Golan earthquake of 749
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A devastating
earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
known in scientific literature as the Earthquake of 749 struck on January 18, 749, in areas of the
Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...
, with the epicenter in Galilee. The most severely affected areas were parts of Palestine and western Transjordan. The cities of
Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
,
Beit She'an Beit She'an ( he, בֵּית שְׁאָן '), also Beth-shean, formerly Beisan ( ar, بيسان ), is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level. Beit She'an is be ...
,
Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...
,
Gadara Gadara ( el, Γάδαρα ''Gádara''), in some texts Gedaris, was an ancient Hellenistic city, for a long time member of the Decapolis city league, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. Its ruins are today located at Umm ...
, and
Hippos A hippo or hippopotamus is either of two species of large African mammal which live mainly in and near water: * Hippopotamus * Pygmy hippopotamus Hippo or Hippos may also refer to: Toponymy * The ancient city of Hippo Regius (modern Annaba, Al ...
were largely destroyed while many other cities across the
Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
were heavily damaged. The casualties numbered in the tens of thousands. There are firm reasons to believe that there were either two, or a series of earthquakes between 747 and 749, later conflated for different reasons into one, not least due to the use of different calendars in different sources.Karcz, 2004, p. 778-787 It seems probable that the second quake, centered more to the north, which created massive damage mainly in northern Israel and Jordan, did so not so much due to its catastrophic magnitude, but rather as a result of buildings being weakened by the previous, more southerly earthquake. In Jewish sources this earthquake is known in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
as רעש שביעית, ''Ra'ash Shevi'it'', lit. "seventh noise", interpreted by scholars to mean The Earthquake of the Sabbatical Year, because the earthquake fell on a
sabbatical year A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work. The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of ''shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to ...
, literally "the seventh year" in the Jewish calendar.


Damage and casualties

According to historical sources, supported by archaeological findings, Scythopolis (
Beit She'an Beit She'an ( he, בֵּית שְׁאָן '), also Beth-shean, formerly Beisan ( ar, بيسان ), is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level. Beit She'an is be ...
),
Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
,
Capernaum Capernaum ( ; he, כְּפַר נַחוּם, Kfar Naḥum, Nahum's village; ar, كفر ناحوم, Kafr Nāḥūm) was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It ...
,
Hippos A hippo or hippopotamus is either of two species of large African mammal which live mainly in and near water: * Hippopotamus * Pygmy hippopotamus Hippo or Hippos may also refer to: Toponymy * The ancient city of Hippo Regius (modern Annaba, Al ...
(Sussita),
Jerash Jerash ( ar, جرش ''Ǧaraš''; grc, Γέρασα ''Gérasa'') is a city in northern Jordan. The city is the administrative center of the Jerash Governorate, and has a population of 50,745 as of 2015. It is located north of the capital city ...
and
Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...
, suffered widespread damage. A Coptic priest from
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
reported that support beams had shifted in houses in Egypt and a Syrian priest wrote that a village near
Mount Tabor Mount Tabor ( he, הר תבור) (Har Tavor) is located in Lower Galilee, Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Bible (Joshua, Judges), Mount Tabor is the site of the Battle of Mount Tabo ...
had "moved a distance of four miles." Other sources reported a
tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
in the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, several days of aftershocks in Damascus, and towns swallowed up in the earth. The town of
Umm el Kanatir Umm el-Qanatir, also spelled Umm el-Kanatir ( ar, ام القناطر, lit=mother of the arches, translit=Umm al-Qanāṭir), also known as Ein Keshatot ( he, עין קשתות, lit=spring of the arches), is an archaeological site on the Golan Heig ...
and its ancient synagogue were destroyed. Historical sources describe how the death toll in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
numbered in the thousands. Many buildings, among them the
Al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situate ...
, were severely damaged. However, some caveats are required. The view of the severity of the damage provoked by the 749 quake is contested by new research. Earlier claims that the large Umayyad administrative buildings south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque were so badly damaged that they were abandoned and used as stone quarries and sources of lime, lime kilns being found at the site, is reportedly wrong, the buildings staying in use until the 1033 earthquake. Similarly, the new Arab capital city at
Ramla Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations. The city was f ...
only shows minimal signs of damage.


Religious significance

"Ra'ash shvi'it" is mentioned in
piyyutim A ''piyyut'' or ''piyut'' (plural piyyutim or piyutim, he, פִּיּוּטִים / פיוטים, פִּיּוּט / פיוט ; from Greek ποιητής ''poiētḗs'' "poet") is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, ch ...
(
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
poems). Some rabbis believe the earthquake struck in a Sabbatical year, in which case, the translation of the term would be "earthquake of the seventh year."


