Khirbet en-Nebi

Khirbet en-Nebi

Shown within the West Bank
Location	West Bank
Coordinates	32.177656°N 35.2677987°E / 32.177656; 35.2677987
PAL	175/176
Type	ruin
History
Periods	Early Bronze Age to Ottoman period
Cultures	Samaritan (possible)
Site notes
Condition	In ruins

Khirbet en-Nebi (Arabic: خربة النبي) or Khirbet Maḥna el Fauqa is ruin located in the northern West Bank.

Geography

Khirbet en-Nebi is situated on a slope of a ridge above a valley. At its center lies the remnants of a medieval village alongside the tomb of en-Nabi Ismail, surrounded by a grove. On top of the hill is the Israeli outpost of Giv'at Sne Ya'akov, located south of Har Brakha and east of Burin.

Archaeology

In 1982, an archaeological survey led by Finkelstein et al. found pottery sherds dating back to the Early Bronze Age, Iron Age (I-II), Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Crusader/Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods. The majority of discovered sherds originate from the Iron Age and Roman periods. Some sherds were collected from robber-pits.

Dinur and Akrai documented a Middle Bronze Age cemetery within the vicinity.

Identification

Over the years, scholars have put forth various hypotheses regarding the site's identification. Early proposals by Elliger and Albrecht Alt suggested a connection between Khirbet en-Nebi and the biblical site of Tappuah. However, subsequent research by Félix-Marie Abel favored the identification of the site with Tell Abu Zarad. Similarly, Albright proposed an association with the biblical Michmethath, although ambiguity remains as to whether Michmethath refers to a geographic feature rather than a settlement.

Abel and Avi-Yonah suggested to identify Khirbet en-Nebi with Macher, a Samaritan village mentioned in the Book of Jubilees, the Testament of Judah and Midrash Vayisau.