Mevaseret Zion

Mevaseret Zion (Hebrew: מְבַשֶּׂרֶת צִיּוֹן‬) is a suburb o Jerusalem, Israel. Mevaseret Zion is composed o twa distinct tounships, Maoz Zion an Mevaseret Yerushalayim—unner the jurisdiction o ane local cooncil. The newer neighborhuids o Mevaseret Zion wur no pairt o either settlement. Mevaseret Zion is locatit on a muntain ridge 750 meters abuin sea level, on the ootskirts o Jerusalem. It is ten kilometers frae the ceety, straddlin baith sides o the Jerusalem–Tel Aviv heich-gate. It haes a population o 22,800 residents distributit ower 15 neighborhuids. It is the walthiest municipality per caipita in the Jerusalem Destrict. Mevaseret Zion's current Mayor is Yoram Shimon.

History

Due tae its strategic location, settlement in the aurie o Mevaseret Zion goes back tae antiquity. The Romans built a fortress there, kent as Castellum. On the ruins o this fortress, the Crusaders built a castle, Castellum Belveer, which still staunds the day. An Arab veelage, Coloniya, grew up aroond this spot. The muhktar's hoose wis built on the hilltop, on the ruins o the Crusader castle.

Durin the Breetish Mandate o Palestine, the Breetish referred tae this destrict as "The Castle", droppin the "t" as is customary in Inglis. The Arabs cried it al-Qastal, pronooncin the "t." The Jews cried it "Hacastel" ("the Castel").

In Israel's War o Unthirldom in 1948, fierce battles that claimed mony lives teuk place here as Arabs an Jews fought for control o the Castel, which owerleukit the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem heich-gate. The Castel exchyngit haunds several times in the course o the fechtin. The tides turned when the revered Arab commander, Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, wis killed. Mony o the Arabs left their positions tae attend al-Husayni's funeral at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, Aprile 9. That same day, the Castel fell tae the Israeli forces, virtually unopposed.^[1]

Maoz Zion ("Stranghauld o Zion") wis established in 1951 tae hoose new immigrants frae Iraq, Kurdistan, North Africae an Iran who haed been livin in a ma'abara, or transit camp, at the fuit o the Castel. Mony were employed at the nearby Solel Boneh stane quarry.

Mevaseret Yerushalayim wis established east o Ma'oz Zion in 1956 bi Jewish immigrants frae North Africae. It wis locatit on a ridge near the airmistice line, north o Motza. The residents wirked in the fruit orchards in the Arazim Valley.^[2]

In 1963, Maoz Zion and Mevaseret Yerushalayim formed a joint local council, which was called Mevaseret Zion. The source of the name comes from the Book of Isaiah: "על הר גבוה עלי לך מבשרת ציון" ("Ascend a lofty mountain, O herald of joy to Zion") (Isaiah 40:9).

Institutions an landmarks

The embassies o Paraguay an Bolivie are locatit in Mevaseret Zion. Mevaseret Zion haes 3 grade schuils, a junior-heich schuil an a heich schuil, "Tichon Har'el. Kanyon Harel is a lairge shoppin mall in Mevaseret. Yeshivat Sha'arei Mevaseret Zion is locatit in Mevaseret Zion.

Airchaeology

In April-Mey 2003, an aircheological salvage dig carried oot on Nahal Sorek Street in Mevaseret Zion unearthed an auncient burial cave datin frae the mid-Seicont Temple Period.^[3]