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Mount Hebron
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′N 35°0′E / 31.433°N 35.000°E / 31.433; 35.000
Geography
Location	Levant

Mount Hebron (Template:Lang-ar, Template:Lang-he), or the Hebron Hills, are a mountain ridge, geographic region, and geologic formation, comprising the southern part of the Judean Mountains.

Geography

The highest peak of the mountain ridge is in the Arab city of Halhul, where a tableland exists with an altitude of 1,026 metres (3,366 ft).

History

Iron age

The Book of Joshua mentions Maon, Carmel, Adora and Juttah among others as part of the tribal territory of the Tribe of Judah. The modern Arabic names of Ma'in, al-Karmil, Dura, and Yatta respectively preserve the ancient names.

Hellenistic period

During the Hellenistic period, the Edomites became the dominant population of the southern Hebron Hills. Under Ptolemaic rule, the area became a separate administrative unit known as Idumea, after its inhabitants. Marisa became its administrative center, with Ziph and Adoraim being of secondary importance.

In 113-112 BCE, the region was captured by the John Hyrcanus, who converted the Edomites to Judaism and incorporated Idumaea into the Hasmonean kingdom.

Roman period

The region took part in the Bar Kokhva revolt against the Roman Empire (132-135 CE). The revolt left many settlements in the area destroyed or abandoned, with some of its residents immigrating to the Galilee. In his Geography, 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.

Starting in the Late Roman period, and up until the Muslim conquest, the region became known as Darom or Daroma, a name that appears in rabbinic literature and in the Onomasticon.

Byzantine period

During the Byzantine period, the Hebron Hills were inhabited by Jews and Christians. In his Onomasticon, Eusebius mentions seven Jewish settlements that existed in his time in the southern Hebron Hills: Juttah, Carmel, Eshtemoa, Rimmon, Tele, Lower Anim and Ein Gedi. Archaeological finds confirm the existence of Jewish and Christian settlements in Yatta, al-Karmil, as-Samu, Zif, Maon, Kfar Aziz, Eaton, Gomer, Kishor, Tela, Rimon and Aristobolia. Jewish settlements were typically built surrounding a synagogue, with the synagogues of Eshtemoa, Maon, Susya and Anim being particularly notable. There is evidence that the region was also inhabited by pagans and Jewish Christians during that period.

Early Islamic period

Following the Muslim conquest of the Levant, the Jewish population in the southern Hebron Hills had been gradually replaced by Muslims. During the early Islamic period, the synagogues of Susya and Eshtemoa were repurposed as mosques. It remains unclear whether local Jews have fled the area or have converted to Islam.

Crusader period

During the Crusades, at the time of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, all the Hebron Hills fell under the dominion of the seigneurie of St. Abraham.

1967 and after

In recent times, several areas where traditional Arab herding communities live have been declared restricted military zones. Several Israeli towns have been established over the terrain. The Israeli military administration regards the area as a high priority for enforcing demolition orders regarding Arab dwellings.

Flora and fauna

The Hebron Hills form the southern and eastern border of Mediterranean vegetation in the regions of Judea and Samaria.

A 2012 survey by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority discovered 54 rare plant species in the region, more than half of them in cultivated fields. They include Boissiera squarrosa, a type of grass; Legousia hybrida, a plant from the bellflower family; and Reseda globulosa, a rare mignonette.

The region has been known for its vineyards since biblical times. Israelis continue to farm grapes in this region. Local wineries include Yatir Winery.

See also

• Hebron Governorate
• Har Hevron Regional Council
• Wildlife of Israel

References

1. ^ Werlin, Steven H. (2015). Ancient synagogues of Southern Palestine, 300-800 C.E. : living on the edge. Leiden. ISBN 90-04-29840-1. OCLC 918997476.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
2. Joshua 15:1–22
3. Abel, F. -M. (1939). "Edward Robinson and the Identification of Biblical Sites". Journal of Biblical Literature. 58 (4): 365. doi:10.2307/3259708. ISSN 0021-9231.
4. Conder, CR (1876). "Notes on the Language of the Native Peasantry in Palestine" (PDF). Palestine Exploration Quarterly (Taylor & Francis). Retrieved Mar 25, 2018.
5. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 2, p. 190
6. Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 312
7. ^ ברוך, יובל (2009). חורבת סוסיה ורוג'ם אל-חמירי כמקרי מבחן להתפתחותו של הכפר והיישוב הכפרי בדרום הר-חברון מן התקופה הרומית הקדומה ועד לתקופה המוסלמית הקדומה [Baruch, Yuval (2009), Horbat Susya and Rujum el-Hamiri as a Case-Study for the Development of the Village and the Rural Settlement in the Southern Hebron Hills from the Early Roman to the Early Muslim Periods] (in Hebrew). Hebrew University of Jerusalem. OCLC 646899358.
8. Levin, Yigal (2020-09-24). "The Religion of Idumea and Its Relationship to Early Judaism". Religions. 11 (10): 487. doi:10.3390/rel11100487. ISSN 2077-1444.
9. Chapmann, et al. (2003), p. 72
10. ^ Avni, Gideon (2014). The Byzantine-Islamic transition in Palestine: an archaeological approach. Oxford University Press. pp. 197, 254–255. ISBN 978-0-19-150734-2. OCLC 871044531.
11. Claude Reignier Conder, The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, (1897) Routledge reprint 2005 ISBN 978-0-710-31080-4 p.78.
12. Amira Hass, Hagar Shezaf, 'The Village Where Palestinians Are Rendered Completely Powerless,' Haaretz 5 January 2021
13. Zafrir Rinat (15 March 2012). "Treasure trove of rare plants found in Israel's Hebron Hills". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 26 January 2014.

• Mountains of the West Bank