View source for Magdala

{{Short description|Ancient Hebrew city}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Magdala
| native_name = {{lang|jpa-Hebr|מגדלא}}
| alternate_name =
| image = File:מגדלא תצלום אויר.JPG
| caption = Aerial view of the modern site of Magdala, looking south
| map=
| map_type = Israel
| map_caption  = Location in Israel
| relief =
| coordinates  = {{coord|32|49|30|N|35|30|56|E|region:IL|display=inline,title}}
| map_dot_label=
| location = Galilee, Israel
| region = [[Levant]]
| abandoned=
| cultures=
| excavations=
| archaeologists=
| condition=
}}
'''Magdala''' ({{langx|jpa-Hebr|label=[[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]|מגדלא|Magdalā|Tower}}; {{langx|he|מִגְדָּל|Migdál}}; {{langx|grc|Μαγδαλά|Magdalá}}) was an ancient [[Jews|Jewish]]<ref name=":1">{{cite news|title=Israel: Second Synagogue Found in Hometown of Mary Magdalene|language=en|work=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-second-synagogue-found-in-hometown-of-mary-magdalene-1.10459124|access-date=2022-01-02}}</ref> city on the shore of the [[Sea of Galilee]], {{convert|3|mi|km|0|abbr=in|order=flip}} north of [[Tiberias]]. In the [[Babylonian Talmud]] it is known as '''Magdala Nunayya''' ({{langx|tmr-Hebr|label=Aramaic|מגדלא נוניה||Tower of the Fishes|links=no}}), and which some historical geographers think may refer to [[Tarichaea]] ({{lit.|the place of processing fish}}). It is believed to be the birthplace of [[Mary Magdalene]]. Until the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]], the [[Arab]] village of '''al-Majdal''' ({{langx|ar|المجدل}}) stood at the site of ancient Magdala. The Israeli municipality of [[Migdal (town)|Migdal]] now extends into the area.

==History==

=== Roman period ===
Archaeological excavations on behalf of the [[Israel Antiquities Authority]] (IAA) conducted in 2006 found that the settlement began during the [[Hellenistic period]] (between the second and first centuries BCE) and ended during the late Roman period (third century CE).<ref name=hadashot2009>{{cite journal |last= Avshalom-Gorni |first= Dina |title= Migdal: 11/11/2009 Preliminary Report |journal= Hadashot Arkheologiyot |volume= 121 |url=http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=1236&mag_id=115|date=11 November 2009}}</ref> Later excavations in 2009–2013 brought perhaps the most important discovery in the site: an ancient [[synagogue]], called the "[[Migdal Synagogue]]", dating from the [[Second Temple period]]. It is the oldest synagogue found in the Galilee, and one of the few synagogues from that period found in the entire country, as of the time of the excavation. They also found the [[Magdala stone]], which has a seven-branched [[Menorah (Temple)|menorah]] symbol carved on it. It is the earliest menorah of that period to be discovered outside [[Jerusalem]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Avshalom-Gorni |first1=Dina |last2=Najar |first2=Arfan |title=Volume 125 Year 2013: Migdal |url=http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=2304 |publisher=Hadashot Arkheologiyot |date=6 August 2013}}</ref>

Archaeologists discovered an entire first century Jewish town lying just below the surface. The excavation revealed multiple structures and four ''mikvaot'' (plural of ''mikvah'' or ''[[mikveh]]''). In 2021, another synagogue from the same period was discovered at Magdala.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |title=2nd-Temple-period synagogue found where Gospel's Mary Magdalene was born |url=https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/2nd-temple-period-synagogue-found-where-gospels-mary-magdalene-was-born-688519 |access-date=2021-12-12 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post &#124; Jpost.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

At Magdala, two texts from the first century were discovered. The initial finding is a Greek [[mosaic]] inscription embedded in [[tessera]], displaying the word ΚΑΙΣΥ, translated as "(Welcome) also to you!". The second finding is a lead weight with Greek inscriptions from the 23rd year of [[Herod Agrippa II|Agrippa II]], referencing two [[Agoranomos|agoranomoi]], enabling its dating to either 71/2 or 82/3 CE.<ref>{{Citation |title=Volume 5/Part 1 Galilaea and Northern Regions: 5876-6924 |date=2023-03-20 |work=Volume 5/Part 1 Galilaea and Northern Regions: 5876-6924 |pages=685 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110715774/html |access-date=2024-02-05 |publisher=De Gruyter |language=en |doi=10.1515/9783110715774 |isbn=978-3-11-071577-4|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

A collapse layer from the Second Temple period supports [[Josephus]]'s narrative of the Roman destruction of Magdala during the [[First Jewish–Roman War]].<ref name=hadashot2009/> Excavations show that after the destruction, during the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods, the city moved slightly to the north.<ref name=hadashot2009/>

{{Quote|text="...it [Magdala] was the most important city on the western bank of the lake, contributing a wagon-load of taxes [...] until [[Herod Antipas]] raised up a rival on the lake by building [[Tiberias]]." --[[Gustaf Dalman]]<ref name=Schaebergp56>Schaberg, 2004, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tNioAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 56–57].</ref>}}

Magdala has been described as the "capital of a [[toparchy]]" and compared to [[Sepphoris]] and Tiberias in that it had "administrative apparatus and personnel" though not to the same extent.<ref name=Schaebergp58>Schaberg, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tNioAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA58 58]</ref>

==== Synagogues ====
[[File:0031מגדלא רהיט אבן ופסיפס בבית הכנסת כנראה שימש להנחת ספר תורה.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Inside the excavated synagogue]]

