Region | Ajloun Governorate, Jordan |
---|---|
Coordinates | 32°21′44″N 35°43′20″E / 32.36222°N 35.72222°E |
Type | Tell |
Tell Mar Elias is a tell, i. e. an archaeological mound, located slightly outside the town limits and northwest of Ajloun in the Ajloun Governorate, northern Jordan, in the historical region of Gilead. "Elias" is the Latin and Arabic form for Elijah, the prophet whom the Hebrew Bible's 1 Kings calls "the Tishbite" (1 Kings 17: 1), which can be interpreted to mean that he lived, or was even born, in a town named Tishbe. The ruins of the historical town of Listib ("el-Ishtib" or "el-Istib" in Arabic) have been traditionally identified with Tishbe, and are located just across a valley from the tell.[1] The ruins of a Byzantine monastery dedicated to prophet Elijah and including two churches can be seen on the tell.[2][3]