Dating issues and primary sources

All local and regional earthquake catalogues list one or more earthquakes that affected the Middle East in the mid-8th century, with reported damages in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria. The primary sources offer multiple year dates for the seismic events, but seismic catalogues of the 1980s and 1990s agreed in attributing all descriptions to an earthquake occurring on 18 January, 749. This reduction was based on two Hebrew texts concerning an earthquake on this date and a commemorative fast. A different view is that the primary sources describe at least two different seismic events, set apart by up to three years in time and hundreds of kilometers in distance. This is based on comparison of available primary sources on this period. The first earthquake may have weakened a number of structures, while the second earthquake completed the process and was the immediate cause of their collapse.


Byzantine sources

The historian
Theophanes the Confessor Theophanes the Confessor ( el, Θεοφάνης Ὁμολογητής; c. 758/760 – 12 March 817/818) was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy who became a monk and chronicler. He served in the court of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar before taking ...
(9th century) is one of the major sources for the 8th century. He lists two earthquakes that affected Palestine and the
Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
in the mid-8th century. The first earthquake is dated to 18 January of the year 6238 of the Byzantine calendar (the year 747 in
Anno Domini The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...
era). Theophanes reports that the earthquake affected Palestine by the Jordan River, and all of Syria. Churches and monasteries reportedly collapsed in the desert of the Holy City (
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
). Theophanes reports that a second earthquake took place in the year 6241 (749/750 in the Anno Domini system). He does not give an exact date for the event, but the earthquake narrative immediately follows Theophanes' entry on the birth of
Leo IV the Khazar Leo IV the Khazar (Greek: Λέων ὁ Χάζαρος, ''Leōn IV ho Khazaros''; 25 January 750 – 8 September 780) was Byzantine emperor from 775 to 780 AD. He was born to Emperor Constantine V and Empress Tzitzak in 750. He was elevated to c ...
. Leo IV was a son of
Constantine V Constantine V ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντῖνος, Kōnstantīnos; la, Constantinus; July 718 – 14 September 775), was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775. His reign saw a consolidation of Byzantine security from external threats. As an able ...
and his birth is safely dated to 25 January, 750. This second earthquake destroyed some cities in Syria, and damaged others. A number of cities reportedly slid down from mountainous positions to "low laying plains". The moving cities reportedly stopped at a distance of about from their original positions. Eyewitness accounts from
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
reported that the ground was split at a distance of . From this new chasm emerged a different type of soil, "very white and sandy". The reports also spoke of a mule-like animal emerging from the chasm and speaking in a human voice. The distances in Theophanes' account are scaled up. Otherwise this is a credible account of the earthquake causing landslides, surface rupture, and sand boils in a semi-arid area. Such events would be more common during the year's wet season. The only clearly fantastical element of the narrative is the talking animal. Theophanes is thought to have used as his source a Melkite chronicle written c. 780 in Palestine, and later transported by monks who fled religious persecution in Palestine. Theophanes' information on Iraq and North Syria may have been based on local sources using the
Seleucid era The Seleucid era ("SE") or (literally "year of the Greeks" or "Greek year"), sometimes denoted "AG," was a system of numbering years in use by the Seleucid Empire and other countries among the ancient Hellenistic civilizations. It is sometimes r ...
, but which had started their counting from the Spring of 311 BC, rather than the Fall of 312 BC. A resulting transcription error may explain why Theophanes dates his second earthquake to 750 rather than 749.
Nikephoros I of Constantinople Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I (c. 758 – 5 April 828) was a Byzantine writer and patriarch of Constantinople from 12 April 806 to 13 March 815. Life He was born in Constantinople as the son of Theodore and Eudokia, of a strictly Orthodox fa ...
(9th century) gives a nearly identical description of the 750 earthquake. The 747 earthquake is not described in the currently extant text of Theophanes, though this may be due to a
lacuna Lacuna (plural lacunas or lacunae) may refer to: Related to the meaning "gap" * Lacuna (manuscripts), a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or musical work ** Great Lacuna, a lacuna of eight leaves where there was heroic Old Norse p ...
in the relevant section of the
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...
. The 747 earthquake is described in the Great Chronographer and the Minor Chronicles, while events connected to the 750 earthquake are depicted there among a series of "wondrous events" which followed the birth of Leo IV. Accounts of both earthquakes appear in other chronicles, such as those written by Paul the Deacon (8th century),
Anastasius Bibliothecarius Anastasius Bibliothecarius or Anastasius the Librarian (c. 810 – c. 878) was ''bibliothecarius'' (literally "librarian") and chief archivist of the Church of Rome and also briefly a claimant to the papacy. Early life He was a nephew of Bis ...
(9th century), and
George Kedrenos George Kedrenos, Cedrenus or Cedrinos ( el, Γεώργιος Κεδρηνός, fl. 11th century) was a Byzantine Greek historian. In the 1050s he compiled ''Synopsis historion'' (also known as ''A concise history of the world''), which spanned the ...
(12th century). Both earthquakes are absent in the chronicles of
Eutychius of Alexandria Eutychius of Alexandria (Arabic: ''Sa'id ibn Batriq'' or ''Bitriq''; 10 September 877 – 12 May 940) was the Melkite Patriarch of Alexandria. He is known for being one of the first Christian Egyptian writers to use the Arabic language. H ...
(10th century),
Michael Glykas Michael Glykas or Glycas ( gr, Μιχαὴλ Γλυκᾶς) was a 12th-century Byzantine historian, theologian, mathematician, astronomer and poet. He was probably from Corfu and lived in Constantinople. He was a critic of Manuel I Komnenos, and was ...
(12th century), and Leo Grammaticus (13th century).
George Hamartolos George Hamartolos or Hamartolus ( el, ) was a monk at Constantinople under Michael III (842–867) and the author of a chronicle of some importance. Hamartolus is not his name but the epithet he gives to himself in the title of his work: "A compen ...
(9th century) repeated verbatim Theophanes' account of the 749/750 earthquake, and only commented on the oracle-like mule. Joannes Zonaras (14th century) dates the earthquake as having followed the fall of Germanikeia (modern Kahramanmaraş) at the hands of Constantine V. This siege event is dated to 745/746 by Theophanes.