The remains of a Roman-period synagogue dated to 50 BCE- 100 CE were discovered in 2009. The walls of the {{convert|120|m2|adj=on}} main hall were decorated with brightly colored frescoes and inside was a stone block carved with a seven-branched [[Menorah (Temple)|menorah]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ancient synagogue found in Israel |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/09/11/jerusalem.synagogue/index.html |last=Flower |first=Kevin |date=2009-09-11 |work=CNN}}</ref>

In December 2021, a second synagogue dating to the Second Temple period was unearthed at Magdala.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> It is the first time two synagogues from this period have been found in a single site. The second synagogue found was not as ornate as the first, and probably served the city's industrial zone.<ref name=":1" />

The city was destroyed by the Romans during the [[First Jewish–Roman War|First Jewish-Roman War]].<ref name="hadashot2009" />

=== Byzantine, Early Muslim, and Crusader periods ===
All four [[gospel]]s<ref>{{Bibleref2|Matthew|27:56,61}}, {{Bibleref2|Matthew|28:1}}, {{Bibleref2|Mark|16:9}}, {{Bibleref2|Luke|8:2}}, {{Bibleref2|John|20:1,18}}</ref> refer to a follower of Jesus called [[Mary Magdalene]], which is usually assumed<ref>[http://www.churchisraelforum.com/Magdala_home_of_Mary_Magdalene.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815062410/http://www.churchisraelforum.com/Magdala_home_of_Mary_Magdalene.htm|date=August 15, 2011}}</ref> to mean "Mary from Magdala", although there is no biblical information to indicate whether it was her birthplace or her home. Most Christian scholars assume that she was from Magdala Nunayy.{{efn|Magdala Nunayy is possibly where Jesus landed on the occasion recorded in [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 15:39.<ref name="Merk" />}}<ref name="Merk">Merk, August. "Magdala." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910, 31 Oct. 2009 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09523a.htm>.</ref> Recognition of Magdala as the birthplace of [[Mary Magdalene]] appears in texts dating back to the 6th century CE.<ref name="Pringlep28">Pringle, 1998, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2Y0tA0xLzwEC&pg=PA28 28]</ref> In the 8th and 10th centuries CE, [[Christianity|Christian]] sources write of a [[Church (building)|church]] in the village that was Mary Magdalene's house, where [[Jesus]] is said to have exorcised her of demons.<ref name=Pringlep28 /> The anonymously penned ''Life of Constantine'' attributes the building of the church to [[Saint Helena of Constantinople|Empress Helena]] in the 4th century CE, at the location where she found Mary Magdalene's house.<ref name=Pringlep28 /><ref name=Schaebergp58 /> Christian [[pilgrims]] to [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] in the 12th century mention the location of Magdala, but fail to mention the presence of any church at that time.<ref name=Pringlep28 />

=== Mamluk period ===
Under the rule of the [[Mamluks]] in the 13th century, sources indicate that the church was used as a stable.<ref name=Schaebergp58 /> In 1283, [[Burchard of Mount Sion]] records having entered the house of Mary Magdalene in the village, and about ten years later, [[Ricoldus of Montecroce]] noted his joy at having found the church and house still standing.<ref name=Pringlep28/>

{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = al-Majdal
| native_name             = <big>المجدل</big>
| native_name_lang        = ar
| other_name              = Majdal, Magdala
| settlement_type         = 
<!-- images, nickname, motto -->
| image_skyline           = File:Al-Majdal photographed by Felix Bonfils.jpg
| imagesize               = 250
| image_caption           = al-Majdal, sea of Galilee by [[Félix Bonfils|Bonfils]]. Shrine of Muhammad al-'Ajami in the foreground. 
<!-- maps and coordinates -->
| pushpin_map             = Mandatory Palestine | pushpin_map_caption     = Location within [[Mandatory Palestine]] | image_map               = {{Historical map series|default=2|date1=1870s|date2=1940s|date3=modern|date4=1940s with modern overlay|width=225|name=al-Majdal, Tiberias}} | map_caption             = A series of historical maps of the area around Al-Majdal, Tiberias (click the buttons)
| pushpin_mapsize         = 200
| coordinates             = 
| grid_name               = [[Palestine grid|Palestine&nbsp;grid]]
| grid_position           = 198/247
<!-- location -->
| subdivision_type        = [[Geopolitical entity]]
| subdivision_name        = [[Mandatory Palestine]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Districts of Mandatory Palestine|Subdistrict]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Tiberias Subdistrict, Mandatory Palestine|Tiberias]]
<!-- established -->
| established_title1      = Date of depopulation
| established_date1       = 22 April 1948<ref name=Morrispxvii>Morris, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=uM_kFX6edX8C&pg=PR17  xvii]. Village No. 92. Also gives causes of depopulation.</ref>
| established_title2      = Repopulated dates
<!-- area -->
| unit_pref               = dunam
| area_total_dunam        = 103
| area_footnotes          = <ref name=WK1992>Khalidi, 1992, p. 530.</ref><ref name=Hadawi72/>
<!-- population -->
| population_as_of        = 1945
| population_total        = 360<ref name=1945p12>Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p12.jpg  12]</ref><ref name=Hadawi72>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.  [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Tiberias/Page-072.jpg 72]</ref>
<!-- blank fields (section 1) -->
| blank_name_sec1         = Cause(s) of depopulation
| blank_info_sec1         = Military assault by [[Yishuv]] forces
| blank1_name_sec1        = Secondary cause
| blank1_info_sec1        = Influence of nearby town's fall
| blank3_name_sec1        = Current Localities
| blank3_info_sec1        = [[Migdal, Israel]]
}}
[[File:81.El-Mejdel (Magdala), la de Tiberaide.jpg|thumb|Al-Majdal, ca 1851, by  [[Charles William Meredith van de Velde|van de Velde]]]]
[[File:Migdal 2 sea of galilee 1903.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A view of Al-Majdal in 1903 when looking toward the southwest]]

