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Achziv

Coordinates:33°02′52″N35°06′08″E/ 33.04778°N 35.10222°E/33.04778; 35.10222
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromAkzib)
For the self-proclaimed micronation, seeAkhzivland.
Not to be confused withAchziv of Judah.
Achziv
Remaining structures of az-Zeeb (today a recreational area), including its mosque, 2009
Achziv is located in Northwest Israel
Achziv
Shown within Northwest Israel
Achziv is located in Israel
Achziv
Achziv (Israel)
Alternative nameAz-Zeeb (الزيب) al-Zib, al-Zaib[1]
LocationIsrael
RegionNorthern District
Coordinates33°02′52″N35°06′08″E/ 33.04778°N 35.10222°E/33.04778; 35.10222
Area12.4
History
CulturesIsraeli, Coptic, Islamic
EventsBattle of Casal Imbert (1232), part of theWar of the Lombards

Achziv(Hebrew:אַכְזִיבʾAḵzīḇ) orAz-Zeeb(Arabic:الزيب,romanized:Az-Zīb) is an ancient site on the Mediterranean coast of northernIsrael,between the border withLebanonand the city ofAcre.It is located 13.5 kilometres (8.4 mi) north ofAcreon the coast of theMediterranean Sea,within the municipal area ofNahariya.Today it is anIsraeli national park.

Excavations have unearthed a fortified Canaanite city of the second millennium BCE. The Phoenician town of the first millennium BCE is known both from theHebrew Bibleand Assyrian sources. Phoenician Achzib went through ups and downs during the Persian and Hellenistic periods. In early Roman times the town, known asAcdippa,was a road station. TheBordeaux Pilgrimmentions it in 333-334 CE still as a road station; Jewish sources of the Byzantine period call itKhezivandGesiv.There is no information about settlement at the site for the early Muslim period. The Crusaders built a new village with a castle there. During the Mamluk and Ottoman periods a modest village occupied the oldtell(archaeological mound).

In modern times the site was known as the Palestinian town of Az-Zeeb, with a population of almost 2,000. It was depopulated during theHaganah'sOperation Ben-Ami,on May 14, 1948, thelast day of the British Mandate for Palestine.

The sole permanent resident of Achziv since declaration of the State was Eli Avivi (1930-2018), an Israeli photographer andmicronationalistwho hosted visitors to the legally disputedmicronationof "Akhzivland",a small stretch of beach where he lived since 1975 until his death.

Etymology

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Mentioned in theBibleby its ancient nameAchzib,evidence of human settlement at the site dates back to the 18th century BCE. During the Roman period (and in classical literature) the imperial authorities called itEcdippa,[2]Ecdeppa,orEcdippon.By theearly Middle Ages,theArabname for the village "Az-Zeeb", or "al-Zib" (Arabic:الزيبmeaning 'trickster') was locally in common usage. Az-Zeeb is a shortened form of the site's original ancientCanaanite/Phoenicianname,Achzib.[2]

History

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Human settlement at the site dates to as early as the 18th century BCE; and by the 10th century BCE it was a walled town.[3]A tell excavated between 1941–44 and 1959-1964 found evidence of settlement from theMiddle Bronze Age II,through theRoman periodand theEarly Middle Ages.[2]Achziv was the first fortified settlement found at the site by archaeologists.

Middle Bronze Age

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Middle Bronze Age IIA

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In the Middle Bronze IIA (MBIIA), remains are found at Phase N5 with features including child burials in storage jars below floors.