Muslim sources

Al-Suyuti reports on two distinct earthquakes events which damaged Jerusalem and Damascus. The first event can be dated to
Hijri year The Hijri year ( ar, سَنة هِجْريّة) or era ( ''at-taqwīm al-hijrī'') is the era used in the Islamic lunar calendar. It begins its count from the Islamic New Year in which Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Yathr ...
130 (747/748 Anno Domini), and the second to Hijri year 141 (748/749). Al-Suyuti uses as a primary source the narrative of historian Abdalla al-Katir (8th–9th century), as transmitted by al-Wadai (14th century). This narrative reports that Damascus was affected by an earthquake in Hijri year 130, which led the inhabitants of the city to abandon it. The poultry market of Damascus collapsed under fallen rocks. In Hijri year 131, a second earthquake split the roof of the mosque. The open sky was visible from the interior of the mosque. A subsequent earthquake closed the crack in the roof of the mosque. The historian
Sibt ibn al-Jawzi Shams al-Din Abu al-Muzaffar Yusuf ibn Kizoghlu (c. 581AH/1185–654AH/1256), famously known as Sibṭ ibn al-Jawzī ( ar, سبط ابن الجوزي ) was a notable preacher and historian. Title He is the grandson of the great Hanbali scholar A ...
(13th century) gives a hesitant and possibly confused account of this earthquake.
Ibn Taghribirdi Jamal al-Din Yusuf bin al-Amir Sayf al-Din Taghribirdi ( ar, جمال الدين يوسف بن الأمير سيف الدين تغري بردي), or Abū al-Maḥāsin Yūsuf ibn Taghrī-Birdī, or Ibn Taghribirdi (2 February 1411— 5 June 1470; ...
(15th century) reports that multiple strong earthquakes affected Syria in Hijri year 130. Jerusalem was reportedly heavily damaged, while Damascus was abandoned for a period of 40 days. The population of Damascus fled to desolate areas. Mukadassi (10th century) reported than an earthquake in the days of the
Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
(750–1258) threw down the sanctuary, with the exception of the part surrounding the mihrab. His narrative has been connected to the 750 earthquake event. In 750,
Marwan II Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam ( ar, مروان بن محمد بن مروان بن الحكم, Marwān ibn Muḥammad ibn Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam; – 6 August 750), commonly known as Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of ...
of the
Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...
died and the Abbasid dynasty succeeded him. The ''Commemoratium de Casis Dei'' (808) mentions that the Church of Maria Nea was still in ruins following its destruction in an earthquake. This may be the 750 earthquake or a subsequent earthquake of the early Abbasid era. Arab reports of one or two earthquakes appear in two 11th-century compilations of traditional accounts of the Abd el Rahman family of Jerusalem. The compilers were the cousins al-Wasiti and Ibn al-Murajja. Based on their accounts, the earthquakes damaged the eastern and western parts of the Al-Aqsa Compound in Jerusalem. Repairs were ordered by
Al-Mansur Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (; ar, أبو جعفر عبد الله بن محمد المنصور‎; 95 AH – 158 AH/714 CE – 6 October 775 CE) usually known simply as by his laqab Al-Manṣūr (المنصور) w ...
(reigned 754–775) when he visited Jerusalem in Hijri year 141 (757/758 Anno Domini). The
Al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situate ...
was repaired by 757, but then damaged by a new earthquake. It was repaired again by order of
Al-Mahdi Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Manṣūr ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد بن عبد الله المنصور; 744 or 745 – 785), better known by his regnal name Al-Mahdī (, "He who is guided by God"), was the third Abb ...
(reigned 775–785), following his visit in Jerusalem at Hijri year 163. One of the traditions preserved by Ibn al-Murajja reports that the first earthquake took place during the Ramadan of Hijri year 130 (in May), during a cold and rainy night. A crack appeared in the mosque, but supposedly closed immediately by order of Heaven. Muslim literature often associated earthquake narratives with the holy month of Ramadan, so the offered date may have been chosen to make the story seem more reliable. Another traditional account from Jerusalem appeared in several later chronicles. It reported that there was earthquake damage across Syria ( Bilad al-Sham), but places its emphasis on destruction in Jerusalem itself. It also reported injuries to the descendants of Shadad ibn Aus, one of the Companions of the Prophet.


