Tell Umm el-'Amr

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Tell Umm Amer
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tell Umm el-'Amr
Interactive map of Tell Umm Amer
Official nameSaint Hilarion Monastery/Tell Umm Amer
Location Nuseirat refugee camp,
Deir al-Balah Governorate,
Gaza Strip,
Palestine
Reference 1749
Coordinates 31°26′50″N34°21′59″E / 31.44722°N 34.36639°E / 31.44722; 34.36639

Tell Umm el-'Amr, also known as Tell Umm Amer, is an archaeological site in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Palestine. The site contains the Saint Hilarion Monastery, which was established in the 4th century. Tell Umm el-'Amr (including the monastery) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024 and was simultaneously added to the 'In Danger' list.

Contents

Location

Tell Umm el-ʿAmr is located in the dune landscapes south of the mouth of the Wadi Ghazzeh in the area of the Al Nusairat refugee camp, about 5.3 miles (8.5 km) south of Gaza City. [1] The distance to the Mediterranean coast is 1,000–2,000 feet (300–610 m). In the east and southeast of the Tell Umm el-'Amr site, there are palm groves that form a border with the neighboring town of Deir al-Balah. The archaeological site covers an area of approximately 46,000 square feet (4,300 m2). [2]

History

A 13th- or 14th-century lamp in the shape of a slipper discovered at Tell Umm el-Amr Lampe a huile en forme de pantoufle - Tresors sauves de Gaza.jpg
A 13th- or 14th-century lamp in the shape of a slipper discovered at Tell Umm el-Amr

Uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999, the Tell Umm el-'Amr site was active from the 4th to the 8th century and contains Christian artifacts. [3] The ancient village of Tabatha was once located there. [4] [5] The site consists of the monastery of Saint Hilarion; as well as religious buildings (e.g. church, cloister) and all the outbuildings necessary for the life of the monks (e.g. miscellaneous room, dormitory). Additionally, the archaeologists found a hotel complex and baths probably used by visiting pilgrims at the site. [6]

Preservation and protection

In 2013, fundraising was launched in order to be able to carry out excavations on the site and put in place protection measures. [7]

The British Council's Cultural Protection Fund funded a conservation programme at Tell Umm el-'Amr. [8]

In 2024, a request for UNESCO world heritage status was submitted. [6] Following their addition in July 2024, both Tell Umm el-'Amr and Saint Hilarion Monastery were included on the List of World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO. [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Almbaid, Rania Filfil (2018). "Gaza: the missing tourism assets". In Isaac, Rami K.; Hall, C. Michael; Higgins-Desbiolles, Freya (eds.). The Politics and Power of Tourism in Palestine. Routledge. pp. 137–148. doi:10.4324/9781315740508-12. ISBN   9781138592285.
  2. ↑ Elter, René; Hassoune, Ayman (2008). "Le complexe du bain du monastère de Saint Hilarion à Umm el-'Amr, première synthèse architecturale" [The bath complex of the monastery of Saint Hilarion in Umm el-'Amr, the first architectural synthesis]. Syria (in French) (85): 129–144. doi:10.4000/syria.474.
  3. ↑ "Tell Umm El-'Amr (Saint Hilarion Monastery)". World Monuments Fund. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  4. ↑ Becker, Jeffrey (2024-07-27). "Tell Umm Amer: a Pleiades place resource". Pleiades: a gazetteer of past places. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  5. ↑ Taha, Hamdan (2024). "Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Gaza" (PDF). Jerusalem Quarterly (97).
  6. 1 2 "Nominations to be examined at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (2024)". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Archived from the original on 2021-07-31. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  7. ↑ "Sauver Saint-Hilarion à Gaza, le plus vieux monastère de Terre sainte". Le Point (in French). 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  8. ↑ "Preservation of archaeological sites in the Gaza strip". British Council. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  9. ↑ "The Monastery of Saint Hilarion/Tell Umm Amer in Palestine is inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2024-07-26. Archived from the original on 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
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