Hamaam (; ), or Wadi Hamam, is an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

village in northern

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, located near the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee (, Judeo-Aramaic languages, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ), also called Lake Tiberias, Genezareth Lake or Kinneret, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth ...

, 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 (, , ''Mo'atza Azorit al-Batuf'') is a Regional council (Israel), regional council located on the southern fringe of the Beit Netofa Valley North of Nazareth within the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of I ...

. In its population was .

History

In 1948, some of the Arab inhabitants of Wadi El Hamam fled to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. It contains one fairly modern

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

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,
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; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...

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'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the archaeology of the Roman Empire. It was established in 1988 under the publisher and editor-in-chief J. H. Humphrey. The journal was originally published by the ...

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 (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

, through Wadi Hamam, with the Sea of Galilee.

Ancient synagogue

An ancient synagogue exists on the site with a 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, funga, or features of geologic ...

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