Eastern Christian sources

There are four major
Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
chronicles which mention damages from earthquakes, though may not all be describing the same events. The first chronicle was the
Zuqnin Chronicle The ''Zuqnin Chronicle'' is a medieval chronicle written in Classical Syriac language, encompassing the events from Genesis creation narrative, Creation to CE. It was most probably produced in the Zuqnin Monastery near Amida (Mesopotamia), Amida ...
, mistakenly attributed to Dionysius I Telmaharoyo (9th century), but currently thought to have been written by an anonymous 9th-century monk of the Zuqnin Monastery. The second was the chronicle of
Elijah of Nisibis , native_name_lang = Syriac , church = Church of the East , archdiocese = Nisibis , province = Metropolitanate of Nisibis , metropolis = , diocese = , see = , appointed = 26 Dec ...
(11th century), the third was the chronicle of Michael the Syrian (12th century), and the fourth and last was the
Chronicle of 1234 The ''Chronicle of 1234'' ( la, Chronicon ad annum Christi 1234 pertinens) is an anonymous West Syriac universal history from Creation until 1234. The unknown author was probably from Edessa. The ''Chronicle'' only survives in fragments, from whic ...
(13th century). There is some dating confusion. The chronicles all follow the
Seleucid era The Seleucid era ("SE") or (literally "year of the Greeks" or "Greek year"), sometimes denoted "AG," was a system of numbering years in use by the Seleucid Empire and other countries among the ancient Hellenistic civilizations. It is sometimes r ...
calendar, but use two different reckonings of the era (the Babylonian and Macedonian versions). They all cover the second earthquake described by Theophanes. The only one who provides a specific chronology for the event was Elijah of Nisibis, who reports that the earthquake actually started in year 1059 of the Seleucid era and ended in year 1060 of the same era (Spring 748 and Spring 749). He counted spring as the start of the year. The Chronicle of 1234 dates the earthquake to year 1060 of the Seleucid era. Michael the Syrian offers no clear date, though a 19th-century translator noted in a footnote that the event could be dated to 6241
Anno Mundi (from Latin "in the year of the world"; he, לבריאת העולם, Livryat haOlam, lit=to the creation of the world), abbreviated as AM or A.M., or Year After Creation, is a calendar era based on the biblical accounts of the creation o ...
, year 1060 of the Seleucid era, and year 749/750 Anno Domini. The dating was reportedly off by a year, since Michael's chronicle includes many chronological errors. It is unclear whether Michael himself was responsible for the errors, or whether they were introduced by copyists of the chronicle. The Zuqnin Chronicle dated the earthquake to year 1059 of the Seleucid era. None of the four Chronicles dates the even to 18 January. The date would nearly coincide with the Feast of Mary for the Seeds (blessing of the crops), one of the principal feasts of
Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
in the Syrian tradition. It was celebrated on 15 January. In 749, the feast occurred on a Sunday, and so it would be celebrated a day or two following the actual date. The Zuqnin Chronicle mentions only one locality damaged by the earthquake, Maboug (modern
Manbij Manbij ( ar, مَنْبِج, Manbiǧ, ku, مەنبج, Minbic, tr, Münbiç, Menbic, or Menbiç) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, 30 kilometers (19 mi) west of the Euphrates. In the 2004 census by the Cen ...
). It also mentions vaguely damages in the Western region. In the Syriac Orthodox Church, the western region referred to the ecclesiastic province centered in
Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ ...
, as opposed to the eastern region which was the ecclesiastic province centered in
Tikrit Tikrit ( ar, تِكْرِيت ''Tikrīt'' , Syriac: ܬܲܓܪܝܼܬܼ ''Tagrīṯ'') is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. , it h ...
. There was no strictly geographic definition of the ecclesiastic provinces. The other three chronicles list many localities in Syria which suffered from the earthquake. In the Palestine region, these chronicles mention that the earthquake damaged
Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
,
Mount Tabor Mount Tabor ( he, הר תבור) (Har Tavor) is located in Lower Galilee, Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Bible (Joshua, Judges), Mount Tabor is the site of the Battle of Mount Tabo ...
, and Jericho. In contrast to the Arab chronicles, they do not mention earthquake damage in Jerusalem. Elijah mentions that a village near Mount Tabor was displaced by the earthquake, but does not mention either damages to the area or human casualties. He also mentions damage in the church of Maboug (Manbij), which was located about away from Mount Tabor. Michael the Syrian and the Chronicle of 1234 describe earthquake damage in Northern Syria and the Moab. They list among other damaged localities Ghautah, Dareiya (
Darayya Darayya ( ar, دَارَيَّا, Dārayyā) is a suburb of Damascus in Syria, the centre of Darayya lying south-west of the centre of Damascus. Administratively it belongs to Rif Dimashq. History and population Darayya is one of the oldest ...
),
Bosra Bosra ( ar, بُصْرَىٰ, Buṣrā), also spelled Bostra, Busrana, Bozrah, Bozra and officially called Busra al-Sham ( ar, بُصْرَىٰ ٱلشَّام, Buṣrā al-Shām), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Dara ...
