Hamaam ( ar, حمام; he, חַמָּם), or Wadi Hamam, is an
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
village in northern
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, located near the
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...
, at the foot of
Mount Nitai
Mount Nitai ( he, הר נתאי, ''Har Nitai''), sometimes spelled Nitay, is a mountain in Israel situated west of the Sea of Galilee and north of the city of Tiberias. Har Nitai is named after Nittai of Arbela. The cliffs of Nitai and Arbel a ...
and across the Wadi Hamam valley from
Mount Arbel
Mount Arbel ( he, הר ארבל, ''Har Arbel'') is a mountain in The Lower Galilee near Tiberias in Israel, with high cliffs, views of Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights, a cave-fortress, and ruins of an ancient synagogue. Mount Arbel sits across ...
. It is the easternmost part of the
al-Batuf Regional Council
Al-Batuf Regional Council ( ar, البطوف, he, מועצה אזורית אל-בטוף, ''Mo'atza Azorit al-Batuf'') is a regional council located on the southern fringe of the Beit Netofa Valley North of Nazareth within the Northern District ( ...
. In its population was .
History
In 1948, some of the Arab inhabitants of Wadi El Hamam fled to
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. It contains one fairly modern
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
and the trail head for the steep ascent of Mount Arbel.
Archaeology
Khirbet Wadi Hamam is an archaeological site on the outskirts of Hamaam.
[ It was registered as Khirbet el-Wereidat in the PEF's 1870 ]Survey of Western Palestine
The PEF Survey of Palestine was a series of surveys carried out by the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) between 1872 and 1877 for the Survey of Western Palestine and in 1880 for the Survey of Eastern Palestine. The survey was carried out after the ...
,
accessed in January 2017 from which the modern Hebrew name-Hurbat Vradim, also spelled Hurvat/Horvat Veradim-was derived. The site was excavated between 2007 and 2012 by a team under dig director Uzi Leibner of
Hebrew University
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
and yielded the remains of a large Roman-period Jewish village that was abandoned after a decades-long process of decline around the year 400, at the beginning of the Byzantine period.
[Uzi Leibner]
Excavations at Khirbet Wadi Hamam (Lower Galilee): the synagogue and the settlement
Journal of Roman Archaeology
The ''Journal of Roman Archaeology'' (JRA) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the archaeology of the Roman empire. It was established in 1988 and the publisher and editor-in-chief is J.H. Humphrey. The journal was originally published ...
23 (2010), pp. 220-237. Accessed 18 July 2019. The village was situated at the foot of Mount Nitai and thus on the ancient road connecting the central Galilee
Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...
, through Wadi Hamam, with the Sea of Galilee.[
]
Ancient synagogue
The most important find is a synagogue with a very interesting and partially preserved mosaic floor.[
]
Nature reserve
The fortifications atop Mount Nitai, which is a nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
and off limits for visitors, have also been surveyed and partially excavated with the purpose of dating them and placing them in a historical context.
See also
* Arab localities in Israel
Arab localities in Israel include all population centers with a 50% or higher Arab population in Israel. East Jerusalem and Golan Heights are not internationally recognized parts of Israel proper but have been included in this list.
According to ...
* Al-Khisas
Al-Khisas ( ar, الخصاص), also known as Khisas or Khissas, was a Palestinian Arab village in the Safad Subdistrict in Mandatory Palestine. It was located northeast of Safed on a natural terrace about wide that formed when Lake al-Hula ...
, Hula Valley, the original pre-1948 village of the Wadi Hamam inhabitants
* 'Akbara, where inhabitants of Al-Khisas were forcibly evacuated to in 1949 until agreeing to resettlement in Wadi Hamam
* Al-Muftakhira, Hula Valley, mentioned by W. Khalidi as the original pre-1948 village of the inhabitants
References
{{al-Batuf Regional Council
Arab villages in Israel
Al-Batuf Regional Council
Populated places in Northern District (Israel)