Taybeh
Encyclopedia
Taybeh is a Palestinian
village in the West Bank
, 35 kilometers north of Jerusalem and 12 kilometers northeast of Ramallah
in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
, 850 meters above sea level. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
, Taybeh had a population of 1,452 in 2007. It is the last all-Christian community in the West Bank.
, mentioned in the Book of Joshua
(18,23). However the word "Ophrah" was close in sound to "afrit" meaning "demon" in Arabic. Under Saladin
, the name was changed to "Taybeh", "The goodly".
The local tradition says that during his wars against Crusaders, Saladin
met a delegation of Aphram inhabitants, and being affected by their goodness and by the beauty of their faces, ordered to rename the village to Tayyibat al-Isem (Beautiful of name) instead of what sounded like Afra (full of dust).
, in attachment to the first one. In 1185, Balduinus IV, King of Jerusalem, gave Boniface de Montferrat the castle of St. Elias, placed in the higher part of the city.
In 1596, a village named Tayyibat al-Isem appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa
of Quds. It had a population of 63 Muslim households and 23 Christian families. The village paid taxes on wheat, barley, vines or fruit trees, and goats or beehives.
In 1931 census
, Taybeh had a population of 1038 Christians and 87 Muslims living in 262 houses.
Charles de Foucauld
(1853–1916), an explorer and French hermit, passed through Taybeh in January 1889 and returned in 1898. Inspired by his visit, he wrote "Eight Days in Aphram, retreat of 1898, from Monday after IV Lent Sunday, (March 14) through Monday, after IV Lent Sunday (March 21)." In 1986, the Charles de Foucauld Pilgrim Center funded by the French Lieutenancy of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher
opened in the village.
' resurrection, retired with his disciples to this town. John says, "Since that day on, they (the Pharisees
) made the decision to kill him. Jesus did not walk in public among the Jews
anymore. He went away to a region near the desert, to a city called Aphram, and it was there that he and his disciples dwelt" (John 11: 53-54). This happened during the first days of Nissan in the year 30. It was at this point that Jesus retired on a rocky hill which was situated 8 km from Taybeh towards the Jordan, in order to fortify his spirit, pray, fast, and expose himself to temptation. That is why this rocky hill is known as (Qarantal), from the Latin root "Quarenta" (forty), which alludes to the forty days Jesus fasted. According to the Evangelist, Taybeh-Aphram is the isolated place where Jesus found the diaphanous quietness to prepare himself and his disciples for the great sacrifice..
village, with Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox
and Melkite Eastern Catholic
, Protestants and Evangelicals.In 2008 Taybeh had a low birthrate and residents feared that the population would entirely disappear.
, brewers of the only Palestinian beer. Since 2005, an Oktoberfest celebration
is held in Taybeh, aiming at promoting local Palestinian products and attracting tourism. The celebration offers beer competitions, cultural, traditional and musical performances and other attractions.
The operation of the brewery is opposed by Muslim extremists. The mayor's car has been torched and his property vandalized.
The different Christian denominations worship together on Easter and Christmas. The Latin parish runs a school, a medical center, a hostel for pilgrims and youth programs.
of a 30-year old Muslim woman from Deir Jarir
who was said to have been romantically involved with a Christian from Taybeh. The mob also destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary. Palestinian Authority policemen who arrived on the scene managed to save the village’s beer factory.
The violence was reported by the United States' State Department (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor), the BBC
, and other global news sources.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
village in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, 35 kilometers north of Jerusalem and 12 kilometers northeast of Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
The Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate is one of 16 Governorates of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It covers a large part of the central West Bank, on the northern border of the Jerusalem Governorate. Its district capital or muhfaza is the city of al-Bireh.According to the Palestinian Central...
, 850 meters above sea level. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is the statistical organization under the umbrella of the Palestinian Cabinet of the Palestinian National Authority....
, Taybeh had a population of 1,452 in 2007. It is the last all-Christian community in the West Bank.
Etymology
The town is considered to be the site of the biblical OphrahOphrah
Ophrah is a name in the Hebrew Bible meaning "a fawn", given to:* A city of Benjamin ; probably identical with Ephron and Ephraim , the modern Palestinian city of Taybeh. The Israeli settlement of Ofra is close to the site as well....
, mentioned in the Book of Joshua
Book of Joshua
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land....
(18,23). However the word "Ophrah" was close in sound to "afrit" meaning "demon" in Arabic. Under Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, the name was changed to "Taybeh", "The goodly".
The local tradition says that during his wars against Crusaders, Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
met a delegation of Aphram inhabitants, and being affected by their goodness and by the beauty of their faces, ordered to rename the village to Tayyibat al-Isem (Beautiful of name) instead of what sounded like Afra (full of dust).
History
In the 5th century, a church, known today as St. George's Church, was built in the east of the town. In the 12th century, another church was built by the CrusadersCrusaders
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch that competes in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history with seven titles...
