Jisr el-Majami

The bridge shows at least two major phases of construction; a possibly Roman-origin lower level and the upper pointed arches likely from the medieval period.[4] Some sources state that the bridge was built in Roman times, and others that it was built in the Middle Ages. A 1925 letter written by the Palestine Department of Antiquities wrote that the bridge was first built in Roman times.[1] This is supported by a Roman milestone discovered nearby, which given the scarcity of other local structures makes it likely that a Roman river crossing existed at the point.[1]

Al-Muqaddasi (c. 945/946 - 991), described "beyond the lower end of the Lake of Tiberias is a great bridge, over which lies the road to Damascus",[5][6][7] however, Andrew Petersen believes that Al-Muqaddasi may have been referring to Jisr es-Sidd, further north (by Um al-Junah, near modern-day Degania Bet).[1]

The bridge underwent at least two major repairs during medieval times, by Usama al-Halabi during the reign of Saladin (1174–93), and one by a "Jamal ad-Din" in 1266–67.[4] Shihab al-Umari, writing in the mid 1300s, wrote of a renovated stop en route from Beisan to Irbid called Jisr al Mujami, also knows as Jisr Usama, after Saladin's emir who repaired it.[1] A manuscript in the Bibliothèque nationale de France states that it was built by Mamluk sultan Barquq (r. 1380s–90s).[8] An epitaph of a Muslim from Bitlis who drowned at Jisr al Majami in October 1308 has been found under the Ottoman floor in the khan.[9]

1799 map (detail) by Pierre Jacotin

1849 William F. Lynch map of the Jordan River showing Jisr el-Majami, as well as Jisr ed Damiye.

A map from Napoleon's invasion of 1799 by Pierre Jacotin showed the bridge, named as Pont de Magama, and the adjacent Khan, marked Caravanserail.[10][11]

James Finn wrote in 1868 that the bridge was "in tolerably good condition, with one large and several smaller arches in two rows, and a dilapidated khan at the western end... The khan has been a strong edifice, but the stones of the massive gateway, especially the great keystone, are split across, as if from the effects of gunpowder." Finn noted a story of "the wandering minstrels, even now among the Bedaween, sing the songs of the forty orphan youths who competed in poetic compositions under the influence of love for an Arab maiden at the bridge of Mejama'a."[12] The PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted that the name was related to the "Bridge of the Gatherer", which became the As-Sirāt.[13]

The bridge played a strategic role in World War I; it was captured by the 19th Lancers during the Capture of Afulah and Beisan. When the Rutenberg concession was given, it was defined as the area around Jisr Majami.[14]

The bridge was spared during the 1946 Night of the Bridges, but was damaged during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, primarily caused by the explosion of mines placed on the parallel 1920s road bridge.[15]

2014 renovations

The bridge was renovated in 2014 by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities together with the Jordanian Department of Antiquities and the Israel Antiquities Authority.[15]

Around 1365 a khan (caravanserai) was built at Jisr al Majami.[17]

In 1849, William F. Lynch described the ruins of the khan as “A ruined khan crowned the crest of the hill, at the foot of which large masses of volcanic rock or tufa were lying about, as if shaken from the solid mass by the spasm of an earthquake. The khan had evidently been a solid structure and destroyed by some convulsion, so scattered were the thick and ponderous masses of masonry.”[18]

In 1875 Victor Guérin visited, and noted the remains of the deserted khan. The khan was two stories high, built around a courtyard. It was built of basalt stones, with the gates done in the ablaq style; alternating white and black stones. The khan had only one entry. Not far from the khan Guérin noted the ancient bridge, with a central arch being much larger than the side-arches.[19]

2014 bird's eye view of the medieval bridge, the railway bridge, and the square fundations of the old khan

In 1882 the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described a "ruined Khan, or 'hostel', a large square building with vaults beneath, still in a good state of preservation."[20]

A small settlement in the caravanserai existed until the early 20th century,[21] in the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Jisr al Majami had a population of 121; 112 Muslims, 4 Jews and 5 Christians,[22] where all the Christians were of the Orthodox faith.[23]

Following the building of the First Jordan Hydro-Electric Power House, the population had totally changed in the 1931 census to a total of 320; 3 Muslim, 316 Jewish and 3 Christian, in a total of in 43 houses.[24] Some of these building were inside the khan itself.[25]

1928 Survey of Palestine map of the Jisr el Majami "village boundary" area

1942 Survey of Palestine map of the area: the northern part of the area had been renamed as "Gesher"

13 August 1939, at the end of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, a fortified "wall and tower" settlement was established, known as Kibbutz Gesher.[25]

In the 1945 statistics Jisr al Majami had 250 inhabitants; 230 Jews, 10 Muslims and 10 Christians, and the total land area was 458 dunams.[26][27] A total of 15 dunams were used for citrus and bananas, 274 dunums were used for cereals,[28] while 169 dunams were classified as uncultivable land.[29]

The area was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and rebuilt approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) west in what is now Gesher, Israel.[25]