Beit She'an

Beit She'an

בֵּית שְׁאָן‎
Beit She'an בֵּית שְׁאָן‎
town
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Beit Šˀan
• Translit.	Bet Šəʼan
• Also spelled	Bet She'an (official); Beth Shean (unofficial)
	Beit She'an
	Beit She'an Beit She'an
	Coordinates: 32°30′N 35°30′E / 32.500°N 35.500°E
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Founded	6th–5th millennia BCE (Earliest settlement); Bronze Age (Canaanite town)
Government
• Mayor	Jackie Levy
Area
• Total	7,330 dunams (7.33 km2 or 2.83 sq mi)
Population (2022)
• Total	19,073
• Density	2,600/km2 (6,700/sq mi)
Name meaning	House of Tranquillity
Website	http://www.bet-shean.org.il

Beit She'an (Hebrew: בֵּית שְׁאָן Bēṯ Šəʾān^ⓘ), also Beth-shean, formerly Beisan (Arabic: بيسان Bisān^ⓘ),^[2] is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level.

Beit She'an is believed to be one of the oldest cities in the region. It has played an important role in history due to its geographical location at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley. Beth She'an's ancient tell contains remains beginning in the Chalcolithic period. When Canaan came under Imperial Egyptian rule in the Late Bronze Age, Beth She'an served as a major Egyptian administrative center.^[3] The city came under Israelite rule in the monarchic period. It probably fell under Philistine control during the time of Saul, when, according to the Bible, his body was displayed there along with his sons.^[4]

During the Hellenistic period, the settlement was known as Scythopolis (Ancient Greek: Σκυθόπολις). After the region came under Roman rule, Scythopolis gained imperial free status and was the leading city of the Decapolis. A multi-cultural metropolis under Byzantine rule, it served as the capital of the province of Palaestina Secunda, and had a mixed population of Christians, pagans, Jews and Samaritans. After the Arab conquest of the Levant, and following a series of devastating earthquakes (most notably in 749), the city lost its prominence, and became a medium-sized country town.^[3]^[5]

The population of the town was completely changed from 1948 to 1950. It had been entirely Muslim and Christian, designated to be part of the Jewish state in the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, and was captured by the Haganah in May 1948. The battle over the town during Operation Gideon caused most of its inhabitants to flee, and the remainder were expelled.^[6] The town was then resettled by Jewish immigrants.^[6] Today, Beit She'an serves as a regional centre for the towns in the Beit She'an Valley. The ancient city ruins are now protected within the Beit She'an National Park. The town is located near the Jordan River Crossing, one of three crossing points between Israel and Jordan.

^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b Shahin, Mariam (2005). Palestine: A Guide. Interlink Books. pp. 159–165. ISBN 978-1-56656-557-8.
^ ^a ^b "Bet Sheʾan | Israel | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
^ Lemche, Niels Peter (2004). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel. Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. pp. 84–85. ISBN 978-0-8108-4848-1.
^ אבני, גדעון (2014). "התעצמות ודעיכה: תהליכי שינוי בערי ארץ ישראל בתקופה המוסלמית הקדומה" [Intensification and abatement: processes of change in the cities of Palestine during the early Muslim period]. קתדרה (in Hebrew) (153): 42–43.
^ ^a ^b Arnon Golan (2002) Jewish Settlement of Former Arab Towns and Their Incorporation into the Israeli Urban System (1948-50), Israel Affairs, 9:1-2, 149-164, DOI: 10.1080/714003467 "The former Arab town of Beisan... Jewish troops took over the town and its environs in fighting in April and May 1948. Most of the Arab population fled at that time, while the handful of remaining residents were expelled following the town's surrender on 13 May, after which it was placed under military government. As early as June 1948 the Israeli authorities initiated a new settlement venture in the Beit Shean valley, which established three new kibbutzim by March 1949. To block any possible return of former Arab residents, the local military government began the demolition of the town's built-up area; this was halted only by the intervention of the Israeli agriculture minister, Aaron Ziesling, who opposed the demolition policy on ideological grounds... The government decided to build 1,000 new apartments in Beisan and to restore 600 former Arab dwelling units for immigrants. In April 1950 the Jewish population of Beisan, renamed in Hebrew "Beit Shean", numbered 2,000, all of them newly arrived immigrants."

[Israelpopulations-1] "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.

[Shahin-2] Shahin, Mariam (2005). Palestine: A Guide. Interlink Books. pp. 159–165. ISBN 978-1-56656-557-8.

[:0-3] "Bet Sheʾan | Israel | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-06-29.

[:02-4] Lemche, Niels Peter (2004). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel. Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. pp. 84–85. ISBN 978-0-8108-4848-1.

[5] אבני, גדעון (2014). "התעצמות ודעיכה: תהליכי שינוי בערי ארץ ישראל בתקופה המוסלמית הקדומה" [Intensification and abatement: processes of change in the cities of Palestine during the early Muslim period]. קתדרה (in Hebrew) (153): 42–43.

[Golan-6] Arnon Golan (2002) Jewish Settlement of Former Arab Towns and Their Incorporation into the Israeli Urban System (1948-50), Israel Affairs, 9:1-2, 149-164, DOI: 10.1080/714003467 "The former Arab town of Beisan... Jewish troops took over the town and its environs in fighting in April and May 1948. Most of the Arab population fled at that time, while the handful of remaining residents were expelled following the town's surrender on 13 May, after which it was placed under military government. As early as June 1948 the Israeli authorities initiated a new settlement venture in the Beit Shean valley, which established three new kibbutzim by March 1949. To block any possible return of former Arab residents, the local military government began the demolition of the town's built-up area; this was halted only by the intervention of the Israeli agriculture minister, Aaron Ziesling, who opposed the demolition policy on ideological grounds... The government decided to build 1,000 new apartments in Beisan and to restore 600 former Arab dwelling units for immigrants. In April 1950 the Jewish population of Beisan, renamed in Hebrew "Beit Shean", numbered 2,000, all of them newly arrived immigrants."

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