Middle Bronze Age IIA-B

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At the transition from MBIIA to MBIIB, the settlement was subject to a violent destruction.[4]

Middle Bronze Age IIB

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In the Middle Bronze IIB (MBIIB), Phase N4 was part of a large Canaanite port city.[5][6]The massive ramparts, some 4.5 m (15 ft) high, protected the city proper and a large area of port facilities. To the north and south the city extended to the two nearby rivers, which the Canaanite engineers connected by afosse,thus transforming Achzib into an island.[5]A substantial destruction level from the beginning of the Late Bronze Age proves that even these fortifications were eventually not sufficient.[6]A fierce conflagration ended Phase N4 and led to the transition to the MBIIC/LBI in Phase N3.[4]

Iron Age

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By the 1000 BCE, Achziv was a prosperous and fortifiedPhoeniciantown. Conquered by theAssyrian empirein the 8th century BCE, however, it was subsequently ruled by thePersiansduring the rule of theRoman Empire.

Achzib is mentioned in theBook of Joshua(19:29) andBook of Judges(1:31) as a town assigned to the tribe ofAsherin theHebrew Bible,but the Asherites did not manage to conquer it from the Phoenicians:[7]

And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher... and the outgoings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib. (Joshua 19:24–29)
Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco,... or of Achzib... (Judges 1:31)
The mosque of al-Zib, restored at Achziv National Park

According toBiblical history,King Davidadded the city into his Kingdom, butKing Solomonreturned it toHiram Ias part of the famous pact;archaeologicalevidence indicates that it remained Phoenician.[2]

Positioned on a passage between the plain ofAcreand the city ofTyre,Achzib was an important road station.[2]Between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE, it was a prosperous town, with public buildings and tombs withPhoenicianinscriptions,attesting to the identity of its inhabitants at the time.[2]Conquered by theAssyriansin 701 BCE and listed inSennacherib's AnnalsasAk-zi-bi,the continuation of Phoenician settlement through this period and during the decline endured during thePersian period,is evidenced in 5th and 4th century BCE Phoenician inscriptions that were found at the site.[2]

Prior to the Assyrian invasion of Achziv underSennacherib,in the late 8th-century BCE, Achziv andAkkobelonged to the king ofSidon,and were consideredHittiteterritory.[8]

Classic era

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Az-Zeeb
الزيب
l-Zib, al-Zaib, Achzib[1]
Etymology: "Trickster"
1870s map
1940s map
modern map
1940s with modern overlay map
A series of historical maps of the area around Achziv (click the buttons)
Palestine grid160/272
Geopolitical entityMandatory Palestine
SubdistrictAcre
Date of depopulationMay 14, 1948[9]
Area
[10]
• Total12,607dunams(12.607 km2or 4.868 sq mi)
Population
(1945)
• Total1,910[11][10]
Cause(s) of depopulationMilitary assault byYishuvforces
Current LocalitiesGesher HaZiv,[12]Sa'ar,[13]

Hellenistic period

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During the reign of the Seleucids the border was established atRosh HaNikra,just north to Achziv, making it a border city which they calledEkdippa(Έκδιππα inAncient Greek) and put it under the control ofAcre.Mentioned in the writings ofPseudo-Scylax,the site likely regained some importance inHellenistictimes.

Roman and Byzantine periods

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A maritime city named Cziv, nine miles (14 km) north of Acre, is mentioned byJosephus Flaviusand later byEusebius.Achziv (Cheziv) is mentioned in Jewishrabbinic writings,for example MidrashVayikra Rabba37:4. Additionally, Achziv is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud, and by the relating Middle Age commentators, concerning the location of Achziv in regards to historical borders of Israel. At the end of the Roman era, a pottery workshop was located there.[14]

Middle Ages

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Remains of az-Zeeb

By theEarly Middle Ages,Arabgeographers were referring to the area as "az-Zeeb".[2]

Crusader period

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With the arrival of theCrusadersand after the fall ofAcrein 1104, "Casal Imbertia" or "Lambertie" was established there.[15][16]During the Crusader era, it expanded and became the main centre of a large estate with the same name, Casal Imbert.Lefiegre,Le QuiebreandLa Gabassiewere all part of this estate.[17]The site was commonly known as "Casale Umberti,"[18]or Casal Humberti (after Hubert of Pacy who held thecasale), and it is documented in 1108.[19]