'''Al-Majdal''' ({{langx|ar|المجدل}}, "tower", also [[transliteration|transliterated]] Majdal, Majdil and Mejdel) was a [[Palestinian people|Palestinian Arab]] village, located on the western shore of the [[Sea of Galilee]] ({{convert|200|m|ft|sp=us|disp=or}} below sea level; {{coord|32|49|28|N|35|31|00|E|type:city_region:PS|display=inline}}), {{convert|3|mi|km|0|abbr=in|order=flip}} north of [[Tiberias]] and south of [[Khan Minyeh]].<ref name="WK1992" /><ref name="PR">{{Cite web|title=al-Majdal|publisher=Palestine Remembered|access-date=2009-08-08|url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Tiberias/al-Majdal/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100220000007/http://www.palestineremembered.com/Tiberias/al-Majdal/index.html|archive-date=20 February 2010}}</ref><ref name="Hastingsp97" /><ref name="Pringlep28"/> destroyed by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] during the [[First Jewish–Roman War|First Jewish-Roman War]].<ref name="hadashot2009"/>

[[Christianity|Christian]] [[pilgrim]]s wrote of visiting the house and [[church (building)|church]] of Mary Magdalene from the 6th century onward, but little is known about the village in the [[Mamluk]] and early [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] period, indicating it was likely small or uninhabited.<ref name=Schaebergp56/><ref name=Petersenp210/> In the 19th century, Western travellers generally describing it as a very small and poor [[Islam|Muslim]] village.<ref name=Petersenp210/>

===Ottoman era===
[[Francesco Quaresmi]] writes of al-Majdal in 1626 that "certain people have claimed that her house is to be seen there", but that the site was in ruins.<ref name="Pringlep28" />

[[File:Migdal sea of galil 1910.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Al-Majdal in 1909]]The small [[Muslim]] [[Arab]] village of Al-Majdal was located to the south of the land acquired by the Franciscans.<ref name=Pringlep28/> Little is known about the village in the medieval or early [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman period]], presumably because it was either small or uninhabited.<ref name=Petersenp210/> [[Richard Pococke]] visited "Magdol" around 1740, where he noted "the considerable remains of an indifferent castle", which in his opinion was not the biblical Magdala.<ref>Pococke, 1745, vol 2, p. [https://archive.org/stream/gri_33125009339611#page/n102/mode/1up  71]</ref> The village appeared as El Megdel on the 1799 map of [[Pierre Jacotin]].<ref>Karmon, 1960, p. [http://www.jchp.ucla.edu/Bibliography/Karmon,_Y_1960_Jacotin_Map_(IEJ_10).pdf 166] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222063351/http://jchp.ucla.edu/Bibliography/Karmon,_Y_1960_Jacotin_Map_(IEJ_10).pdf |date=22 December 2019 }}</ref> In the early 19th century, foreign travellers interested in the Christian traditions associated with the site visited the village.<ref name=Petersenp210>Petersen, 2001, p. [https://www.academia.edu/21620056/Gazetteer_5_K-R 210]</ref> In 1807 [[Ulrich Jasper Seetzen|U. Seetzen]] stayed overnight in "the little [[Mahommedan]] village of Majdil, situated on the bank of the lake."<ref>Seetzen, 1810, [https://archive.org/details/abriefaccountco01londgoog/page/n26 p.20]</ref> The [[England|English]] traveler [[James Silk Buckingham]] observed in 1816 that a few Muslim families resided there, and in 1821, the [[Switzerland|Swiss]] traveler [[Johann Ludwig Burckhardt]] noted that the village was in a rather poor condition.<ref name=WK1992/><ref>Buckingham, 1821, [https://archive.org/details/travelsinpalest01buckgoog/page/n517 p.466]</ref><ref>Burckhardt, 1822, [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.22956/page/n356 p320]</ref>

During his travels through [[Syria]] and Palestine in 1838, [[Edward Robinson (scholar)|Edward Robinson]] described el-Mejdel, as he called it, "a miserable little Muslim village, looking much like a ruin, though exhibiting no marks of antiquity." He wrote: "The name Mejdel is obviously the same with the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] Migdal and [[Greek language|Greek]] Magdala; there is little reason to doubt that this place is the Magdala of the [[New Testament]], chiefly known as the native town of Mary Magdalene. The ancient notices respecting its position are exceedingly indefinite; yet it seems to follow from the New Testament itself, that it lay on the west side of the lake. After the miraculous feeding of four thousand, which appears to have taken place in the country east of the lake, Jesus 'took ship and came into the coast of Magdala;' for which [[Mark the Evangelist]] writes [[Dalmanutha]]. Here, the [[Pharisees]] began to question him, but he 'left them, and entering into the ship again, departed to the ''other side'' [...] This view is further confirmed by the testimony of the [[Rabbi]]ns in the Jerusalem Talmud, compiled at Tiberias; who several times speak of Magdala as adjacent to Tiberias and Hammath or the hot springs. The [[Migdal-el]] of the [[Old Testament]] in the tribe of [[Naphtali]] was probably the same place."<ref name=Robinsonp396>Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 3, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/278/mode/1up 278]</ref>

