renowned artists, politicians, or intellectuals directly originating from the village have emerged in post-1948 records, with associations primarily tied to familial and communal resilience amid status.

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