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, at the foot of Mount Nitai and across the Wadi Hamam valley from Mount Arbel. 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 Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. 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, 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.

References

{{al-Batuf Regional Council Arab villages in Israel Al-Batuf Regional Council Populated places in Northern District (Israel)

History

Archaeology

Ancient synagogue

Nature reserve

See also

References