, Nawa, Derat, Baalbek, Damascus , and Beit Qoubaye. Beit Qoubaye has been identified with Koubaiyat (or Al-Qoubaiyat), which was located at the foot of Jebel Akkar, about southwest of Homs and south of the
Krak des Chevaliers Krak des Chevaliers, ar, قلعة الحصن, Qalʿat al-Ḥiṣn also called Hisn al-Akrad ( ar, حصن الأكراد, Ḥiṣn al-Akrād, rtl=yes, ) and formerly Crac de l'Ospital; Krak des Chevaliers or Crac des Chevaliers (), is a medieva ...
. Their narratives mention no earthquake damage to the coastal cities of the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, though they do mention stormy seas and the submersion of a Yemenite coastal fortress. They mention destruction in Tiberias and "lateral displacement of springs" near Jericho. Based on their descriptions, it is likely that there was a localized tsunami-like storm wave in the Dead Sea. It was caused either by a nearby fault, a massive local slide, or by a temporary halt in the flow of the Jordan River. A change in the flow of the Jordan River may have caused a dam-breaking wave at the inflow of the river to the Dead Sea. Beyond these chronicles, Agapius of Mendidj (10th century) mentioned both earthquake-induced flooding and inundation along the Syrian coast and destruction in Tiberias. He dates the event to the month of January, but offers no year date for this earthquake. He dates the event to having followed Constantine V incursion into Syria and the conquest of Germanikeia (modern Kahramanmaraş) and to have preceded Abu Muslim's leadership in the
Abbasid Revolution The Abbasid Revolution, also called the Movement of the Men of the Black Raiment, was the overthrow of the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE), the second of the four major Caliphates in early Islamic history, by the third, the Abbasid Caliphate ...
(in May 747, or the Ramadan of
Hijri year The Hijri year ( ar, سَنة هِجْريّة) or era ( ''at-taqwīm al-hijrī'') is the era used in the Islamic lunar calendar. It begins its count from the Islamic New Year in which Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Yathr ...
129). The dating indicates that Agapius was describing the earliest of Theophanes' two earthquakes. Severus ibn al-Muqaffa (10th century) reports earthquake damage along the Mediterranean coast. The earthquake was felt strongly in Egypt, but reportedly the only Egyptian city which was damaged was
Damietta Damietta ( arz, دمياط ' ; cop, ⲧⲁⲙⲓⲁϯ, Tamiati) is a port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see. It is located at the Damietta branch, an easter ...
. He otherwise reports the destruction of 600 towns and villages between Gaza and the farthest extremity of Persia (
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
). He names none of the damaged localities, He claims that the earthquake harmed no Orthodox churches or monasteries. Severus also reports that many ships were lost at sea due to the earthquake. Severus gives the date of the earthquake as 21 Tuba (17 January), on the day of the
Dormition of the Mother of God The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of ...
. In the tradition of the
Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي ...
, the Dormition was celebrated between 16 and 18 January, unlike the tradition of the Byzantine church which celebrated the Dormition on 15 August. Severus gives no exact year for the earthquake, but in his narrative the earthquake is connected to the imprisonment and release of
Pope Michael I of Alexandria Michael I (or Khaʾil I) was the 46th Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, Coptic Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria from 743 to 767. Bishop Moses (bishop of Awsim), Moses of Awsim was instrumental in arranging the election of Michael as patri ...
, and a Nubian incursion into Egypt. These events were dated by Severus to Hijri year 130 (747/748 in
Anno Domini The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...
). The date may be off by a year, as his description of events before and after the earthquake contains chronological errors.
George Elmacin Jirjis al-Makīn ( ar, جرجس امكين ; 1205–1273), known by his ''nisba'' Ibn al-ʿAmīd ( ar, بن العميد), was a Coptic Christian historian who wrote in Arabic. His name is sometimes anglicised as George Elmacin ( la, Georgius Elm ...
(13th century) and the Chronicon orientale attributed to Ibn al-Rāhib (13th century) both report widespread destruction of cities by the earthquake, and loss of life either in the ruins or due to flooding in the coasts. But they do not mention specific localities. They date the event to Hijri year 120 or to the year 460 of the Diocletian era. The dates are incompatible as the Hijri year corresponds to year 737/738 Anno Domini and the Diocletian year corresponds to year 744/745 Anno Domini. They both connect the earthquake's dates to the year of ascension of Pope Michael I. They give the year of Michael's ascent in the throne as 737 Anno Domini, while it has been dated to 743 Anno Domini by other sources. Both texts contain other errors in the chronology of the Patriarchs of Alexandria. The chronicle of
Mekhitar of Ayrivank Mekhitar of Ayrivank ( hy, Մխիթար Այրիվանեցի ''Mxitʿar Ayrivanecʿi'') (1230/35 – 1297/1300) was an Armenian monk, or ''vardapet'', at the "Cave-Monastery", modern Geghard. He is best known for his list of history of the world. ...
(13th century) mentions an earthquake taking place in 751 Anno Domini, during the reign of Constantine V. He does not connect this earthquake to 18 January, the date in which the Armenians of the Holy Land celebrate
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
.


