Al-Ubeidiya
| al 'Ubeidiya | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | لعبيديّه |
| • Also spelled | al-Obaidya (official) Deir Dosi (unofficial) |
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 al 'Ubeidiya
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| Coordinates: 31°43′23.80″N 35°17′26.06″E / 31.7232778°N 35.2905722°ECoordinates: 31°43′23.80″N 35°17′26.06″E / 31.7232778°N 35.2905722°E | |
| Palestine grid | 177/125 |
| Governorate | Bethlehem |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| Area | |
| • Jurisdiction | 97,232 dunams (97.2 km2 or 37.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 10,753 |
| Name meaning | 1881: Kh. Deir Ibn Obeid, meaning "The ruin of the monastery of the son of Obeid; also called Mar Theodosius |
Al-Ubeidiya (Arabic: لعبيديّه) is a Palestinian town located 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) east of Bethlehem. The town is a part of the Bethlehem Governorate in the central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), al-Ubeidiya had a population of over 10,753 in 2007.
Al-Ubeidiya is named after Saint Theodosius ("Ibn Ubeid" in Arabic), who built and was buried in a monastery 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) west of the town, known as the Monastery of St. Theodosius. It was originally constructed in the 5th-century CE and Theodosius was buried there in 520. The current structure was built by the Crusaders in the 12th-century. It is located on a hilltop and is under the administration of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Mar Saba Monastery—which was built by Saint Sabbas in 484 CE—is located further east of the town center, but within its municipal jurisdiction. An Ancient Roman pool is situated in the center of al-Ubeidiya and was used in the Roman era of rule in Palestine to collect water. According to Dauphin, most of current the Monastery dates from the 19th century, but incorporates Byzantine remains.
The area, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517. In 1596 Al-Ubeidiya appeared in Ottoman tax registers, called Dayr Bani 'Ubayd, being in the nahiya of Al-Quds in the liwa of Al-Quds. It had a population of 42 households and 6 bachelors, all Muslim. Taxes were paid on wheat, barley, occasional revenues, goats and/or beehives. According to local tradition, the modern town of al-Ubeidiya was founded when members of the Shammar tribe from the Arabian Peninsula settled there, and it was not named after St. Theodosius, but after tribal leader, al-Ubeidi Faris.
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