07/05/2015
Sebastiya:
Palestinian village of over 4,500 inhabitants,located in the Nablus Governorate of the West Bank some 12 kilometers northwest of the city of Nablus.The village's total area is 4,810 dunums, the built up area of which comprises 150 dunums. Much of the village lands (42%) are located in Area C under theOslo Accords. It is the home of Nabi Yahya Mosque ,(The tomb of John the Baptist) a former Crusader cathedral.
Sebastia is home to a number of importantarchaeological sites.[The ancient site of Sebaste is located just above the built up area of the modern day village on the eastern slope of the hill.The ruins dominate the hillside and comprise remains from six successive cultures dating back 10,000 years.
The city was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, and was destroyed again byJohn Hyrcanus in 108 BCE. Pompey rebuilt the town in the year 63 BCE. In 27 BCE,Augustus Caesar gave it to Herod the Great. Herod expanded and renovated the city, and named it "Sebaste", meaning "Augustus", in the Emperor's honor. Herod the Great had his sons Alexander and Aristobulus brought to Sebaste, and strangled in 7 BCE after a trial in Berytus and getting permission from Caesar.
Sebastia was the seat of a bishop in theCrusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. It is mentioned in the writings of Yaqut al-Hamawi(1179–1229), the Syrian geographer, who situates it as part of the Filastin Province of Jerusalem, located two days from that city, in the Nablus District. He also writes, "There are here the tombs of Zakariyyah and Yahya, the son of Zakariyyah (John the Baptist), and of many other prophets and holy men
