Achzib
Encyclopedia
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, 15 kilometers north of Acco
Acco
Acco was a chief of the Senones in Gaul, who induced his countrymen to revolt against Julius Caesar in 53 BC. On the conclusion of the war, and after a conference at Durocortorum, Caesar had Acco tried and convicted on charges of treason. As punishment, he was flogged to death in the full sight...
. It was first settled in the Middle Canaanite (Bronze) II period by the Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
ns. In the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, it is described as falling within territory assigned to the tribe of Asher
Asher
Asher , in the Book of Genesis, is the second son of Jacob and Zilpah, and the founder of the Tribe of Asher.-Name:The text of the Torah argues that the name of Asher means happy/blessing, implying a derivation from the Hebrew term osher ; the Torah actually presents this in two variations—beoshri...
. An Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
village, Az-Zeeb, was established on the site during the Mamluk period. Today Achziv is a national park.
History
Shephelah
The Shephelah is a designation usually applied to the region in south-central Israel of 10-15 km of low hills between the central Mount Hebron and the coastal plains of Philistia within the area of the Judea, at an altitude of 120-450 metres above sea level. The area is fertile, and a temperate...
, or plain country of Judah (Josh. 15:44); probably the same as Chezibh mentioned in Genesis 38:5. Originally a Phoenician city (Ecdippa in Greek), it was assigned to the tribe of Asher
Asher
Asher , in the Book of Genesis, is the second son of Jacob and Zilpah, and the founder of the Tribe of Asher.-Name:The text of the Torah argues that the name of Asher means happy/blessing, implying a derivation from the Hebrew term osher ; the Torah actually presents this in two variations—beoshri...
(Josh. 19:29; Judg. 1:31)
"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 Achzibh." Achziv (Cheziv) is mentioned in Jewish rabbinic writings, for example Midrash Vayikra Rabba 37:4. King David added the city into his Kingdom, but King Solomon returned it to Hiram
Hiram
Hiram , Standard Hebrew ', Tiberian Hebrew ', is a biblical given name.-People:* Hiram I, king of Tyrus, 969–936 BCE* Hiram II, king of Tyrus , 739–730 BCE...
as part of the famous pact. During Sancheriv invasions, the Assyrians conquered the city. During the reign of the Seleucids, the border was established at Rosh HaNikra
Rosh HaNikra grottoes
Rosh HaNikra is a geologic formation in Israel, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Galilee. It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos....
, just north to Achziv, making it a border city and under the control of Acre. A maritime city named Cziv, nine miles north of Acre, is mentioned by Josephus Flavius, and later by Eusebius. During the Crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
period, the site was known as Casle Umberti.
Remnants of ancient Achziv, now known as Tel Achziv, are located on a sandstone mound between two creeks, Kziv creek on the north and Shaal creek on the south, close to the border with Lebanon.
The Arab village of Az-Zeeb was established during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, the houses erected using the stones of the Crusader castle. The villagers fled to Lebanon during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. In 1946, The Jewish Resistance Movement attempted to blow up the railroad bridge over the creek at Achziv in an operation known as Night of the Bridges
Night of the bridges
Operation Markolet was a Haganah venture on the night of the 16th to the 17th of June 1946 in the British Mandate of Palestine...
. A monument to the 14 soldiers killed there was erected on the site.
Archaeology
An ancient port was located on the coast, and another secondary port is located 700 m to the south.Archeological excavations have revealed that a walled city existed at the location from the Middle Bronze period. History of Achziv goes back to the Chalcolithic period (45-32C BC).