Israel Matzav

'Hussein's palace' site has a rich history

The Hussein's palace site, called Tel el-Ful, has a long and rich history going back to biblical times when it was the location of King Saul's palace, known as Givat Shaul (which is not the same as the Jewish neighborhood in northwest Jerusalem currently known as Givat Shaul).

Tel el-Ful's location and height have made it a strategic site for 3,000 years.

When the 1967 war broke out and Jordan shelled the Jewish side of Jerusalem, the Israeli Defense Forces flanked the Old City from the north, capturing Tel el-Ful on their way to re-uniting Jerusalem.

But it was not the first time the Hill was drenched with blood. Two weeks after the city of Jerusalem surrendered to the British army on December 9, 1917, the German commander unleashed a Christmas counterattack that was blocked at Tel el-Ful with heavy Turkish casualties, as documented in the Library of Congress photo collection. It was the last gasp of the Turkish campaign in Palestine.

The hill was also known as Gibeah/Givah, a Biblical town responsible for a near civil war in the early stages of the Israelites conquering the land of Israel. King Saul established his court at the location for 38 years, earning the location's name "Givat Shaul." It also served as a Philistine redoubt.

Read the whole thing. There are also pictures going back to World War I.

Labels: Givat Shaul, Hussein's palace, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, Jordan, Tel el-Ful

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:58 PM