Makhamra Family
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The Makhamra family (), also Muhamara or Mahamara, is a Palestinian clan from the city of Yatta, in the
Hebron Governorate The Hebron Governorate () is an administrative district of Palestine in the southern West Bank. The governorate's land area is and its population according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in mid-year 2019 was 1,004,510. This ...
,
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
. It is one of the largest clans in the southern
Hebron Hills The Hebron Hills, also known as Mount Hebron (, ), are a mountain ridge, geographic region, and geologic formation, constituting the southern part of the Judaean Mountains, Judean Mountains. The Hebron Hills are located in the southern West Ban ...
and regard themselves as descendants of a Jewish tribe of Arabia. They have also preserved several practices of Jewish origin.


Etymology

According to a common interpretation, in
Palestinian Arabic Palestinian Arabic (also known as simply Palestinian) is part of a dialect continuum comprising various mutually intelligible varieties of Levantine Arabic spoken by Palestinians in Palestine, which includes the State of Palestine, Israel, and t ...
the meaning of Makhamra is "
winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to de ...
s", an act forbidden in Islam.


Jewish origin theories

The Makhamra family has a tradition of descending from a Jewish Arab tribe from
Khaybar KhaybarOther Arabic transliteration, standardized Arabic transliterations: / . Anglicized pronunciation: , . (, ) is an oasis in Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, situated some north of the city of Medina. Prior to ...
which was expelled from the
Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
. According to one tradition, the ancestor of three of the six clans that make up the village was Muheimar, a
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
who came up from the desert with his tribe and conquered the village, probably in the second half of the 18th century. Several theories exist regarding their origins. While some scholars accept their tradition of expulsion from Khaybar, others propose that they are remnants of Jewish population from the late ancient period, or Jewish refugees from
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
during the
Crusader Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Military * Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades * Convair NB-36H Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber * Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II * Crusaders (guerrilla), a C ...
era.


Reports


Yitzhak Ben-Zvi (1928)

Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Yitzhak Ben-Zvi ( ''Yitshak Ben-Tsvi''; 24 November 188423 April 1963; born Izaak Shimshelevich) was a historian, ethnologist, Labor Zionism, Labor Zionist leader and the longest-serving president of Israel. He was 1952 Israeli presidential elec ...
, an ethnographer and historian who later became the second
President of Israel The president of the State of Israel (, or ) is the head of state of Israel. The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet led by the Prime Minister of Israel, pr ...
, reported visiting Hebron in 1928 to study Jewish traditions in the Mount Hebron area. He noted that some Arabs preferred conducting business with Jewish shopkeepers, referring to Jews as ''awlâd 'ammnâ'' – "our cousins". Ben-Zvi was intrigued by accounts of Arab farmers purchasing Hanukkah menorahs and avoiding
camel meat A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provide ...
, unlike their Muslim neighbors. During his research, Ben-Zvi learned about the Makhmara family, which had converted to Islam approximately two hundred years earlier, from David Castel, a Jewish resident of
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
. Castel was told by his grandfather that the Makhamra family continued the practice of lighting
Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...
candles A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...
. Yitzhak Ben-Zvi also learned from Hakham Yaakov Mani, another Hebronite Jew, that the Makhamra family might trace its origins to Jews from Hebron's Elharika neighborhood who fled the city during the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
and settled in nearby villages. A Yatta resident visiting Hebron verified the account to Ben-Zvi and noted that the clan included roughly 1,200 members back. To further investigate, Ben-Zvi traveled to Yatta with two companions. He received a recommendation letter from the village's scribe for Jabarin ben Abd al Rahman, an associate of Sheikh Abu ‘Aram, who at that time served as the primary
mukhtar A mukhtar (; ) is a village chief in the Levant: "an old institution that goes back to the time of the Ottoman rule". According to Amir S. Cheshin, Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed, the mukhtar "for centuries were the central figures". They "were ...
of the Makhmara family. Upon their arrival, a young man recognizing them as Jews exclaimed ''awlâd 'ammnâ'' and guided them to Jabarin, who stated, "We the Makhamra are from the seed of Jews. Our forefather was a Jew who came here from the land of
Khaybar KhaybarOther Arabic transliteration, standardized Arabic transliterations: / . Anglicized pronunciation: , . (, ) is an oasis in Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, situated some north of the city of Medina. Prior to ...
." Jabarin told Ben-Zvi that six families resided in the village, with three belonging to the Makhamra clan. These details remain accurate, with the majority of Yatta's residents identifying with one of these clans. Three families, known as "Makhamra Ulwia" or Upper Makhamra, reside in Yatta’s upper areas, whereas the "Makhamra Tahta" or Lower Makhamra, including families like Abu ‘Aram and Hushiyeh, inhabit the lower part. Jabarin informed Ben-Zvi that the Makhamra family's ancestor, Mukheimar, was a Jew who came from Khaybar, seized control of Yatta, and established his rule there. According to local tradition, Mukheimar reportedly fought and defeated forty robbers (or 39 robbers and one dog), killing them all in a single cave. Mukheimar had two sons, Salam and Awad, whose descendants settled in the two aforementioned neighborhoods. The Hushiyeh clan integrated through marriage, as Mukheimar's wife, the mother of his sons, was from the Hushiyeh clan. Based on Jabarin’s account and additional information, including a battle involving Mukheimar's grandson against
Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt Ibrahim Pasha ( ''Ibrāhīm Bāshā''; 1789 – 10 November 1848) was an Egyptian general and politician; he was the commander of both the Egyptian and Ottoman armies and the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman Wāli and unrecognized Khedi ...
in 1834, Ben-Zvi concluded that Mukheimar’s arrival in Yatta likely occurred in the early 18th century.