Az-Zeeb (meaning "trickster" ), is first mentioned in Crusader sources in 1123 as a village belonging to Hubert of Pacy.[20]In 1146, the Crusaders established a settlement there protected by a castle and named "Casale Huberti"[21][15]and sometimes still as "Casal Humberti".[22]UnderBaldwin III,European farmers settled there sometime before 1153.[23]

Arab geographerIbn JubayrtouredPalestinein 1182 and mentioned az-Zeeb as a large fortress with a village and adjoining lands between Acre and Tyre.[24]In 1198, KingAimerygave a large part of the income from Az-Zeeb to theTeutonic Order.[25]In 1226, Arab geographerYaqut al-Hamawidescribed az-Zeeb as a large village on the coast whose name was also pronounced "az-Zaib".[24]

In 1232 it was the site of theBattle of Casal Imbertbetween German and French Crusaders as part of theWar of the Lombards.In 1253King Henrygave the whole estate of Casal Imbert toJohn of Ibelin.[26]Shortly after, in 1256, John of Ibelin leased Az-Zeeb and all its dependant villages to the Teutonic Order for 10 years.[27]In 1261, the whole estate was sold to the Teutonic Order, in return for an annual sum for as long asAcrewas in Christian hands.[28]In 1283 the village was mentioned as part of the domain of the Crusaders, according to thehudna(truce) between the Crusaders in Acre and theMamluksultanQalawun.[29]

Mamluk period

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Ancient grinding stones at Achziv National Park

The Arab village of Az-Zeeb was established during the later Mamluk period with the houses erected using the stones of the destroyed Crusader castle; and thrived throughout the Ottoman rule. There are descriptions of the castle and village by Arab chroniclers in the 12th and 13th centuries, just prior to and during the rule of theMamluksin the region.

Ottoman era

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In the early 16th century, az-Zeeb was incorporated into theOttoman Empireand its inhabitants cultivated various crops and raised livestock on which they paid taxes to the Ottoman authorities. According to the 1596tax records,it was a village in thenahiya(subdistrict) of Akka, part ofSanjak Safadwith a population of 132 households and 27 bachelors and an estimated total of 875 persons. All wereMuslim.The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on several agricultural items including, wheat, barley, "summer crops", fruits, cotton, beehives, goats, and water buffalo; a total of 23,669akçe.All of the revenue went to awaqf.[30][31]

A map byPierre JacotinfromNapoleon's invasion of 1799showed the village, named asZib.[32]BritishtravelerJames Silk Buckinghamdescribes az-Zeeb in 1816 as a small town built on a hill near the sea with fewpalm treesrising above its houses.[33]During the period ofEgyptianrule in Palestine, thesheikh(chief) of az-Zeeb, Said al-Sabi, joined the1834 peasants' rebellionagainst governorIbrahim Pasha.He was arrested and exiled to Egypt by the authorities in the summer of that year because of his participation.[34]

Survey map of western Palestine, c. 1880

In 1875, whenVictor Guérinvisited, Az-Zeeb had 500 Muslim inhabitants. Guérin noted that the hill on which it was built had formerly been surrounded by a wall, traces of which were still to be seen on the east side.[35]By the late 19th century, most of the village houses were built of stone, amosqueand a clinic had been established, and the residents cultivatedolives,figs,mulberries,andpomegranates.The population consisted of about 400 Muslims.[36]In 1882, the Ottomans established an elementary school in az-Zeeb.[37]A population list from about 1887 showed that Kh. ez Zib had about 730 inhabitants, all Muslim.[38]

British Mandate period

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Az-Zeeb and its beach, 1928

Az-Zeeb became a part of theBritish Mandate of Palestinein 1922.[37]In the1922 census of Palestine,"Al Zib"had a population of 804; 803 Muslims and 1 Christian,[39]where the one Christian was a Roman Catholic.[40]The population had increased in the1931 censusto 1059, all Muslims, in a total of 251 houses.[41]