In his account of an expedition to the [[Jordan River]] and the [[Dead Sea]] in 1849, [[William Francis Lynch]] reports that it was "a poor village of about 40 families, all fellahin," living in houses of stone with mud roofs, similar to those in [[Tur'an]].<ref name=Lynchp164>Lynch, 1849, p.  [https://archive.org/stream/narrativeunited03lyncgoog#page/n202/mode/1up 164]</ref> Arriving by boat a few years later, [[Bayard Taylor]] describes the view from path winding up from shoreline, "[...] through [[oleander]]s, nebbuks, patches of [[hollyhock]], [[anise]]-seed, [[fennel]], and other spicy plants, while on the west, great fields of [[barley]] stand ripe for the cutting. In some places, the Fellahs, men and women, were at work, reaping and binding the sheaves."<ref name=Taylorp61>Taylor, 1855, p. [https://archive.org/stream/landssaracenorp00taylgoog#page/n119/mode/1up 108]</ref>

In 1857, [[Solomon Caesar Malan]] wrote: "Each house, whether separate or attached to another, consisted of one room only. The walls built of mud and of stones, were about ten or twelve feet high; and perhaps as many or more feet square. The roof which was flat, consisted of trunks of trees placed across from one wall to another, and then covered with small branches, grass and rushes; over which a thick coating of mud and gravel was laid. ... A flight of rude steps against the wall outside leads up to the roof; and thus enables those who will to reach it without entering the house."<ref>Malan, 1857, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QLcBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA15 15]</ref>

There were two shrines in Al-Majdal: the maqam of Sheikh Muhammad al-'Ajami to the north of the village and the maqam of Sheikh Muhammad ar-Raslan (or ar-Ruslan) south of the village, as shown on [[PEF Survey of Palestine|PEF maps]] and British maps of the 1940s. The first shrine is mentioned by [[Victor Guérin]] in 1863. He writes that he arrived in the village from the north:  "At seven twenty minutes I crossed the fifth important stream, called Wadi al-Hammam. Behind him is a wely dedicated to the saint Sidi al-Adjemy. At seven o'clock twenty-five minutes I reach Mejdel, a village which I pass without stopping, having already visited it enough".<ref>Guérin, 1880,  p. [https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr01unkngoog/page/n262/mode/1up 249]</ref>

[[Isabel Burton]] also mentions the shrine for Muhammad al-'Ajami in her private journals published in 1875:  "First we came to Magdala (Mejdel) ... There is a tomb here of a Shaykh (El Ajami), the name implies a [[Persia]]n Santon; there is a tomb seen on a mountain, said to be that of [[Dinah]], [[Jacob]]'s daughter. Small boys were running in Nature's garb on the beach, which is white, sandy, pebbly, and full of small shells."<ref name=Burtonp503>Burton, 1875, p. [https://archive.org/stream/innerlifeofsyria02burt#page/245/mode/1up 245]</ref> 

In 1881 the [[Palestine Exploration Fund|PEF]]'s ''[[PEF Survey of Palestine|Survey of Western Palestine]]'' described al-Majdal as a stone-built village, situated on a partially arable plain, with an estimated population of about 80.<ref>Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP, Vol. I, [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp01conduoft#page/361/mode/1up p.361]. Quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p.530</ref> [[Fellahin]] from [[Egypt]] are said to have settled in the village some time in the 19th century.<ref name=Schaebergp50/>

A population list from about 1887 showed  ''el Mejdel'' to have about 170 inhabitants; all Muslims.<ref>Schumacher, 1888, p. [https://archive.org/stream/quarterlystateme19pale#page/n210/mode/1up 185]</ref>

The Jewish agricultural settlement of [[Migdal, Israel|Migdal]] was established in 1910–1911 on land purchased by Russian [[Zionism|Zionists]] Jews, {{convert|1.5|km|mi|sp=us}} northwest of the village of Al-Majdal.<ref name=Herzl>Herzl Press, 1971, p. 784.</ref>

===British Mandate era===
[[Bellarmino Bagatti]] and another Franciscan friar who visited the village in 1935 were hosted by the [[Mukhtar]] Mutlaq, whose nine wives and descendants are said to have made up almost the whole of the population of the village at the time.<ref name=Schaebergp50/> Part of the site was acquired by the [[Franciscan#Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land|Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land]] sometime after 1935.<ref name=Pringlep28/><ref name=Schaebergp50/> During this period, Al-Majdal had a rectangular layout, with most of the houses crowded together, though a few to the north along the lakeshore were spaced further apart. Built of stone, cement, and mud, some had roofs of wood and cane covered with a layer of mud. It was the smallest village in the district of Tiberias in terms of land area. The Muslim inhabitants maintained a shrine for one Mohammad al-Ajami on the northern outskirts of the village. To the west of the village on the summit of the mountains, lay the remains of the [[Crusades|Crusader]] fortress of Magdala (later known as ''Qal'at Na'la'' ("the fortress of Na'la"). On the lakeshore about {{convert|1|km|mi|sp=us}} south of the village,  was a perforated black stone mentioned by Arab travellers in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Local belief held that the holes were caused by ants having eaten through it, and for this reason it was called ''hajar al-namla'', "the ant´s stone."<ref name=WK1992/>

At the time of the [[1922 census of Palestine]], Majdal had a population of 210 Muslims,<ref name="Census1922">Barron, 1923, Table XI, p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n41/mode/1up  39]</ref> increasing to 284 Muslims living in 62 houses by the [[1931 census of Palestine|1931 census]].<ref name="Census1931">Mills, 1932, p.[https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas  83]</ref> The village economy was based on agriculture, vegetables and grain.<ref name=WK1992/>

