Shefa-'Amr
Shefa-'Amr
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| Hebrew transcription(s) | ||
| • ISO 259 | Šparˁam | |
| • Also spelled | Shfar'am (official) | |
View of Shefa-'Amr
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 Shefa-'Amr
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| Coordinates: 32°48′20″N 35°10′10″E / 32.80556°N 35.16944°ECoordinates: 32°48′20″N 35°10′10″E / 32.80556°N 35.16944°E | ||
| Grid position | 166/245 PAL | |
| District | Northern | |
| Founded | Bronze age | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | City | |
| • Mayor | Amin Anabtawi | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 19,766 dunams (19.766 km2 or 7.632 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015) | ||
| • Total | 40,017 | |
Shefa-'Amr, also Shfar'am (Arabic: شفاعمرو, Šafā ʻAmr, Hebrew: שְׁפַרְעָם, Šəfarʻam) is an Arab city in the Northern District of Israel. In 2015 it had a population of 40,017, with a Sunni Muslim majority alongside large Christian and Druze minorities.
In the Roman Era, the town was known as "Shofar Am", Hebrew for "horn of a nation". It is thought that this name is derived from that of the Jewish Sanhedrin, which for a time was located in the city and was considered the nation's horn. Alternatively, the name could be based on the literary Hebrew word shefer (Hebrew: שפר), meaning "beauty" or "goodness", i.e. "the beauty of the people". According to a popular Arab legend, the Arab general Amr Ibn Al-Aas was cured of an illness after drinking the local water. Upon seeing their commander's recovery, his soldiers cheered "Shofiya Amr" (Arabic for "Amr was healed"), and that was the source of the name. The spring from which he allegedly drank is located southeast of the city. Others allege that the name "Shfar-am" was changed to an Arabic form "Shefa-'Amr" in the Mamluk period. According to Palmer, it is a corruption of the word Shafram.
Walls, installations and pottery sherds from the Early Bronze Age IB and the Middle Bronze Age IIB Iron, Hellenistic and Roman periods have been excavated at Shefa-'Amr.
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