Samaritan sources

There are earthquake reports in two sources from a community of Samaritans, located near Nablus. They do not mention any earthquake damage in Jerusalem, which was located about from Nablus. Samaritans reject the sanctity of Jerusalem, and their holy place is Mount Gerizim, located near Nablus. The lack of information on Jerusalem in Samaritan sources may reflect the community's lack of interest in the city or even their disdain for it. An earthquake narrative appears in the Chronicle Adler, which is a compilation of older reports. The earthquake narrative also appears in some expanded versions of the chronicle of
Abu'l-Fath Abu'l-Fath ibn Abi al-Hasan al-Samiri al-Danafi, ( ar, أبو الفتح إبن أبي الحسن السامري) was a 14th-century Samaritan chronicler. His major work is ''Kitab al-Ta'rikh'' ( ar, كتاب التاريخ). The work was commiss ...
(14th century). The original version of the chronicle ended with the rise in power of
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
, but was then expanded to bring it up to date. Abu'l-Fath wrote his chronicle in 1355, following a discussion he had with a High Priest over the absence of texts on the history of the Samaritans. He used as sources currently extinct Samaritan texts, and also historical materials he gathered from Damascus and Gaza City. His chronicle places a great earthquake during the reign of
Marwan II Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam ( ar, مروان بن محمد بن مروان بن الحكم, Marwān ibn Muḥammad ibn Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam; – 6 August 750), commonly known as Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of ...
(reigned 744–750), which was supposedly felt everywhere. Houses collapsed and buried their inhabitants in ruins. Numerous people perished due to the earthquake. It was reportedly unpreceded in scale. The earth continued to shake for many days, and the survivors of the earthquake stayed out in the open until the tremors stopped. Abu'l-Fath dated this earthquake in Hijri year 131 (748/749 in Anno Domini). The chronicle however contains a chronological error in placing the revolt of Abu Muslim as an event immediately following the earthquake. The revolt is known from other sources to have started in the Ramadan of 747.