, in attachment to the first one. In 1185, Balduinus IV, King of Jerusalem, gave Boniface de Montferrat the castle of St. Elias, placed in the higher part of the city.
In 1596, a village named Tayyibat al-Isem appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa
Liwa (arabic)
Liwa or Liwa is an Arabic term meaning district, banner, or flag, a type of administrative division. It was interchangeable with the Turkish term "Sanjak" in the time of the Ottoman Empire. After the fall of the empire, the term was used in the Arab countries formerly under Ottoman rule...
of Quds. It had a population of 63 Muslim households and 23 Christian families. The village paid taxes on wheat, barley, vines or fruit trees, and goats or beehives.
In 1931 census
1931 census of Palestine
The 1931 census of Palestine was the second census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine. It was carried out on 18 November 1931 under the direction of Major E. Mills. The first census had been conducted in 1922...
, Taybeh had a population of 1038 Christians and 87 Muslims living in 262 houses.
Charles de Foucauld
Charles de Foucauld
Charles Eugène de Foucauld was a French Catholic religious and priest living among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for protection of the Tuareg and is considered by the Catholic Church to be a martyr...
(1853–1916), an explorer and French hermit, passed through Taybeh in January 1889 and returned in 1898. Inspired by his visit, he wrote "Eight Days in Aphram, retreat of 1898, from Monday after IV Lent Sunday, (March 14) through Monday, after IV Lent Sunday (March 21)." In 1986, the Charles de Foucauld Pilgrim Center funded by the French Lieutenancy of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the pope. It traces its roots to Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, principal leader of the First Crusade...
opened in the village.
Religious significance
According to the Bible, Jesus, after LazarusLazarus of Bethany
Lazarus of Bethany, also known as Saint Lazarus or Lazarus of the Four Days, is the subject of a prominent miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death...
' resurrection, retired with his disciples to this town. John says, "Since that day on, they (the Pharisees
Pharisees
The Pharisees were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty in the wake of...
) made the decision to kill him. Jesus did not walk in public among the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
anymore. He went away to a region near the desert, to a city called Aphram, and it was there that he and his disciples dwelt" (John 11: 53-54). This happened during the first days of Nissan in the year 30. It was at this point that Jesus retired on a rocky hill which was situated 8 km from Taybeh towards the Jordan, in order to fortify his spirit, pray, fast, and expose himself to temptation. That is why this rocky hill is known as (Qarantal), from the Latin root "Quarenta" (forty), which alludes to the forty days Jesus fasted. According to the Evangelist, Taybeh-Aphram is the isolated place where Jesus found the diaphanous quietness to prepare himself and his disciples for the great sacrifice..
Demographics
Taybeh is a ChristianPalestinian Christians
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
village, with Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and Melkite Eastern Catholic
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catholic Church. The Melkites, Byzantine Rite Catholics of mixed Eastern Mediterranean and Greek origin, trace their history to the early Christians of Antioch, Syria, of...
, Protestants and Evangelicals.In 2008 Taybeh had a low birthrate and residents feared that the population would entirely disappear.
Economy
Taybeh is the home of Taybeh BreweryTaybeh Brewery
thumb|right|Taybeh Beer logoTaybeh Brewery is a Palestinian brewery founded in 1994. The brewery is located in the West Bank village of Taybeh, 35 kilometers north of Jerusalem. It produced its first beer in 1995 and has since developed a global cult following.-Background:The Taybeh Brewery was...
, brewers of the only Palestinian beer. Since 2005, an Oktoberfest celebration
Oktoberfest celebrations
The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German...
is held in Taybeh, aiming at promoting local Palestinian products and attracting tourism. The celebration offers beer competitions, cultural, traditional and musical performances and other attractions.
The operation of the brewery is opposed by Muslim extremists. The mayor's car has been torched and his property vandalized.
Educational and religious institutions
The Taybeh two schools grade K-12 and serve students from Taybeh and neighboring villages. The Orthodox Patriarchal School serves over 270 students, and the Roman Catholic (Latin) School serves over 400.The different Christian denominations worship together on Easter and Christmas. The Latin parish runs a school, a medical center, a hostel for pilgrims and youth programs.
Religious conflict
In September 2005, hundreds of Muslim men from nearby villages torched homes and vehicles in Taybeh in response to the honor killingHonor killing
An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community...
of a 30-year old Muslim woman from Deir Jarir
Deir Jarir
Deir Jarir is a Palestinian agricultural town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank, located eleven kilometers east of Ramallah. It is situated on a hilltop overlooking the Jordan Valley at an elevation of 900 meters...
who was said to have been romantically involved with a Christian from Taybeh. The mob also destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary. Palestinian Authority policemen who arrived on the scene managed to save the village’s beer factory.
The violence was reported by the United States' State Department (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor), the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and other global news sources.