| Hebron Hills | |
|---|---|
 Harvesting in the South Hebron Hills | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,026 m (3,366 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,026 m (3,366 ft) |
| Coordinates | 31°26′N35°0′E / 31.433°N 35.000°E /31.433; 35.000 |
| Naming | |
| Native name | |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | West Bank |
| Parent range | Judean Mountains |
TheHebron Hills, also known asMount Hebron (Arabic:جبل الخليل,romanized: Jabal al-Khalīl;Hebrew:הר חברון,romanized: Har Khevron), are amountain ridge, geographic region, and geologic formation, constituting the southern part of theJudean Mountains.[1] They are located in the southernWest Bank, Palestine.[2][3][4]
During theIron Age, the Hebron Hills were part of theKingdom of Judah, which underwent a forced exile after being conquered by theBabylonians. Subsequently, in theHellenistic period, anEdomite population migrating to the area became dominant, leading to its being referred to asIdumaea. The Edomites later converted to Judaism and assimilated into the Jewish population.[5][6] Despite many settlements being destroyed or abandoned due to the brutal suppression of theBar Kokhva revolt, a Jewish presence persisted in the area.[7]
In the Late Roman andByzantine periods, the Hebron Hills were divided demographically into a Christian northern part and a mixed Jewish-Christian southern area.[8] During this time, the southern Hebron Hills became known asDaroma, meaning "South" in Hebrew andAramaic.[9][10] Severalsynagogues from this period have been unearthed in the region. Following theMuslim conquest of the Levant, the Jewish population in the area declined as Muslims became dominant.
In theOttoman period, Mount Hebron served as a stop for farmers and herders, primarily from the deserts ofArabia andTransjordan, who migrated due to factors like severe drought. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Mount Hebron experienced extensive violence involving rival families andBedouins, leading to migrations and the destruction of many villages.[11]
The highest peak of the mountain ridge is in the Palestinian city ofHalhul, where atableland exists with an altitude of 1,026 metres (3,366 ft).[citation needed]
TheBook of Joshua mentionsMaon,Carmel,Adora, andJuttah among others as part of the tribal territory of theTribe of Judah.[12] The modern Arabic names ofMa'in,al-Karmil,Dura, andYatta respectively preserve the ancient names.[13][14][15][16]
As the Nabataeans pushed northwards, theEdomites were driven out of old Edom to the south of the Dead Sea and into the southern Hebron Hills between the southern part of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean, establishing new Edom or Idumaea.[17][5][6]
During theHellenistic period, the Edomites became the dominant population of the southern Hebron Hills.[9] UnderPtolemaic rule, the area became a separate administrative unit known as Idumea, named after its inhabitants.Marisa became its administrative center, with Ziph and Adoraim being of secondary importance.[9]
Hellenistic rule broughtGreek andPhoenician culture into Idumea, while the prevalence ofmale circumcision shows a growing affinity withJudaism.[18]
In 113-112 BCE, the region was captured by theJohn Hyrcanus, who converted the Edomites to Judaism and incorporated Idumaea into theHasmonean kingdom.[9][18]
The region took part in theBar Kokhva revolt against theRoman Empire (132-135 CE). The revolt left many settlements in the area destroyed or abandoned, and some of its residents migrated to theGalilee.[9] However, while many areas inJudea proper were depopulated during the revolt and subsequently resettled by foreigners loyal to the Romans, the southern Hebron Hills stood out with its continuing, albeit diminished, Jewish presence.[7] In hisGeography, written around 150 CE,Claudius Ptolemy describes Idumea as a desolate area, in contrast to the relative density in the rest of the country north of Idumea to the Galilee.[9]
During the Late Roman andByzantine periods, the Hebron Hills were demographically divided into two distinct sub-regions. In the northern part,Christian settlements were established atop the remains of previously destroyedJewish villages. Meanwhile, the southern Hebron Hills were inhabited by both Jewish and Christian communities.[8] There is evidence that the region was also inhabited bypagans andJewish Christians during that period.[9]
During the same period, the southern Hebron Hills became known asDarom orDaroma (Hebrew andAramaic for "South"). This term appears inrabbinic literature and inEusebius'Onomasticon.[9][10] In hisOnomasticon, Eusebius mentions seven Jewish settlements that existed in his time in the southern Hebron Hills:Juttah,Carmel,Eshtemoa,Rimmon,Tele, Lower Anim, andEin Gedi. Archaeological finds confirm the existence of Jewish and Christian settlements inYatta,al-Karmil,as-Samu,Zif,Maon,Kfar Aziz, Eaton, Gomer, Kishor, Tela, Rimon, and Aristobolia. Jewish settlements were typically built surrounding a synagogue.[8]
The Jewish population in the southern Hebron Hills appears to have consisted of the descendants of the Jewish residents who remained in the area after theBar Kokhba revolt, in addition to Jewish migrants fromGalilee who joined them. This influx might have occurred during the time ofJudah ha-Nasi, who maintained positive relations with the Roman authorities.[7]
In the southern Hebron Hills, four synagogues dating from the Talmudic period have been unearthed:Eshtemoa,Susiya,Maon, and'Anim.[19][20] These synagogues share common architectural features that set them apart from others found in the Land of Israel.[20] The Eshtemoa synagogue was excavated in the mid-1930s and was initially considered architecturally unique, being classified as 'transitional' between early and late synagogues. Later excavation of the Susiya synagogue revealed significant similarities between the two, leading scholars to categorize the synagogues of the area as a distinct architectural group. Between 1987 and 1990, excavations at the Maon and 'Anim synagogues revealed both similarities and differences compared to those in Eshtemoa and Susiya.[20]
