Deir al-Dubban
Deir al Dubban (Arabic: دير الدبان, from Dayr ad-Dhubban, literally, the "Monastery of the Flies") was a small Palestinian village 26 kilometers (16 mi) northwest of Hebron, near the modern village of Luzit, between Jerusalem, and Ashqelon (Ascalon 'Asqalan). The village has now mostly disappeared.
History
A possible reason behind Deir al-Dubban's name is that its ancient inhabitants worshiped Ba'l Zabub ("Lord of the Flies"), a chief Canaanite deity in the region.
Moshe Sharon, professor of early Islamic history at Hebrew University, have examined the inscriptions in the caves of Deir al-Dubban. He dates them from early 8th century C.E. to early 10th century C.E.
Ottoman era
The village was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the Nahiya ("Subdistrict") of Al-Quds of the Liwa ("District") of Al-Quds. Its population of 396 paid taxes on wheat, barley, olive trees, fruit trees, vineyards, goats and beehives. All the inhabitants (72 households) were Muslim.
Podcasts:
