The 1927 Jericho earthquake was a devastating event that shook

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

and Transjordan on July 11 at . The epicenter of the earthquake was in the northern area of the

Dead Sea The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Ban ...

. The cities of Jerusalem, Jericho, Ramle, Tiberias, and Nablus were heavily damaged and at least 287 were estimated to have been killed.

Earthquake

Vered and Striem (1977) located the earthquake epicenter to be near the Damya Bridge in the

Jordan Valley The Jordan Valley ( ar, غور الأردن, ''Ghor al-Urdun''; he, עֵמֶק הַיַרְדֵּן, ''Emek HaYarden'') forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to ...

, and close to the city of Jericho. Later research by Avni (1999), located the epicenter to be around 50 km south of this location near the Dead Sea.

Effects

Mandatory Palestine

Jerusalem

The death toll in Jerusalem included more than 130 people and around 450 were injured. About 300 houses collapsed or were severely damaged to the point of not being usable. The earthquake also caused heavy damage to the domes of the

Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, hy, Սուրբ Հարության տաճար, la, Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri, am, የቅዱስ መቃብር ቤተክርስቲያን, he, כנסיית הקבר, ar, كنيسة القيامة is a church i ...

and the

al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situate ...

The rest of the country

The earthquake was especially severe in Nablus where it destroyed around 300 buildings, including the Mosque of Victory and the historic parts of the Great Mosque of Nablus. The death toll in Nablus included more than 150 people and around 250 were injured. In Jericho, a number of houses collapsed, including several relatively new hotels. In one of the hotels, three female tourists from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

were killed. Duff, Douglas V. (1934) ''Sword for Hire.The Saga of a Modern Free-Companion. John Murray, London. 1st Edition. pp.219–227

Ramla Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations. The city was f ...

and Tiberias were also heavily damaged.

Emirate of Transjordan

The most affected city in Transjordan was

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

in which 80 people were killed. In the rest of Transjordan another 20 people were killed. File:1927 Earthqua JQ2.jpg, Destruction in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem File:1927 Earthquake OliveMount.jpg, This is the Russian Monastery of Ascension on the

Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...

in which three people were killed. On the iron gate on the left, we can read : РУССКАЯ ДУХОВНАЯ МИССИЯ (Russian Ecclesiastical Mission) File:1927 Earthquake Jericho.jpg, The destroyed Winter Palace Hotel in

Jericho Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho ...

References

Sources * * *

External links

Jerusalem Hit By Earth Jars
– published in the ''

Prescott Evening Courier ''The Daily Courier'' is a newspaper for Yavapai County, Arizona, owned by Western News & Info. It has been in existence since 1882. Western News & Info, Inc. publishes both print and online editions of ''The Daily Courier'', featuring local, ...

'' on July 11, 1927
104 Quake Toll In Holy Land
– published in the ''

Youngstown Vindicator ''The Vindicator'' is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio, United States and the Mahoning County region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. ''The Vindicator'' was established in 1869. As of September 1, 2 ...

'' on July 12, 1927
300 reported Toll of Quake
– published in the ''

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'' on July 12, 1927
Quake Reports From Palestine Yet Fragmentary
– published in Newspapers on July 14, 1927 * {{DEFAULTSORT:1927 Jericho earthquake Earthquakes in the Levant Earthquakes in Israel Jericho earthquake, 1927 1927 in Mandatory Palestine 1927 in Transjordan July 1927 events 1927 disasters in Asia