In the [[Village Statistics, 1945|1945 statistics]] Al-Majdal had a population of 360 Muslims<ref name=1945p12/> with a total land area of 103 [[dunam]]s.<ref name=Hadawi72/> Of this, 24 [[dunam]]s were used for growing [[citrus]] and [[bananas]], and 41 dunums devoted to [[cereal]]s. Another 17 dunams were irrigated or used for orchards,<ref name=WK1992/><ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p.  [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Tiberias/Page-122.jpg 122]</ref> while 6 dunams were classified as built-up (urban) area.<ref name=Hadawi173>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Tiberias/Page-172.jpg 172]</ref>

===1948 War===
During the [[1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine]], after the Arab quarter of [[Tiberias]] was taken by Jewish forces and its inhabitants were evacuated, the Arab villages surrounding it were also depopulated, including Al-Majdal.<ref name=Morrisp86>Morris, 2004, p.  [https://books.google.com/books?id=uM_kFX6edX8C&pg=PA86  86]</ref> [[Benny Morris]] writes that the inhabitants were persuaded by the headmen of [neighbouring Jewish] [[Migdal, Israel|Migdal]] and [[Kibbutz Ginosar]] to evacuate their homes; the villagers were paid P£200 for eight rifles, ammunition and a bus they handed over. They were then transported to the Jordanian border by bus.<ref>[[Golani Brigade]] Logbook, entry for 22 Apr. 1948, IDFA 665\51\\1. See also "Tsuri" to HIS-AD, 23 April 1948, HA 105\257. The action by the headman of Ginosar was apparently ordered by 12th Battalion headquarters (Ben-Zion, Kirchner and Ben-Aryeh, "Summary of meeting with Yitzhak Brochi..... 13 March IDFA 922\75\\943.) Cited in Morris, 2004, pp.  [https://books.google.com/books?id=uM_kFX6edX8C&pg=PA186 186], [https://books.google.com/books?id=uM_kFX6edX8C&pg=PA275 275]</ref> Al-Majdal was subsequently bulldozed by the Israelis in 1948.<ref name=Schaebergp48/>

===Migdal===
In 1910–1911, the Jewish village of [[Migdal, Israel|Migdal]] was established adjacent to Al-Majdal.<ref name=Herzl/>  After 1948, Migdal expanded to include some of the village land of Al-Majdal.<ref name=WK1992/> 

===State of Israel===
[[File:Muhammad el-Ajami, Majdal 02.jpg|thumb|right|250px| [[Maqam (shrine)|Maqam]] of Muhammad al-'Ajami, 2015]]

[[Walid Khalidi]] describes the village remains in 1992: "The site is dotted with rubble, [[Christ's-thorn]], and a few [[Arecaceae|palm]] and [[olive]] trees. The only remaining village landmark is the neglected shrine of Muhammad al-'Ajami, a low, square, stone structure topped by a formerly whitewashed dome. The land in the vicinity is cultivated by Israelis."<ref name=WK1992/> In 1991, Petersen visited the [[Maqam (shrine)|maqam]] of Muhammad al-Ajami, describing it as a small square building with a shallow [[dome]] supported by [[squinch]]es. The entrance was on the north side, where there also was a small window. The shrine appeared to contain two [[tomb]]s, one about {{convert|1|m|ft|sp=us}} high, while the other marked only by a low [[Curb (road)|kerb]] of stones. The larger tomb was covered with purple and green cloth.<ref name=Petersenp210/>

Visiting in the 1980s and 1990s, Jane Schaberg reports that the site was marked by a sign that says: "This was the birthplace of Mary Magdelene, a city that flourished toward the end of the Second Temple period and one of the cities fortified by Joseph ben Matityahu (Josephus) during the great revolt of the Jews against the Romans."<ref name=Schaebergp48>Schaberg, 2004, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tNioAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA48  48]-49.</ref> The site contained an Islamic domed structure and an old stone house surrounded by a stone wall topped with barbed wire. Weeds had  grown over the site where excavations were carried out in the 1970s but had been suspended due to water seepage from underground springs.<ref name=Schaebergp48/> An [[Arab]] family living in a nearby shack served as caretakers for the portion of the site owned by the Franciscans. Another small plot of land was owned by the [[Greek Orthodox]] Church, while the  [[Jewish National Fund]] (JNF) owned the remainder.<ref name=Schaebergp48/>

==Etymology==
The [[Arabic language|Arabic]] name Majdal means "tower" and preserves the ancient [[Place names of Palestine|place name]] Magdala.<ref name=Porterp91>Porter, 2005, p. 91.</ref> Magdala was also known in ancient times as Migdal ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]), and the [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] names ascribed to it are either Magdala Nunaya (also, Migdal Nunnaya or Nunayah; "Tower of Fish") or Magdala Tza'baya (also Migdal Seb'iya; "Magdala of the Dyers" or "Tower of Dyers"), although some think these to be the same identification.<ref name=Kregelp21/><ref name=OConnorp239>Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p. 239.</ref><ref name=Schaebergp47>Schaberg, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tNioAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA47 47]</ref> Whether they are one and the same place has yet to be determined, as both Aramaic names appear in the [[Babylonian Talmud]] (''Pesahim'' 46a) and [[Jerusalem Talmud]] (''Ta'anit'' 4:8) respectively.<ref name=Schaebergp47/> Others ascribe the name of the site to the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] Magdala Taricheae ("Magdala of the Fish Salters"), likely due to the town's famed fish-curing industry. The identification of Magdala with Taricheae, however, remains inconclusive. Archaeologist, Mordechai Aviam, who (like [[W.F. Albright]]) held that Tarichaea was to be recognised in the name Migdal (Magdala), admits that during the large archaeological excavations conducted at the site, no remains of fortifications or a [[destruction layer]] were found.<ref>Aviam (n.d.), pp. 2, 5</ref>

