Tell Umm el-'Amr
{{Short description|Archaeological site in Deir al-Balah Governorate, Palestine}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child =
| WHS = Tell Umm Amer
| image =
| image_upright = 1.2
| caption =
| official_name = Saint Hilarion Monastery/Tell Umm Amer
| location = Gaza Strip,
State of Palestine
| part_of =
| includes =
| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ii), (iii), (vi)}}(ii), (iii), (vi)
| ID = 1749
| coordinates = {{coord|31|26|50|N|34|21|59|E|display=inline,title}}
| extension =
| danger = {{#if: | -|}}{{#if: |- |}}
| area =
}}
Tell Umm el-'Amr, also known as Tell Umm Amer, is an archaeological site located in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Deir al-Balah Governorate, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
Location
Tell Umm el-ʿAmr is located in the dune landscapes south of the mouth of the Wadi Ghazzeh in the area of the Al Nusairat refugee camp, about 5.28 miles south of Gaza City.{{cite book |last1=Rami K. Isaac, C. Michael Hall, Freya Higgins-Desbiolles |title=The Politics and Power of Tourism in Palestine |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781138592285 |pages=137–148}} The distance to the Mediterranean coast is 1000–2000 feet. In the east and southeast of the Tell Umm el-'Amr site, there are palm groves that form a border with the neighboring town of Deir al-Balah. The archaeological site covers an area of approximately 46000 square feet.{{cite journal |last1=Elter |first1=René |last2=Hassoune |first2=Ayman |title=Le complexe du bain du monastère de Saint Hilarion à Umm el-'Amr, première synthèse architecturale |url=https://journals.openedition.org/syria/474 |journal=Syria |pages=129–144 |language=fr |doi=10.4000/syria.474 |date=1 January 2008|issue=85 }}
History
Uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999, the Tell Umm el-'Amr site was active from the 4th to the 8th century and contains Christian artifacts.{{Cite web |title=Tell Umm El-'Amr (Saint Hilarion Monastery) |url=https://www.wmf.org/project/tell-umm-el-amr-saint-hilarion-monastery |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=World Monuments Fund |language=en |archive-date=2023-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201071541/https://www.wmf.org/project/tell-umm-el-amr-saint-hilarion-monastery |url-status=live }} Currently, the site consists of the monastery of Saint Hilarion; as well as religious buildings (e.g. church, cloister) and all the outbuildings necessary for the life of the monks (e.g. miscellaneous room, dormitory). Additionally, the archaeologists found a hotel complex and baths probably used by visiting pilgrims at the site. The Saint Hilarion Monastery is dedicated to Hilarion of Gaza and is nominated as a UNESCO world heritage site.
===Preservation and protection===
In 2013, fundraising was launched in order to be able to carry out excavations on the site and put in place protection measures.{{Cite web |date=2013-06-04 |title=Sauver Saint-Hilarion à Gaza, le plus vieux monastère de Terre sainte |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/culture/sauver-saint-hilarion-a-gaza-le-plus-vieux-monastere-de-terre-sainte-04-06-2013-1676043_3.php |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=Le Point |language=fr}}
The British Council's Cultural Protection Fund funded a conservation programme at Tell Umm el-'Amr.{{Cite web |title=Preservation of archaeological sites in the Gaza strip |url=https://www.britishcouncil.org/partner/international-development/track-record/preservation-archaeological-sites-gaza-strip |access-date=25 November 2024 |website=British Council}}
In 2024, a request for UNESCO world heritage status was submitted.{{Cite web |title=Nominations to be examined at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (2024) |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/newproperties/ |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Convention |language=en |archive-date=2021-07-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731170733/https://whc.unesco.org/en/newproperties/ |url-status=live }} Following their addition in July 2024, both Tell Umm el-'Amr and Saint Hilarion Monastery were included on the List of World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-07-26 |title=The Monastery of Saint Hilarion/Tell Umm Amer in Palestine is inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2704/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en |archive-date=2024-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730084058/https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2704/ |url-status=live }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Cite web |first=Olivia |last=Snaije |url=https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-past-is-being-destroyed-in-palestine-as-well-as-the-present/ |title=The Past Is Being Destroyed in Palestine — As Well as the Present |work=New Lines Magazine |date=25 January 2025 |accessdate=21 February 2025}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Jerusalem and Palestine}}
Category:Archaeological sites in the Gaza Strip