Kiryat Arbaya

Kiryat Arbaya is an ancient settlement mentioned in two letters written by Simon Bar Kokhba, discovered in the Cave of Letters in Nahal Hever.^[1] The settlement has been proposed to be identified with the Arab village of Al-Arroub south of Gush Etzion or with Khirbet Arbaya nearby, close to the road between Bethlehem and Hebron.^[1] This area is located between Ein Gedi and Betar, where Bar Kokhba's main camp was likely situated. The literal meaning of the name is 'City of the Arabs' or – what might be more plausible in light of the letter's content – 'City of the Willows'. Additionally, some have suggested identifying Kiryat Arbaya from Bar Kokhba's letters with the legend of the birth of the Messiah that appears in the Jerusalem Talmud and in Lamentations Rabbah.^[1]^[2]

^ ^a ^b ^c Tsafrir, Yoram; Zissu, Boaz (2002). The Roman and Byzantine Near East (3 ed.). Portsmouth, Rhode Island. pp. 6–36. ISBN 978-1887829496.
^ "החיפושים אחר בר כוכבא : פרשת התגליות במערות מדבר יהודה ואיגרותיו של מנהיג המרד נגד רומא / יגאל ידין .. | ספר | ידין, יגאל, 1917-1984 | הספרייה הלאומית". www.nli.org.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-06-09.

[:0-1] Tsafrir, Yoram; Zissu, Boaz (2002). The Roman and Byzantine Near East (3 ed.). Portsmouth, Rhode Island. pp. 6–36. ISBN 978-1887829496.

[2] "החיפושים אחר בר כוכבא : פרשת התגליות במערות מדבר יהודה ואיגרותיו של מנהיג המרד נגד רומא / יגאל ידין .. | ספר | ידין, יגאל, 1917-1984 | הספרייה הלאומית". www.nli.org.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-06-09.

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