Mary Magdalene's surname as transcribed in the gospels is said to be derived from Magdala as her home and place of birth.<ref name=Hastingsp97>Hastings, 2004, p. 97.</ref> [[Alfred Edersheim]] cites the [[Talmud]] as evidence for this naming practice, which describes several Rabbis as 'Magdalene' or residents of Magdala.<ref name=Hastingsp97/>

Majdal and Majdalani ("of Majdal") are common [[Place names of Palestine|place name]]s and family names in the [[Syria]]-Palestine region.<ref name=MacAdam>MacAdam, 1986, p. 124.</ref> Examples of such place names include [[Al-Majdal, Askalan]], [[Majdal Yaba]], and [[Al-Mujaydil]] (depopulated Palestinian villages located in modern-day Israel), [[Majdal Shams]] (a Syrian-[[Druze]] village in the [[Golan Heights]]), [[Majdal Bani Fadil]] (in the [[West Bank]]) and [[Majdal Anjar]] (in modern-day [[Lebanon]]).<ref name=MacAdam/><ref name=Israel>Israel, 1979, p. 203.</ref>

== Identification ==
[[File:Magdala um 1900.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Photograph taken {{circa}} 1900, showing the shrine of Muhammad al-'Ajami, belonging to the Arab Palestinian village of Al-Majdal, and ruins of Magdala.]]

Magdala's reference in {{bibleverse|Matthew|15: 39}} is, in some editions, given as "''Magadan''"; and in {{bibleverse|Mark|8:10}} it is "''Dalmanutha''".<ref name="Gardner 2005">{{cite book |last1= Gardner |first1= Laurence |title= The Magdalene legacy |date= 2005 |publisher= Element (Harper Collins) |location= London |isbn=0-00-720186-9|url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/magdalenelegacyj00gardrich }}</ref>

In 2014, Joan Taylor argued against the identification of al-Majdal with either Magdala or Tarichaea, and questioned the association with Mary Magdelene.<ref>Taylor, 2014.</ref>

=== Matthew's "Magdala" or "Magadan" ===
The New Testament makes one disputable mention of a place called Magdala. Matthew 15:39 of the [[King James Version]] reads, "And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala". However, some [[Koine Greek|Greek]] manuscripts give the name of the place as "Magadan", and more recent translations (such as the [[Revised Version]]) follow this ({{bibleverse|Matthew|15:39}}). Although some commentators<ref>Jones, 1994</ref> state confidently that the two refer to the same place, others<ref>Horton, 1907</ref> dismiss the substitution of Magdala for Magadan as simply "to substitute a known for an unknown place".

=== Mark's "Dalmanutha" ===
The parallel passage in [[Gospel of Mark|Mark's gospel]] ({{bibleverse|Mark| 8:10}}) gives (in the majority of manuscripts) a quite different place name, [[Dalmanutha]], although a handful of manuscripts give either Magdala or Magadan,<ref>Throckmorton, 1992, p. 96</ref> presumably by assimilation to the Matthean text—believed in ancient times to be older than that of Mark, though this opinion has now been reversed.

=== The Talmud's two Magdalas ===
The [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[Talmud]] distinguishes between two Magdalas:<ref name="Merk" />

* Magdala Gadar—One Magdala was in the east, on the [[Yarmouk River|River Yarmouk]] near Gadara (in the Middle Ages "Jadar", now [[Umm Qais]]), thus acquiring the name Magdala Gadar.
* Magdala Nunayya—There was another, better-known Magdala near [[Tiberias]], Magdala Nunayya ("Magdala of the fishes"), which would locate it on the shore of the [[Sea of Galilee]]. Al-Majdal, a Palestinian Arab village depopulated in the lead up to the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War|1948 Arab-Israeli war]], was identified as the site of this Magdala. The modern [[Israel]]i municipality of [[Migdal (town)|Migdal]], founded in 1910 and about {{convert|6|km|mi|abbr=in}} north-northwest of Tiberias, has expanded into the area of the former village.

=== Josephus's "Tarichaea" ===
Some researchers think that [[Josephus]] refers to Magdala Nunayya by the Greek name [[Tarichaea]] (Ant. 14.20; 20. 159; J.W. 1. 180; 2. 252),<ref name=Kregelp21>Kregel Carta, 1999, p. 21.</ref><ref name=Schaebergp47/> derived from the Greek Τάριχος or ''tarichos'', meaning 'fish preserved by salting or drying',<ref>Andrea Garza-Díaz, [https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1219/the-archaeological-excavations-at-magdala/ ''The Archaeological Excavations at Magdala''], Ancient History Encyclopedia, 19 April 2018</ref> although the matter remains disputed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.magdalaproject.org/WP/?p=3782&langswitch_lang=en|title=The location of Tarichaea: north or south of Tiberias?}}</ref>