The main economic sectors in the village were in fishing and agriculture, particularly fruit cultivation, which includedbananas,citrus,olives, and figs. The town held fourolive presses:two mechanized and two animal-drawn. Between 1927 and 1945, the village's annual fish catch was 16 metric tons.[37]In the1945 statistics,the population of Az Zeeb was 1,910, all Muslims, with a total land area of 12,607 dunams.[10]Of this, 2,973 dunams were used for citrus and bananas; 1,989 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards; 4,425 were forcereals;[42]while 62 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.[43]

The population of the village in 1945 was 1,910.[10]

Political unrest

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In 1946,The Jewish Resistance Movementattempted to blow up the railroad bridge over the creek at Achziv in an operation known asNight of the Bridges.A monument to the 14 soldiers killed there was erected on the site.

1948 War

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Az-Zeeb 1948

Just before the official end to Mandate rule on May 14, 1948 and the start of the1948 Arab-Israeli War,az-Zeeb was captured by theHaganah'sCarmeli Brigade,being one of the main places targeted inOperation Ben-Ami.According to Haganah accounts, the residents immediately "fled upon the appearance ofJewishforces, and the Haganah command decided to hold on to [it]. "However,IsraelihistorianBenny Morrisstates that the Haganah had a "long account" with az-Zeeb because it was a center of Arab attacks on Jews and that most of the inhabitants fled after the village was hit with a mortar barrage by the Haganah.[44][37]Morris writes that two Haganah companies reported in mid-May 1948 that they were "attacking al Zib with the aim of blowing up the village".[45]Eyewitness accounts from among the villagers indicate that they mistook the incoming Israeli forces for Arab reinforcements because they had donned red and whitekeffiyehs,and that these forces quickly overwhelmed the local militia of 35-40 men. Many of the inhabitants fled toLebanonor nearby villages, but many also remained in az-Zeeb until they were relocated by the Israeli authorities to the Arab coastal town ofMazra'a.Some villagers later claimed that the Haganah had "molested or violated" a number of women.[46]

TheIsraelilocalities ofSa'arandGesher HaZivwere established on the village lands in 1948 and 1949. A domedmosquefrom the village has since been restored and serves as a tourist site, and the house of the lastmukhtar(village headman) is now a museum.

Israel

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Achziv at sunset

Achziv is anIsraeli national park.Today Achziv shores are part of the Achziv-Rosh haNikramarine protected area,which is located between the city of Naharia to the south and the Israeli-Lebanon border to the north. The marine protected area has 7 kilometers of shore line and continue into the sea for another 15 kilometers west. This marine nature reserve protects the fauna and flora of the stony reefs and the sandy beach environments. It is the only marine protected area in Israel in which the maximum depth is deeper than 850 meters[47]

