Mount Hureish

Mount Hureish is a mountain in the northern West Bank, part of the broader Jabal Nablus (Samarian Hills) range. It abuts the Marj Sanur valley to the south and its peak is 764 meters above sea level,[1] making it the tallest mountain in the Jenin area,[2] and the sixth highest peak in the Palestine.[3] Mount Hureish is a part of the Musheirif Range, which includes other mountains such as Mount Abu Yazid (724 meters) and Mount 'Ilan (588 meters).[4]

Mount Hureish
Jabal Hureish
Highest point
Elevation764 m (2,507 ft)
Coordinates32°19′44″N 35°15′12″E 
Geography
LocationJenin Governorate, West Bank, Palestine
Parent rangeMusheirif Range, Jabal Nablus (Samarian Highlands)

From Mount Hureish, Mount Ebal could be seen to the south and the Wadi Ara plain could be seen to the northwest.[2] At its western foot is the Palestinian village of Jaba', and Meithalun and Siris are the closest villages to the east.

Tomb of Sheikh Hureish

The mountain is named after the tomb of Sheikh Hureish,[5] a wali (Muslim holy person), which is situated at the mountain's summit. The tomb is built of quality stone and consists of three rooms and a courtyard attached to the structure's eastern side. Arches support the tomb's ceiling. Large Roman or Byzantine-era dressed, stone blocks make up the base of the tomb's southern wall.[2]

The ruins surrounding the tomb cover an area of one dunam. Other ruined structures include a cistern about 50 meters south of the tomb and a cistern about 100 meters to the southeast.[2]

The French geographer Victor Guérin, who visited the area in 1878, referred to the tomb of Sheikh Hureish, writing that on "a high hill with steep slopes we saw a Sheikh's tomb called Waly Kheish, to where local people comes as pilgrims". At that time, Guerin noted, the tomb was topped by a white dome and could be "seen from afar".[6][2]

References
  1. Zereini, Fathi (2013). Water in the Middle East and in North Africa: Resources, Protection and Management. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 72.
  2. Zertal, 2004, p. 284
  3. "Geography" (PDF). Palestinian Academic Society for International Studies. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  4. Zertal, 2004, p. 37
  5. Palmer, 1881, p. 191
  6. Guérin, 1874, p. 351

Bibliography
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