[[Josephus]] is the primary source for [[Taricheae]]  [[HH Kitchener|H.H. Kitchener]] of the [[Palestine Exploration Fund]] suggested that Taricheae was to be identified with the nearby ruin, ''Khurbet Kuneitriah'', between Tiberias and Migdal.<ref>H.H. Kitchener, [http://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/pefqs/1878-04_159.pdf ''Survey of Galilee''], [[Palestine Exploration Fund]], London 1878, pp. 165–166.</ref> Others identify Taricheae with [[Khirbet Kerak|Kerek]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/quarterlystateme09pale|title=Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund|date=5 November 1869|publisher=London|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The [[Magadan]] mentioned in [[Matthew 15]]:39 and the [[Dalmanutha]] of [[Mark 8]]:10 are likely corrupt forms of Magdal (Magdala) and Magdal Nuna (Magdala Nunaya).<ref name=Schaebergp47/><ref name=Note1>Matthew 15:39 places "the region of Magdala [...] in the country of the [[Philistines]]." See Savage-Smith and van Gelder, 2005, p. 119.</ref>

== Excavations ==
[[File:Magdala Stone (4).jpg|250px|thumbnail|right|Stone with [[Menorah (Temple)|Menorah]] that was found in the Archaeological site inside the Synagogue area]]
{{See also|Levantine archaeology}}

At the beginning of the 20th century, R. Lendle, a German architect purchased some land from the Arab villagers to carry out excavations, but no reports were made of the findings.<ref name=Schaebergp50>Schaberg, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tNioAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA50 50]</ref> The remains of a church with an [[apse]] and a stone inscribed with a cross and the date 1389 were found near Birqat Sitti Miriam (Arabic: "The Pool of Our Lady Mary") on the Franciscan-owned grounds.<ref name=Pringlep28/>

Between 1971 and 1977 Magdala was partially excavated by [[Virgilio Canio Corbo]] and [[Stanislao Loffreda]] of the [[Studium Biblicum Franciscanum]] in Jerusalem. However, their reports are in Italian and attracted little notice.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/33/5/10| title=BAR Exclusive! Major New Excavation Planned for Mary Magdalene's Hometown| date=August 24, 2015| website=The BAS Library}}</ref> Between 1971 and 1976, excavations also discovered the remains of what is thought to have been a [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] era [[monastery]] near the sea.<ref name=Pringlep28/><ref name=Schaebergp50/> The excavations were hindered by the water from underground springs, as well as the destruction wrought by the bulldozing of the Arab village which pushed many ancient artifacts towards the sea.<ref name=Schaebergp50/> The mosaic of the Byzantine monastery was badly damaged, though part of the geometric and cross design of red, white, blue and ash-coloured stones could still be seen.<ref name=Schaebergp50/> A Roman era paved road dating to the 1st century CE was also uncovered and identified. To the east of it, a building encompassing {{convert|60|m|ft|sp=us}} of closed space was revealed that is thought to be either a 1st-century CE mini-[[synagogue]] or [[nymphaeum]].<ref name=Schaebergp50/> Other findings include a tower, [[Aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]], and large paved court enclosed by [[colonnades]] to the south, and to the north, a large urban villa. The villa was in use between the 1st century CE and the Byzantine era; a Greek inscription at the doorstep reading ''kai su'' ("and you" or "you too") is the only one of its kind to be found in Israel, though similar inscriptions have been found in private homes excavated in [[Antioch]].<ref name=Schaebergp52>Schaberg, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tNioAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA52  52]</ref>

Other artifacts discovered in the excavations of the 1970s include a needle and lead weights for repairing and holding down fishing nets, and numerous coins. Many of the coins dated to the time of the first Jewish revolt against Rome (66 - 70 CE), four to the 3rd century CE, and in the top layer, one dated to the time of [[Constantine I|Constantine]]. Another cache of coins found there contained 74 from [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]], 15 from [[Acre, Israel|Ptolemais]], 17 from [[Gadara]], 14 from [[Beit She'an|Scythopolis]], 10 from Tiberias, 9 from [[Hippos, Israel|Hippos]], 8 from [[Sepphoris]] and 2 from Gaba.<ref name=Schaebergp53>Schaberg, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tNioAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA53  53]</ref>

In 1991, during a period of severe drought, the waters of the Sea of Galilee receded and the remains of a tower with a base made of [[basalt]] pillars was revealed about {{convert|150|ft|m}} from the shoreline. Archaeologists believe it served as a lighthouse for fishermen. It has since been submerged by the waters once again.<ref name=Schaebergp54>Schaberg, 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tNioAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA54  54]</ref>

