Bethany

Bethany
Arabic transcription(s)
 • Arabicالعيزرية
 • Latinal-'Eizariya (official)
al-Izzariya (unofficial)
Bethany, along with Ma'ale Adumim and Az-Za'ayyem
Bethany, along with Ma'ale Adumim and Az-Za'ayyem
Bethany is located in State of Palestine
Bethany
Bethany
Location of Bethany within Palestine
Coordinates: 31°46′12″N 35°15′52″E / 31.77000°N 35.26444°E / 31.77000; 35.26444
Palestine grid174/130
CountryPalestine
GovernorateJerusalem
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • Head of MunicipalityKhalil Abu Rish
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total
21,175
Name meaning"The place of Lazarus"[2]

Bethany (‹See Tfd›Greek: Βηθανία,[3] Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ Bēṯ ʿAnyā), locally called in Arabic Al-Eizariya or al-Aizariya (Arabic: العيزرية, "[place] of Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the Jerusalem Governorate of Palestine, bordering East Jerusalem, in the West Bank. The name al-Eizariya refers to the New Testament figure Lazarus of Bethany, who according to the Gospel of John, was raised from the dead by Jesus in the town.[4] The traditional site of the miracle, the Tomb of Lazarus, in the city is a place of pilgrimage.

The town is located on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from Jerusalem. With a population of 22,928 inhabitants according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it is the second largest city in the Quds Governorate of the State of Palestine, after only East Jerusalem, which has been annexed by and is completely under the control of Israel, although this annexation is unrecognized internationally.[5]

  1. ^ Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  2. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 285
  3. ^ Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p. 152
  4. ^ John 11:1–53
  5. ^ "Projected Mid -Year Population for Jerusalem Governorate by Locality 2017-2021". www.pcbs.gov.ps. Retrieved 2023-08-26.