Archaeology

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Remnants of ancient Achziv, now known as Tel Achziv, are located on a sandstone mound between two streams, Kziv on the north and Shaal on the south, close to the border with Lebanon. An ancient port was located on the coast, and another secondary port is located 700 m to the south.Archeological excavationshave revealed that a walled city existed at the location from the Middle Bronze period.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abPalmer, 1881, p.60
  2. ^abcdefghLipinski, 2004, pp.302-3
  3. ^Khalidi, 1992, p.35.
  4. ^abTell Achziv - Preliminary Report 2017
  5. ^abM. W. Prausnitz (1975). "The Planning of the Middle Bronze Age Town at Achzib and its Defences".Israel Exploration Journal.25(4). Israel Exploration Society: 202–210.JSTOR27925533.
  6. ^abAvraham Negev and Shimon Gibson (2001).Achzib (b) A Canaanite city on the Mediterranean coast.New York and London: Continuum. p. 16.ISBN0-8264-1316-1.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  7. ^"Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), EBAL MONS, EBAL MONS, ECDIPPA".
  8. ^Luckenbill, Daniel David (1924).The Annals of Sennacherib.Chicago:University of Chicago Press.pp. 29–30.OCLC506728.
  9. ^Morris, 2004, p.xvii,village #79. Also gives the cause for depopulation
  10. ^abcdGovernment of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 41
  11. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p.5
  12. ^Morris, 2004, p.xxi,settlement #54. January 1949
  13. ^Morris, 2004, p.xxi,settlement #18. August 1948
  14. ^Avshalom-Gorni, 2006,Akhziv
  15. ^abPringle, 1998, pp.384-385
  16. ^Mazar, Eilat.AchzivArchived2011-07-16 at theWayback Machine.Institute of Archeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  17. ^Frankel, 1988, p. 264
  18. ^[1]Archived2011-07-16 at theWayback MachineArchived2011-07-16 at theWayback MachineInstitute of Archaeology,Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  19. ^Murray, Alan,The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A Dynastic History 1099-1125(Unit for Prosopographical Research, Linacre College, Oxford, 2000) p. 210.
  20. ^Röhricht, 1893, RRH, p.23,No. 101; cited in Pringle, 1998, p.384
  21. ^Crusader:Casel Imbert, casale Huberti de Paci, Casale Lamberti, Castellum Ziph, Qasale Imbert/Siph;Hebr.Akhziv;in Pringle, 1997, p.110
  22. ^Murray, 2000, p. 210
  23. ^Strehlke, 1869, pp.1-2, No. 1; cited in Röhricht, 1893, RRH, p.71,No. 281; cited in Pringle, 1998, p.384
  24. ^abIbn Jubayr and al-Hamawi quoted in Le Strange, 1890,p.555.
  25. ^Strehlke, 1869, pp.27-8, No. 34; No 122; No. 128; cited in Pringle, 1998, p.384
  26. ^Strehlke, 1869, pp.84-5, No. 105; cited in Röhricht, 1893, RRH, p.318,No. 1208; cited in Pringle, 1998, p.384
  27. ^Röhricht, 1893, RRH, p.328,No. 1250; cited in Pringle, 1998, p.384-5
  28. ^Strehlke, 1869, pp.106-7, No. 119; cited in Röhricht, 1893, RRH, pp.341-2, No. 1307; cited in Pringle, 1998, p.384
  29. ^al-Qalqashandiversion of thehudna,referred in Barag, 1979, p. 204, no. 22
  30. ^Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 192; quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p. 35
  31. ^Note that Rhode, 1979, p.6Archived2019-04-20 at theWayback Machinewrites that the register that Hütteroth and Abdulfattah studied from the Safad-district was not from 1595/6, but from 1548/9
  32. ^Karmon, 1960, p.160Archived2019-12-22 at theWayback Machine.
  33. ^Buckingham, 1821, pp.62-63; quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p.36.
  34. ^Rustum, 1938, p. 70.
  35. ^Guérin, 1880, pp.164-165, partially given in Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p.193.
  36. ^Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p.148.Quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p. 36
  37. ^abcdKhalidi, 1992, p.36.
  38. ^Schumacher, 1888, p.172
  39. ^Barron, 1923, Table XI, Sub-district of Acre, p.36
  40. ^Barron, 1923, Table XVI, p.49
  41. ^Mills, 1932, p.104 Zib, Ez
  42. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.82
  43. ^Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics.Village Statistics, April, 1945.Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.132
  44. ^xvii,Village #79;Morris, 2004, p. Also gives the cause for depopulation
  45. ^Morris, 2004, p.347
  46. ^Morris, 2004, p.253
  47. ^"שמורת ים ראש הנקרה-אכזיב – רשות הטבע והגנים".

Bibliography

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Wikivoyage has a travel guide forAchziv.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toAchziv.


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