Beit Ur al-Foqa
| Beit Ur al-Fauqa | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | بيت عور الفوقا |
| • Also spelled | Bayt ’Ur al-Fauqa (official) Beit ’Ur al-Foqa (unofficial) |
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 Beit Ur al-Fauqa
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| Coordinates: 31°53′09″N 35°06′51″E / 31.88583°N 35.11417°ECoordinates: 31°53′09″N 35°06′51″E / 31.88583°N 35.11417°E | |
| Palestine grid | 160/143 |
| Governorate | Ramallah & al-Bireh |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 864 |
| Name meaning | "Upper House of Ur" |
Beit Ur al-Fauqa (Arabic: بيت عور الفوقا) is a Palestinian village located in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the northern West Bank, 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) east of Ramallah and 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) southeast of Beit Ur al-Tahta. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of 864 in the 2007 census.
Beit Ur al-Fauqa (meaning "Upper House of Straw") preserves part of the original Canaanite name for the village, and has been identified as the sites of Upper Bethoron. Archaeological finds indicate that Lower Bethoron (Beit Ur al-Tahta) was established before Upper Bethoron; potsherds found in Beit Ur al-Fauqa date from the Iron Age onward, while potsherds from the lower town date from the Late Bronze Age. A large birkeh (pond) north-east in the village is cut in rock.
The Hasmoneans twice blocked the way of Hellenistic forces marching toward Jerusalem in Upper Bethoron. In the third attempt, Bacchides succeeded in subduing the Hasmoneans and fortified this strategic pass. It was in the ravines near Bethoron that the 12th Roman Legion under Cestius Gallus was destroyed in 66 CE at the start of the Great Jewish Revolt. After the subjugation of the Jewish Revolt in 70 CE, the Romans built a fortress in the town to guard the road to Jerusalem. During the later Roman period and under the Byzantines, Beit Ur al-Fauqa lost its importance, becoming a small village by the 5th century CE.
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