Mount Jerzim
The Samaritan Community in Nablus
Mount Jerzim is a very important and strategic mountain.
It used to command the ancient trade route from the coast to the Jordan
Valley that passed through Tel Balata site of Canaanite 'Shekem'. The height
of the mountain at 869 meters provides a panoramic view of Nablus city
and its surrounding hills, valleys, plains, and refugee camps. The hills
are mostly covered with trees, shrubs and white concrete or stone buildings.
The earliest archaeological remains at the site are those of a temple found
on the lower slope which belongs to the Middle Bronze Period. This temple
consists of an inner central shrine surrounded by several rooms. A complex
of buildings related to the Hellenistic period (dating to the 2 century
BC) is widely exposed. At the top of the mountain is the mosque and shrine
of Sheikh Ghanem of the Arab Muslim Ayyubid period.
Today, 300 Samaritans live on the mountain, west of the
modern town of Nablus. Their houses are on the plateau below the summit
of Jerzim. The Samaritans, believing that Mount Jerzim fitted Abraham's
description better than Mount Moriah, built a rival temple to the one in
Jerusalem. The Jews, after their return from captivity (538 BC) refused
to recognize the inhabitants of Samaria as Jews because they had intermarried
with Gentiles. The Samaritans, on the other hand, had retained the old
Judaic teachings and rejected the new ideas acquired by the Jews during
their 49 years in Babylon. Johannes Hercanus destroyed their temple in
128 BC. The Romans controlled the mountain and Hadrian built a temple for
Hypsistos there. Although the original temple has long been destroyed,
the Samaritans point out a rock that, they say, was the place where Abraham
prepared to sacrifice Isaac. Here, they celebrate their unique Passover
feast on the evening before the full moon of April. They follow every word
of the Mosaic Law literally, including the slaughter, roasting, and eating
of the Paschal lamb. The present synagogue of the Samaritans, which replaced
an earlier one destroyed by an earthquake in 1927, houses what they believe
to be the world's oldest Torah scroll "the Pentateuch". The scripts are
written in Samaritan, akin to Hebrew, and are the five books of Moses and
the only part of the scriptures accepted by the Samaritans.
The Byzantine period was one of continuous fighting between
the Christians and the Samaritan group. Emperor Zeno drove the Samaritans
from Mount Jerzim in 486 ADand built an octagonal church dedicated to Mary.
In 529 AD the revolt of the Samaritans started against the presence of
a church on their holy place. Emperor Justinian rebuilt the church after
the suppression of the revolt and reinforced it with new, strong closures.
This church complex was abandoned in the 8 century AD.
The road leading to the top of Mount Jerzim is a steep
uphill winding road which becomes deserted in some sections until you reach
a new garden restaurant with a panoramic view of the town, three quarters
of the way to the top of the mountain. You drive through the small Samaritan
village to reach the historical remains on the top of the mountain.
Source of historic information: PACE Tour Guide 1999,
and Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites (Ministry of Planning and International
Cooperation).