Naaran
Remnants of Naaran synagogue mosaic
Naaran is located in State of Palestine
Naaran
Shown within State of Palestine
LocationWest Bank
Coordinates31°53′02″N 35°26′41″E / 31.883826°N 35.444813°E / 31.883826; 35.444813

Naaran (also Na'aran) (Hebrew: נערן) is an ancient Jewish village dating to the 5th and 6th century CE, located in the modern-day West Bank. Remains of the village have been excavated north of Jericho, in Ephraim, between Bethel and Jericho. Naaran is archeologically notable for a mosaic floor of a synagogue, featuring a large zodiac design, which was discovered at the site.

Naaran is mentioned in Joshua 16:7 and 1 Chronicles 7:28 as a town in the eastern part of Ephraim.[1] Eusebius, in his Onomasticon, makes mention of the site, saying that in his day it was "a village inhabited by Jews, five [Roman] miles from Jericho."[2] The site is also named in the writings of Josephus (Antiquities 17.13.1), under its name (Greek: Νεαρὰν),[3] and in the Midrash Rabba (Leviticus Rabbah 23:5), which notes the rivalry between Naaran and the neighboring gentile city of Jericho.[4]

An Israeli settlement, kibbutz Niran, located several kilometers to the north, takes its name from Naaran. The community of Mevo'ot Yericho is adjacent to the actual archaeological site.

Synagogue

The ancient synagogue of Naaran was discovered in the ruin Tel el-Jisr, in the heart of the newer village, now known as Nu'eimah, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Jericho.[5] Aramaic inscriptions and mosaics from the synagogue are displayed at an archaeology museum established by the Israeli archaeologist Yitzhak Magen at the Good Samaritan Inn.[6]

In May 2012, the ancient synagogue was vandalized with graffiti that included swastikas and Palestinian flags.[7] Israel's Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli-Yoel Edelstein condemned the act and noted that, "The incident reaffirms the belief that Jewish holy sites must be under Israel's sovereignty."[7]

Swastikas spray painted on the ancient synagogue of Na'aran

See also

References

  1. ↑ Easton's Bible Dictionary
  2. ↑ Eusebius, Onomasticon - The Place Names of Divine Scripture, (ed.) R. Steven Notley & Ze'ev Safrai, Brill: Leiden 2005, p. 130 (§732) ISBN 0-391-04217-3.
  3. ↑ Albright, W.F. (1924). "Excavations and Results at Tell el-Fûl (Gibeah of Saul) (1922-1923)". The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research. American Schools of Oriental Research. 4: 153 (note 3). JSTOR 3768487.
  4. ↑ Sivan, Hagith (2008). Palestine in late antiquity. Oxford University Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-19-928417-7. OCLC 928745908.
  5. ↑ Ben-Yosef, Sefi (1979). "Naaran". In Yitzhaki, Arieh (ed.). Israel Guide - The Judean Desert and The Jordan Valley (A useful encyclopedia for the knowledge of the country) (in Hebrew). Vol. 5. Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House, in affiliation with the Israel Ministry of Defence. pp. 157–158. OCLC 745203905.
  6. ↑ Inn of the Good Samaritan Becomes a Museum
  7. 1 2 Itamar Fleishman (25 May 2012). "Swastikas sprayed on ancient synagogue near Jericho". Ynetnews.
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