Akbara
| 'Akbara | |
|---|---|
Modern village of Akbara
|
|
 'Akbara
|
|
| Arabic | عكبرة |
| Name meaning | possibly from male jerboa |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Coordinates | 32°56′22″N 35°29′58″E / 32.93944°N 35.49944°ECoordinates: 32°56′22″N 35°29′58″E / 32.93944°N 35.49944°E |
| Palestine grid | 197/260 |
| Population | 390 (1945) |
| Area | 3,224 dunams |
| Date of depopulation | 10 May 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
Akbara (Arabic: عكبرة) is a village in the Israeli municipality of Safed with around 450 Arab inhabitants. It is 2.5 km south of Safed City. The village was built by the state of Israel in 1977, close to the old village destroyed in 1948 during the civil war.
The village of 'Akbara was situated 2.5 km south of Safad, along the two sides of a deep wadi that ran north-south. Southeast of the village lay Khirbat al-Uqayba, identified as the Roman village Achabare, or Acchabaron. This khirba was a populated village as late as 1904.
The first 'Akbara mention is during Second Temple period by Josephus Flavius, he noted the rock of Acchabaron (Ακχαβαρων πετραν) among the places in the Upper Galilee he fortified as a preparation for the Jewish Revolt. At the time Josephus Flavius was commanding Jewish rebel forces fighting Romans in the Galilee.
The nearby Khirbet al-'Uqeiba was first excavated during the Mandate period, and was shown to contain remains such as building foundations, hewn stones, and wine presses.Cisterns, tombs, oil press and walls of ancient synagogue have also been found. Foerster identifies the ruins as the "early Galilean type" synagogue. Above the settlement, a 135 m high vertical cliff is located . There are one hundred and twenty nine natural and man made caves interconnected by passages in the cliff. According to tradition, those caves were used for shelter by Jews during their war with Romans. During archeological excavations, coins from Dor and Sepphoris were found in the caves, dating to the Roman emperor Trajan period.
Akbara/Akbari/Akbora/Akborin is mentioned several times in Rabbinic literature as early as second half of the third century CE. According to some traditions Rabbi Yannai disciplines lived in 'Akbara forming an agricultural community; R. Yannai established a bet midrash there. The earliest mention of this bet midrash is in the context of discussions between Rabbi Yohanan and sages of 'Akbara. According to Talmud school of Rabbi Jose bar Abin was also in Akbara. Several of the rabbis mentioned in Pirkei Avot lived in 'Akbara. Akbara is mentioned as the burial place of several Talmudic sages: Rabbi Nehurai also Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Dostai his son are buried "in the gardens" "by the spring". According to tradition, the body of Rabbi Elazar ben Simeon was laying for twenty two years in his widow's garret in Akbara since he told her not to allow his colleagues to bury him. Rabbi Elazar ben Simeon feared to be dishonoured due to his aid to the Romans .
...
Wikipedia