Tuqu'
| Tuqu' | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | تقوع |
| • Also spelled | Taqua (official) Teqoa (unofficial) |
 Tuqu'
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| Coordinates: 31°38′11″N 35°12′52″E / 31.63639°N 35.21444°ECoordinates: 31°38′11″N 35°12′52″E / 31.63639°N 35.21444°E | |
| Palestine grid | 170/115 |
| Governorate | Bethlehem |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality (from 1997) |
| • Head of Municipality | Khaled Ahmad Hamida |
| Area (built-up) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 590 dunams (0.6 km2 or 0.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 8,881 |
| Name meaning | "The ruin of Tekua", or "the place for pitching tents" |
Tuquʿ (Arabic: تقوع, also spelled Teqoa) is a Palestinian town in the Bethlehem Governorate, located 12 km southeast of Bethlehem in the West Bank. It includes three other localities: Khirbet Ad Deir, Al Halkoom, and Khirbet Tuqu’. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Tuqu' had a population of 8,881 in 2007.
The town is a part of the 'Arab al-Ta'amira village cluster, along with Za'atara, Beit Ta'mir, Hindaza, Khirbet al-Deir and al-Asakra. Tuqu has a municipal jurisdiction of over 191,262 dunams, but its built-up area consists of 590 dunams, as 98.5% of the village's land is classified by Israel as Area C or Nature Reserves, and 1.5% as Area A. Situated in the immediate vicinity is the Israeli settlement of Tekoa.
According to biblical sources, Ephrathites from Bethlehem and the Calebites from Hebron founded Tuqu'. It served as an administrative center and was fortified by Rehoboam, a King of Judah, against an invasion from the south. The village was the birthplace of Ira son of Ikkesh, one of King David's Warriors, and of the Hebrew prophet Amos. It was where Joab procured a "wise woman" to induce David to bring back Absalom to Jerusalem. According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah the prophet, after he had been killed by Menashe, was afforded a burial place in Tekoa. Some residents of Tekoa took part in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity.
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