ISRAELI-ARAB VILLAGE OF MASH'HAD: Traditional birthplace and burial site of Biblical Prophet Jonah / Yona haNavi (Heb) / Nebi Yunus (Arab).

Mash'had, is a small Arab village in Israel located between Tsippori and Kfar Cana. The village is famous for having the tomb of Jonah-the Prophet. The name Mash'had in Arabic means 'the grave of a holy man'. How did Mash'had get its association with Jonah the prophet who stayed three days and three nights inside a whale? The answer lies in Bible itself. Outside the book of Jonah, the only Biblical reference about him is 2 Kings 14:25. Here, 'Jonah is the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher'. According to Joshua 19:13; Gath-Hepher belongs to the tribe of Zebulun, which is in Lower Galilee.

Today, Gathhepher or Geth-Hepher, the hometown of Jonah has been identified near Mashhad by modern archaeologists. The site was first excavated in 1992; since then there was more excavations in 1995, 2004 and 2007. The excavations show that the area has been inhabited throughout the Old Testament periods. Interestingly, there seems to be a modern Israeli industrial area near the Tel, now known as Gath-Hepher Industrial Zone. However, it should be noted that Mashhad is not the only place attributed to Jonah's burial. At least three more from Israel (most popular is Halhul in West Bank), one from Iraq (Mosul) and one from Lebanon (Sarafand) are shown as probable candidates! (You can see official reports published by the Israeli Antiquities Authority on Tel Gath-Hepher excavations at :

http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.asp?id=428&mag_id=111

http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.asp?id=700&mag_id=114).

Coming back to the religious angle: Jonah is Prophet Jonah for Christians, Yona ha Navi (Hebrew) for Jews and Nebi Yunus or Yunes (Arabic) for Muslims. How old are the traditions about Jonah's association with Mash'had in the three religions? The authenticity of Mash'had always correlates with its proximity to Gath Hepher-the birthplace of Jonah. The earliest Jewish records are from the 6th Cent (AD) Midrash Genesis Rabba that identifies Gath-Hepher near Tsippori. The oldest Christian tradition is from 4th Cent (AD) Church Father, Jerome, who mentions about the tomb of Jonah in a place two miles from Sepphoris (Tsippori); The first Islamic record is from a Muslim Persian Pilgrim named Nasir Khusraw, who reports in 1047 AD about the tomb of Jonah in a hill south of Cana in Galilee. All these traditions locate Jonah's tomb in a place near Tsippori and Cana, which brings us into the modern village of Mash'had.