Following theMuslim conquest of the Levant, the Jewish population in the southern Hebron Hills had been gradually replaced byMuslims. During the early Islamic period, the synagogues of Susya and Eshtemoa were repurposed asmosques.[8][21] It remains unclear whether local Jews had fled the area or hadconverted to Islam.[citation needed]
Some Palestinians residing in the Hebron Hills, most notably theMakhamras of Yatta, view themselves as having Jewish ancestry.[22][23][24][25]
During the Crusades, at the time of theKingdom of Jerusalem, all the Hebron Hills fell under the dominion of theseigneurie ofSt. Abraham.[26]
In the 16th century, Mount Hebron came underOttoman rule. Findings indicate that during the 17th and 18th centuries, Mount Hebron witnessed widespread violence, resulting in significant migrations and hegemony changes. Travelers' accounts from the late 17th to the early 19th century documented violence in the Hebron area, especially in its northern fringe, where conflicts between Hebron andBethlehem districts led to the destruction of many villages. Limited information on southern Mount Hebron suggests a common practice of spending part of the year in caves and underground caverns.[11]
In the years beforeMuhammad Ali of Egypt took control of the Levant (1831-1840) and the following two decades, the area faced ongoing insecurity. The struggle for control over Mount Hebron between rival groups in Dura led to a violent conflict, drawing in nearbyBedouin tribes and prompting local residents to relocate tocave dwellings.[11]
In the 19th century, there were instances of peasants fromTransjordan moving to Hebron, driven by long droughts in their home areas. This migration provided labor for growing grains commercially in theBayt Jibrin area, not far from western Hebron.[11]
Bothfellahin and Bedouins relied on their livestock as a form of "insurance" during droughts, prompting them to migrate following the rains and adopt a nomadic lifestyle not only in the Hebron Hills but also in other parts of Palestine. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent in Yatta and as-Samu, where droughts are frequent. Sometimes, this prolonged nomadism led to permanent migration to more hospitable areas. Consequently, rural communities from the Hebron Hills emerged in regions such asNablus andDothan in the northern West Bank, as well as inWadi 'Ara and theManasseh Hills.[27]
In recent times, several areas where traditional Palestinian herding communities live have been declared restricted military zones, forcing the displacement of many families. SeveralIsraeli settlements have been established over the terrain. TheIsraeli military administration regards the area as a high priority for enforcing demolition orders regarding Palestinian dwellings.[28]
Several Palestinian Muslim clans residing in the Hebron Hills are purported to have or claim Jewish ancestry. TheMakhamra family, based inYatta, has a tradition of tracing their ancestry back to a Jewish tribe ofKhaybar. They have preserved various customs resembling Jewish practices.[29][30] InHalhul, the Sawarah clan and the Shatrit family are reputed to have Jewish origins.[31][32] Traditions of Jewish ancestry have also been noted inDura andBeit Ummar.[31]
Palestinian anthropologist Ali Qleibo noted that residents of as-Samu and Yatta identify asQaysi, pure Arabs fromHejaz, with genealogical records tracing back to theArabian Desert. However, in the southern Hebron Hills, the prevalent genetic makeup featuresalleles for blonde hair, fair skin, and blue eyes, which he says could be attributed toCrusaders or cross-cousin marriage. Qleibo found it curious that the genetic characteristics of Beit Ummar's population, who consider themselves descendants of a Crusader prince converted toIslam over seven centuries ago, predominantly exhibit typicalArabian traits, including white skin and jet-black hair.[33]
The Hebron Hills form the southern and eastern border ofMediterranean vegetation in the region ofPalestine.
A 2012 survey by theIsrael Nature and Parks Authority discovered 54 rare plant species in the region, more than half of them in cultivated fields. They includeBoissiera squarrosa, a type of grass;Legousia hybrida, a plant from the bellflower family; andReseda globulosa, a raremignonette.[34]
The region has been known for itsvineyards sincebiblical times. Palestinians and Israelis (from both parts of theGreen Line) continue to farm grapes in this region. Localwineries includeYatir Winery.[citation needed]
is strategically located at the juncture of three different ecological zones: the Hebron Hills to the northeast, the foothills of the Shephelah to the west and the Northern Negev Desert to the south
Jews. As the Nabataeans, pushed from behind, gradually moved northward, the Edomites were the chief sufferers from their advance; and these in turn, being at length driven out from their old territory, were forced into southern Palestine, of which they finally gained possession; certainly not without a fierce and protracted struggle. The result was a complete shifting of the position of these two peoples; the Nabataeans ultimately occupying old Edom, while the Edomites moved into the region (new Edom, or Idumaea) lying between the southern part of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean, territory formerly occupied for the most part by the tribe of Judah.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Khaybar's Jews appear in Arab folklore as well. [...] The Muḥamara family of the Arab village of Yutta, near Hebron, trace their descent to the Jews of Khaybar. Families in other nearby villages tell of similar lineages.
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