Wanderers' Association (1929)

The "Wanderers' Association", a group of secular Jewish travellers who toured the southern
Hebron Hills The Hebron Hills, also known as Mount Hebron (, ), are a mountain ridge, geographic region, and geologic formation, constituting the southern part of the Judaean Mountains, Judean Mountains. The Hebron Hills are located in the southern West Ban ...
in 1929 and published their findings and experiences in a series of articles in
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...
, also wrote about the Makhamara family. When they arrived in Yatta, the locals told them that the name of their ancient village was "al-Jayur", and that "our forefathers were originally from the
children of Israel Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age. Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanite populations and other peoples.Mark Smit ...
; one family arrived here, possibly before 700 years ago, and they were known as 'Kheibar' ..Our forefathers first engaged in a temporary war with the local populace, and later paid the entire price for the land. ...back in
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
and
Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...
's time, when they conquered the towns with the sword, they forced us to convert, and since then, we are Muslim." When asked whether there were more Jews in the area, they replied that "There were many Jews in Hebron and the villages". They also added that several of them would not eat
camel meat A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provide ...
, which is forbidden in Judaism. The same visit was also reported in ''
Davar ''Davar'' (, lit. ''Speech, Word'') was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the British Mandate of Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996. A similarly named website was launched in 2016, under the name ''Davar Rishon'' as an ...
''. In another article, David Benbenishti from the Wanderers' Association reported meeting two shepherds from the Makhamara family at Khirbet Khureisa, who also told them that their ancestors were Jews from Khaybar. When they later visited the nearby town of
As-Samu As Samu' or es-Samu' () () is a town in the Hebron Governorate of the West Bank, Palestine, 12 kilometers south of the city of Hebron and 60 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem. The town had a population of 26,011 in 2017. As-Samu' is located o ...
, locals there informed them that several of the villagers were linked to the Makhamara family as a result of intermarriage and said that they regularly mocked them by stating, "You are Jews, so you are cheaters". Later, in Dura, they were also told about the Jewish origins of the Makhamara family; one local claimed they were from Khirbit Kheibar, which he claimed was a nearby ruin (but was not found on the map), while another claimed they came from
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
.


Palestine Post (1938)

In 1938, Arab families from Yatta were reported to celebrate the Jewish holiday of
Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...
, lighting candles retrieved from the Jewish community of
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
.


Sha'arim (1952)

In 1952, an article in شعريم Sha'arim reported that in November 1948, Abu 'Ayyash, a
mukhtar A mukhtar (; ) is a village chief in the Levant: "an old institution that goes back to the time of the Ottoman rule". According to Amir S. Cheshin, Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed, the mukhtar "for centuries were the central figures". They "were ...
and tradesman from the Makhamra family, was executed in
Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...
, accused of espionage for the Jews due to his clan's Jewish ancestry. The article, written by
Ben Zvi Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin' ...
, noted that during this period, members of the Makhamra family had settled near
Ruhama Ruhama () is a kibbutz in the Negev desert in southern Israel. The original settlement, established in 1912, is considered the first modern Jewish settlement in the Negev. Located around ten kilometres east of Sderot and surrounded by a nature ...
and
Negba Negba () is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the northern Negev desert near the cities of Kiryat Malakhi and Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Yoav Regional Council. In it had a population of . The name of the kibbutz is bas ...
, where both local Arabs and Jewish settlers were aware of their Jewish roots.


