'Ushsh el-Ghurab

ʿUshsh el-Ghurāb
ʿUshsh el-Ghurāb
	'Ushsh el-Ghurab in the 1941 Survey of Palestine
Highest point
Elevation	−87.7 m (−288 ft)
Prominence	c. 250 m (820 ft)
Coordinates	31°53′40″N 35°27′24″E / 31.89444°N 35.45667°E
Naming
Native name	جبل الغراب
English translation	"Mount Raven's Nest"
Geography
Location	Israeli-Occupied West Bank
Country	Palestine
Governorate	Jericho
Municipality	Jericho

'Ushsh el-Ghurab is a hill located just north of Jericho in the West Bank. Its peak is −87.7 meters (−288 ft) relative to sea level, although it still rises appreciably above the still lower Plain of Jericho around it. Separated from the Mount of Temptation by the Wadi ed-Duyuk and the village and refugee camp of 'Ein ed-Duyuk el-Foqa, it was formerly identified as the location of part of Jesus's Temptation by the Devil.

Name

Jebel ʿUshsh el-Ghurāb (جبل الغراب) is Palestinian Arabic for "Mountain of the Nest of the Raven"^[1] or, idiomatically, "of the Mushroom".^[2] It has also been variously transcribed as 'Ush Ghurab,^[1] Ush el Ghurab,^[3] 'Osh el Ghūrâb,^[4] and Jabal ʿUshsh al Ghurāb.^[5]^[6]

Legend

As late as the 19th century, the nearby wadi—today the Wadi 'Ushsh el-Ghurab (وَادِي الغراب)—was known as the "Wadi of the Ascent of Jesus" (Wadi Mesāʾadet ʾAīsa).^[4] This preserved the local Arab legend that it was the summit of 'Ushsh el-Ghurab, rather than the nearby Mount of Temptation, where Jesus had been taken by the Devil to be offered dominion over all the kingdoms of the world.^[4]^[7]

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b Sandrezky (1872).
^ Sato (2004), p. 44.
^ Abu Sitta (2006), p. 223.
^ ^a ^b ^c Conder & al. (1883), p. 185.
^ USBGN (1971), p. 401.
^ USBGN (1992), p. 271.
^ Saunders (1881), pp. 87 & 166.

Bibliography

Jordan: Official Standard Names, vol. 212435, Washington: United States Board on Geographic Names, June 1971.
Gazetteer of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Washington: United States Board on Geographic Names, December 1992.
Abu Sitta, Salman H. (2006), The Return Journey: A Guide to the Depopulated and Present Palestinian Towns and Villages and Holy Sites..., London: Palestine Land Society.
Conder, Claude Reignier; et al. (1883), Sheets XVII.–XXVI. Judea, The Survey of Western Palestine, London: Palestine Exploration Fund.
Sandrezky, Charles (July 1872), "List of Names East of Jordan", Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 4 (3), London: Palestine Exploration Fund: 123–150, doi:10.1179/peq.1872.017.
Sato, Tsugitaka (February 2004), "Visits to the Tomb of the Saint Ibrahim", Acta Asiatica, vol. 86, Tokyo: Toho Gakkai.
Saunders, Trelawney (1881), An Introduction to the Survey of Western Palestine: Its Waterways, Plains, & Highlands, London: Richard Bentley & Son.

[FOOTNOTESandrezky1872-1] Sandrezky (1872).

[FOOTNOTESato200444-2] Sato (2004), p. 44.

[FOOTNOTEAbu_Sitta2006[httpswwwplandsorgenmaps-atlasesatlasesthe-return-journeypdfs219-248pdf_223]-3] Abu Sitta (2006), p. 223.

[condi-4] Conder & al. (1883), p. 185.

[FOOTNOTEUSBGN1971[httpsbooksgooglecombooksid7RiREkowOfkCpgPA401_401]-5] USBGN (1971), p. 401.

[FOOTNOTEUSBGN1992[httpsbooksgooglecombooksidXsKWdgXoQ54CpgPA271_271]-6] USBGN (1992), p. 271.

[FOOTNOTESaunders1881[httpsbooksgooglecombooksidxSOfETGaKoYCpgPA87_87]_&_[httpsbooksgooglecombooksidxSOfETGaKoYCpgPA166_166]-7] Saunders (1881), pp. 87 & 166.

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