Jewish sources

An account of the earthquake appeared in "Seventh earthquake", a piyyut (liturgical poem) used in synagogues. Liturgical poems such as this were used in place of fixed prayers on special religious occasions. The piyyut literary form was widespread in Palestine since the time of
Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
. The literary structure and style of a piyyut did not change much over the centuries. The date of composition of "Seventh earthquake" can not be deduced by use of either its literary form or its language. A second Jewish narrative of the earthquake appears in a book of prayers compiled in the 10th or 11th century. It was found in the
Cairo Geniza The Cairo Geniza, alternatively spelled Genizah, is a collection of some 400,000 Jewish manuscript fragments and Fatimid administrative documents that were kept in the ''genizah'' or storeroom of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fustat or Old Cairo, ...
. The piyyut poem in question is a
lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about something ...
for an earthquake which caused widespread destruction and extensive casualties in
Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
. It speaks of "fear" and "dark chaos" in Tiberias. The poem also reports that the
Sharon plain The Sharon plain ( ''HaSharon Arabic: سهل شارون Sahel Sharon'') is the central section of the Israeli coastal plain. The plain lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the west and the Samarian Hills, to the east. It stretches from Nahal T ...
was flooded due to the same earthquake. In modern history, the Sharon plain is the name exclusively used for the central section of the
Israeli coastal plain Israeli coastal plain ( he, מישור החוף, ''Mishor HaḤof'') is the coastal plain along Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast, extending north to south. It is a geographical region defined morphologically by the sea, in terms of topography a ...
. An older geographic sense is reported by
Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Chris ...
(4th century), who used the term for a section of the
Jordan Valley The Jordan Valley ( ar, غور الأردن, ''Ghor al-Urdun''; he, עֵמֶק הַיַרְדֵּן, ''Emek HaYarden'') forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to ...
and the Yizrael Valley. This section covered the area between
Mount Tabor Mount Tabor ( he, הר תבור) (Har Tavor) is located in Lower Galilee, Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Bible (Joshua, Judges), Mount Tabor is the site of the Battle of Mount Tabo ...
and Tiberias. The narrative poem reports that disaster befell "the city", with both the old and the young perishing. From the context it is unclear whether the poem is still speaking of Tiberias, or whether it instead reported earthquake damages in Jerusalem as well. In language, the poem evokes a section of the
Book of Habakkuk The Book of Habakkuk is the eighth book of the 12 minor prophets of the Bible. It is attributed to the prophet Habakkuk, and was probably composed in the late 7th century BC. Of the three chapters in the book, the first two are a dialogue betwe ...
. The section in the ancient book describes an earthquake as "wrath" which marches through the land in indignation. The poem repeatedly mentions a commemorative fast about the earthquake. It dates the fast to the 23rd day of the month
Shevat Shevat (Hebrew: שְׁבָט, Standard ''Šəvaṭ'', Tiberian ''Šeḇāṭ''; from Akkadian ''Šabātu'') is the fifth month of the civil year starting in Tishre (or Tishri) and the eleventh month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew cale ...
. It is unclear whether the "seventh" in the title refers to the seventh shock of a singular earthquake or the seventh earthquake in a wider series of events. If may reflect a traditional narrative with no other surviving texts. The poem has been tentatively dated as composed between the 10th and the 12th century. In this period Tiberias was damaged by two other earthquakes, one taking place in 1033/1034 and the other in 1202. By the end of the 11th century, Tiberias' Jewish population was very small. Damage to the city at that time is considered unlikely to have triggered a nationwide day of fasting. It has been suggested that the poem depicts the 1033/1034 earthquake. However the fast was supposedly mentioned in passing by Pinneas the Poet, who was considered an "ancient" writer in a text dating to the 10th century. This led to a theory that the earthquake of the poem took place between the 7th and the 9th century, following the Muslim conquest of the Levant. Due to an assumption that the narrative poem alludes to a sabbatical year (the seventh year), the earthquake must have taken place in a sabbatical year. The only known earthquakes to fit this theory are the earthquakes of 712/713 and 747/748. There are little surviving details about the earlier of the two earthquakes, leading theorists to reject it as unimportant. The theory suggested that the earthquake of the poem took place on 23 Shevat (28 January) of 748 AD. This seems to be identical to the earthquake dated to Hijri year 130 (747/748 Anno Domini) in other sources. The Cairo depository source reports that the earthquake affected the Land of Israel, with many cities falling into ruins. Among the dead people in the ruins were reportedly sages, and the pious, and the just. The Cairo source specifically claims that Jerusalem was damaged by this earthquake. The Jewish text is thought to include an alphanumeric code in the style of
gematria Gematria (; he, גמטריא or gimatria , plural or , ''gimatriot'') is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase according to an alphanumerical cipher. A single word can yield several values depending on the cipher ...
. An early attempt to decode it resulted in an implied date for the earthquake suggested in the text. It supposedly took place in the 679th year following the Siege of Jerusalem (70 Anno Domini) and the destruction of the Second Temple. This translates to year 749 Anno Domini, with the 23 Shevat taking place on 17 January. This can be identified with the first of the two earthquakes mentioned by Theophanes. However 749 was not a sabbatical year. A mint condition coin dated to 748 Anno Domini was found underneath seismic ruins in
Beit She'an Beit She'an ( he, בֵּית שְׁאָן '), also Beth-shean, formerly Beisan ( ar, بيسان ), is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level. Beit She'an is be ...
. This archaeological find was used to estimate that an earthquake took place at about that year. The last hoard of coins found in
Capernaum Capernaum ( ; he, כְּפַר נַחוּם, Kfar Naḥum, Nahum's village; ar, كفر ناحوم, Kafr Nāḥūm) was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It ...
dates to 744 and was found underneath collapse rubble. Lending further support to the idea of an earthquake. Alternatively however, the cities may have been damaged by order of
Marwan II Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam ( ar, مروان بن محمد بن مروان بن الحكم, Marwān ibn Muḥammad ibn Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam; – 6 August 750), commonly known as Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of ...
who is thought to have demolished fortifications in Jerusalem, Damascus, and Baalbek in a punitive campaign. These cities were supportive of his enemies. The demolition of the fortications could have weakened nearby buildings. It is unclear whether the piyyut was actually referring to a specific historical earthquake. There are other liturgical poems which use earthquakes as part of allegorical narratives. The poem could actually predate the 7th century and speak of a different earthquake. The decoding of the gematria is also questionable, since there are actually several different conversion codes. The figure of 679 years only reflects the method originally used, and can be altered if using a different conversion method.