Tzvi Misinai (2009)

Several members of the Makhamra clan were interviewed for a Channel 1 article about Tzvi Misinai and admitted that they are aware of their Jewish origins, although today they consider themselves
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
for many generations since their ancestors converted to
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
.


Doron Sar-Avi (2019)

Historian Doron Sar-Avi noted the lack of intermarriage between Muslim residents of Yatta and the Makhamra clan residing in Yatta, as well as its daughter villages,
Al-Karmil al-Karmil () is a Palestinian village located twelve kilometers south of Hebron. The village is in the Hebron Governorate Southern West Bank, within Area A under total Palestinian control.Gideon Levy and Alex Levac'Bitter waters: Settlers inv ...
and Khirbet at-Tuwani. Sar-Avi recounted a chance encounter with three adolescents from Yatta in the fields of
Ma'in Ma'in (; ) was an ancient South Arabian kingdom in modern-day Yemen. It was located along the strip of desert called Ramlat al-Sab'atayn, Ṣayhad by medieval Arab geographers, which is now known as Ramlat al-Sab'atayn. Wadd was the national ...
. During the conversation, one of the adolescents identified his family as Abu 'Aram, part of the Makhamra clan. When asked about the family size in Yatta, he replied, "The Muslims are 50,000, and we are 60,000." Sar-Avi interpreted this distinction as indicative of a clear sense of separate identity among the youths. Sar-Avi documented interactions with Yatta locals, highlighting resemblances to Jewish customs. In one case, a laborer from Yatta shared how his mother, while baking pita, would throw a piece of dough into the fire to ward off the evil eye, resembling the Jewish tradition of offering dough. Additionally, a man named Ishaq detailed his knowledge of an ancient
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
's location in Yatta, a site his family had historically frequented and preserved, which he said was now underneath a modern school. According to other reports, the Makhamra family in Yatta practice
endogamy Endogamy is the cultural practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting any from outside of the group or belief structure as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relatio ...
and do not intermarry with other local families. There are also
mezuzah A ''mezuzah'' ( "doorpost"; plural: ''mezuzot'') is a piece of parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew language, Hebrew verses from the Torah, which Jews affix in a small case to the doorposts of their homes. These verses are the Biblical pa ...
slots visible in building doorways.


Analysis

The Makhamra family's tradition of Jewish origin has been the subject of several explanations. Ben-Zvi, for instance, accepted the oral tradition according which the Mahkamras sprang from the Jews who were expelled from
Khaybar KhaybarOther Arabic transliteration, standardized Arabic transliterations: / . Anglicized pronunciation: , . (, ) is an oasis in Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, situated some north of the city of Medina. Prior to ...
in the
Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
and eventually settled in Yatta. Yatta has been identified with the site of the ancient town of
Juttah Juttah () was a biblical town in ancient Judah. According to the Hebrew Bible, the town was made a priestly city. It is identified with modern-day Yattah, which is located on a hill about 10 km south of Hebron on the West Bank, Palestine. B ...
, also mentioned in the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...
, the southern Hebron Hills retained a Jewish population after the
Bar Kokhba revolt The Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 AD) was a major uprising by the Jews of Judaea (Roman province), Judaea against the Roman Empire, marking the final and most devastating of the Jewish–Roman wars. Led by Simon bar Kokhba, the rebels succeeded ...
,Eshel, E., Eshel H., & Yardeny A. (2009). A document from "year four of the destruction of the house of Israel" in which a widow declared that she received all her rights. ''Cathedra'' 132. 5-24. ebrew"The phrase "for the destruction of the House of Israel" may be interpreted as a count method that began with the destruction of the Temple, in 70 CE, or with the suppression of the Bar Kokhba revolt, in 136 CE. ..The places mentioned in the document: Beit 'Amar, Upper Anab and Aristobulia, are ancient settlements in the southern Hebron Hills. If indeed the new document is to be dated to 140 CE, it can be suggested that Jews continued to use the hideout caves even during the religious edicts imposed by Hadrian after the suppression of the Bar Kokhba rebellion, and also that Jews remained in the southern Hebron Hills even after the suppression of the revolt." as evidenced by historical texts and archaeological sites (including multiple synagogues). The Jewish presence is recorded up until the
Muslim conquest The Muslim conquests, Muslim invasions, Islamic conquests, including Arab conquests, Arab Islamic conquests, also Iranian Muslim conquests, Turkic Muslim conquests etc. *Early Muslim conquests **Ridda Wars **Muslim conquest of Persia ***Muslim conq ...
, when the synagogues of
Susya Susya (, ; Susiyeh, Susiya, Susia) is a location in the southern Hebron Governorate in the West Bank. It houses an archaeological site with extensive remains from the Second Temple and Byzantine periods, including the ruins of an archeologically ...
and
Eshtemoa Eshtemoa (Heb. אֶשְׁתְּמֹעַ), meaning obedience or "'place where prayer is heard", was an ancient city in the Judaean Mountains, mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. It is also the name of two people mentioned in the First Boo ...
were repurposed as
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
s. It remains unclear whether local Jews had fled the area or had
converted to Islam Reversion to Islam, also known within Islam as reversion, is adopting Islam as a religion or faith. Conversion requires a formal statement of the '' shahādah'', the credo of Islam, whereby the prospective convert must state that "there is none w ...
. Another theory, backed by scholars such as Mordechai Nissan, contends that the current inhabitants of Yatta may be the descendants of a Jewish population that lived there during the
Second Temple period The Second Temple period or post-exilic period in Jewish history denotes the approximately 600 years (516 BCE – 70 CE) during which the Second Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It began with the return to Zion and subsequent reconstructio ...
and later converted to Islam. A 1989 article suggested that the name "Makhamra" is the Arabic equivalent of "
Edomites Edom (; Edomite: ; , lit.: "red"; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Egyptian: ) was an ancient kingdom that stretched across areas in the south of present-day Jordan and Israel. Edom and the Edomites appear in several written sources relating to the ...
", an ancient people who lived in the same area and converted to Judaism in the Hellenistic times. Ben-Zvi also mentioned Shalem's view, which suggests that the traditional descent from Khaybar actually refers to a nearby ruin of the same name, either located in close proximity to Khirbet Karmil (ancient
Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...
), or identical to it.


