Az-Zeeb
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Remaining structures of az-Zeeb (today a recreational area), including its mosque, 2009
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 Az-Zeeb
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| Arabic | الزيب |
| Name meaning | "Trickster" |
| Also spelled | l-Zib, al-Zaib, Achzib |
| Subdistrict | Acre |
| Coordinates | 33°02′53″N 35°06′06″E / 33.04806°N 35.10167°ECoordinates: 33°02′53″N 35°06′06″E / 33.04806°N 35.10167°E |
| Palestine grid | 160/272 |
| Population | 1,910 (1945) |
| Area | 12,607 dunams 12.4 km² |
| Date of depopulation | May 14, 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Gesher HaZiv,Sa'ar, |
Az-Zeeb (Arabic: الزيب, also spelled al-Zib), was a Palestinian Arab village located 13.5 kilometers (8.4 mi) north of Acre on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Mentioned in the Bible by its ancient name "Achzib", evidence of human settlement at the site dates back to the 18th century BCE. By the 10th century BCE, it was a prosperous and fortified Phoenician town. Conquered by the Assyrian empire in the 8th century BCE, it was subsequently ruled by the Persians. During the rule of the Roman Empire, it was known as "Ecdippa". Arab geographers were referring to it as "az-Zeeb" by the early Middle Ages.
In 1146 the Crusaders established there a settlement protected by a castle and named "Casale Huberti" or "Casal Humberti", after Hubert of Pacy which held the casale and is documented in 1108. There are descriptions of the castle and village by Arab chroniclers in the 12th and 13th centuries, just prior to and during the rule of the Mamluks in the region. The Arab name of the village was az-Zeeb. Incorporated into the Ottoman empire in the early 16th century, by its end it formed part of the subdistrict of Akka. Its inhabitants cultivated various crops and raised livestock on which they paid taxes to the Ottoman authorities.
At the time of the British Mandate in Palestine, most of the families in az-Zeeb made their living from fishing and agriculture, particularly fruit cultivation. Just before the official end to Mandate rule on May 14, 1948, az-Zeeb was attacked by captured by the Haganah's Carmeli Brigade. The town was depopulated and razed to the ground. The Israeli localities of Sa'ar and Gesher HaZiv were established on the village lands in 1948 and 1949. A domed mosque from the village has since been restored and serves as a tourist site, and the house of the last mukhtar (village headman) is now a museum.
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