Excavations begun at Magdala during 2007-8 were called ''The Magdala Project''.<ref>{{cite web | last=Bussolin| first=Alfonso| title=MagdalaProject.org| url=http://www.magdalaproject.org/WP/?langswitch_lang=en| publisher=Studium Biblicum Franciscanum - Faculty of Biblical Sciences and Archaeology| access-date=3 March 2014| archive-date=9 January 2015| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150109133717/http://www.magdalaproject.org/WP/?langswitch_lang=en| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Lena| first=Anna| title=Magdala 2008 : Preliminary Report| journal=ESI| date=2013-12-31| volume=125| series=2008 |url=http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/Report_Detail_Eng.aspx?id=5433| access-date=3 March 2014}}</ref> [[Rescue excavation|Salvage excavations]] at Magdala are being conducted under the auspices of The Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the [[University of Haifa]]. As of 2021, the dig is contracted to Y.G. Contractual Archeology Ltd.<ref name=":0"/>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
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*{{cite book  |last=Lynch  |first=W.F.  |author-link=William F. Lynch  |title=Narrative of the United States' Expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea  |url=http://archive.org/details/narrativeunited03lyncgoog  |year=1849  |publisher=Richard Bentley  |location=London  }}
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*{{cite book|title=Through Samaria to Galilee and the Jordan: Scenes of the Early Life and Labors of Our Lord|first=J.|last=Porter|author-link=Josias Leslie Porter|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|year=2005|isbn=978-1-4179-7535-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A4xRtP5rPmsC&q=magdala%20tiberias&pg=PA89}} 
*{{cite book|title=The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: L-Z (excluding Tyre)|volume=II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Y0tA0xLzwEC| last= Pringle |first= D.|author-link=Denys Pringle|year=1998|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=0-521-39037-0}} 
*{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft|title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838|location=Boston|publisher=[[Crocker & Brewster]]|volume=3}} 
*{{cite book|title=A descriptive catalogue of Oriental manuscripts at St John's College, Oxford|first1=E.|last1=Savage-Smith|author-link1= Emilie Savage-Smith|first2=G. J. H.|last2=van Gelder|edition=Illustrated|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-19-920195-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvBI944U5PoC&q=magdala%20philistines&pg=PA119}}
*{{cite book|title=The resurrection of Mary Magdalene: legends, apocrypha and the Christian testament|first=J.|last=Schaberg|author-link=Jane Schaberg|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|year=2002|isbn=978-0-8264-1645-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Mq1ckqdORUC&q=magdala%20excavations&pg=PA49}}
*{{cite journal | last = Schumacher | first = G. | author-link = Gottlieb Schumacher | title = Population list of the Liwa of Akka | journal = Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund | volume = 20 | pages = 169–191 | url = https://archive.org/details/quarterlystateme19pale | year = 1888 }} 
*{{cite book|last=Seetzen|first=U.J.|author-link=Ulrich Jasper Seetzen|title=A Brief Account of the Countries Adjoining the Lake of Tiberias, the Jordan, and the Dead Sea|url=https://archive.org/details/abriefaccountco01londgoog|year=1810|publisher=Palestine Association of London|location=London}}
*{{cite book|title=The Lands of the Saracen|first=B.|last=Taylor|author-link=Bayard Taylor|location=New York|publisher=G.P. Putnam & co|year=1855|url=https://archive.org/details/landssaracenorp00taylgoog}}
*{{cite journal | first = J.E. | last = Taylor | author-link = Joan E. Taylor| title = Missing Magdala and the Name of Mary 'Magdalene' | journal = Palestine Exploration Quarterly | volume = 146 | issue = 3 | year = 2014 | pages = 205–223 | doi=10.1179/0031032814z.000000000110| s2cid = 162227246 }}
*{{cite book |editor=Wilson, C.W. |editor-link=Charles William Wilson |title=Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt |url=https://archive.org/details/picturesquepales02wilsuoft |volume=2 |year=c. 1881 |publisher=[[D. Appleton & Company|D. Appleton]] |location=New York }}    ( [https://archive.org/stream/picturesquepales02wilsuoft#page/70/mode/1up p.70] )
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* Achtermeier, P. J. (Ed.) (1996). ''The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary''. San Francisco: HarperCollins.
* {{cite book |last1=Callegher |first1=Bruno |title=Coins and economy in Magdala/Taricheae from Hasmonean Period to Umayyad Rulers |date=2023 |publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht |isbn=9783525501931}}
* Horton, R. F. (1907). ''A devotional commentary on St. Matthew''. London: National Council of the Evangelical Free Churches.
* Jones, I. H. (1994). ''St Matthew''. London: Epworth Press.
* Throckmorton, B. H. (1992). ''Gospel parallels'', 5th edn. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Magdala, Israel}}
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09523a.htm ''Catholic Encyclopedia'']—Magdala, the two possible locations mentioned in the Talmud Carmelle Grace Cabaron
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180112121812/http://www.basarchive.org/sample/bswbBrowse.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=33&Issue=5&ArticleID=10 Major New Excavation Planned for Mary Magdalene’s Hometown, 2007]
* [http://ancientneareast.tripod.com/Magdala.html Ancient Magdala in Israel]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100220000007/http://www.palestineremembered.com/Tiberias/al-Majdal/index.html Welcome to al-Majdal]
*[http://www.zochrot.org/en/village/49284 al-Majdal (Tiberias)], [[Zochrot]]
*[https://borisfenus.blogspot.com/2018/10/7-maqams-galilee-and-golan-heights.html Maqam sheikh Muhammad al-'Ajami (Majdal)]
*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 6: [http://www.iaa-archives.org.il/zoom/zoom.aspx?folder_id=93&type_id=6&id=8369  IAA], [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Survey_of_Western_Palestine_1880.06.jpg Wikimedia commons]
*[http://www.alnakba.org/villages/tiberias/majdal.htm Al-Majdal] at [[Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center]]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071024013503/http://www.jalili48.com/pub/EN_ShowGallary.asp?GName=What_Remained_of_the_destroyed&SuName=Al-Majdal Al-Majdal]}}, Dr. Moslih Kanaaneh
* [http://www.almajdal.com/ Al-Majdal]

{{Towns depopulated during the First Jewish–Roman War}}
{{Palestinian Arab villages depopulated during the 1948 Palestine War}}

[[Category:Ancient synagogues in the Land of Israel]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Israel]]
[[Category:New Testament places]]
[[Category:New Testament Aramaic words and phrases]]
[[Category:Talmud places]]
[[Category:Ancient Jewish settlements of Galilee]]
[[Category:60s disestablishments in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Sea of Galilee]]