Today

In the 2010s, Makhamra clan members has been linked to
Palestinian political violence Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence or terrorism committed by Palestinians with the intent to accomplish political goals in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Common objectives of political violence by Pal ...
. On June 8, 2016, two members of the clan, Khaled Mahmara and Muhammad Mahamara, carried out a shooting attack in Sarona Market,
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
, during which four people were killed. Some writers have attributed that activity to their desire to show their neighbors that despite their "Jewish past", they are sided with other
Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...
in the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...
. Members of the clan constitute much of the population of Yatta, and also inhabit nearby villages such as
Al-Karmil al-Karmil () is a Palestinian village located twelve kilometers south of Hebron. The village is in the Hebron Governorate Southern West Bank, within Area A under total Palestinian control.Gideon Levy and Alex Levac'Bitter waters: Settlers inv ...
, Khirbet at-Tuwani, and
Ma'in Ma'in (; ) was an ancient South Arabian kingdom in modern-day Yemen. It was located along the strip of desert called Ramlat al-Sab'atayn, Ṣayhad by medieval Arab geographers, which is now known as Ramlat al-Sab'atayn. Wadd was the national ...
.Ma'in village profile
ARIJ, 2009
Members of the clan are today reluctant to acknowledge their Jewish origins. Moshe Elad, a Middle East scholar, reported on Israel's Arabic-language television that two members of the Makhamra family had embraced Judaism and were now Israeli citizens living in the country.


See also

* Arab groups with possible Jewish roots ** Palestinians of Jewish ancestry – Palestinian families that claim Jewish ancestry ** Bedul – Bedouin tribe in Petra with Jewish origin traditions ** Liyathnah – Bedouin tribe based in Wadi Musa with possible Jewish origins *
Daroma Daroma (Aramaic) or Darom (Hebrew), both meaning 'South', was the name of the southern Hebron Hills in the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. The term is used in Eusebius's ''Onomasticon'' (4th century) and in rabbinic literature. By the late ten ...
– name of southern Hebron Hills in Late Roman and Byzantine periods, later adopted by Muslims. Had a Jewish population * History of the Jews in Khaybar – Overview of Jewish history in the area * Khirbet Kheibar – a site in the northern West Bank associated by local tradition with the Jews of Khaybar * Yatta – the center of the Makhmara clan, confirmed by historical records and archaeological evidence as the site of an ancient Jewish town


References

{{reflist Arabic-language surnames Palestinian families Palestinian people of Jewish descent Groups claiming Jewish descent Hebron Hills