See also

*
List of earthquakes in the Levant This is a list of earthquakes in the Levant, including earthquakes that either had their epicenter in the Levant or caused significant damage in the region. As it is now, the list is focused on events which affected the territories of modern-day ...
*
List of historical earthquakes Historical earthquakes is a list of significant earthquakes known to have occurred prior to the beginning of the 20th century. As the events listed here occurred before routine instrumental recordings, they rely mainly on the analysis of written ...
*
1033 Jordan Rift Valley earthquake An earthquake struck the Jordan Rift Valley on December 5, 1033 and caused extreme devastation in the Levant region. It was part of a sequence of four strong earthquakes in the region between 1033 AD and 1035 AD. Scholars have estimated the momen ...
– A similar-sized earthquake affecting the same region


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* Margaliot Mordechai, "Determining the Time of Seventh Earthquake", Israel Exploration Society 8, 1940/1941. * Margaliot Mordechai, "A New Record of the Fasting Earthquake", ''Tarbitz'' 29, 1959/1960, pp. 339–344. * Tsafrir Y. Ferster C, "On the Dating of the Seventh Earthquake", ''Tarbitz'' 58, 1988/1989, pp. 357–362.
The Seventh Earthquake – The Death of the City
{{Earthquakes in the Levant 749 740s in the Umayyad Caliphate 8th-century earthquakes Earthquakes in the Umayyad Caliphate Galilee 0749 Galilee Geology of Israel Geology of Syria Palestine under the Umayyad Caliphate Beit She'an