Mukhmas
Mukhmas | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | مُخماس |
Mikhmas from the west | |
Location of Mukhmas within Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 31°52′22″N 35°16′37″E / 31.87278°N 35.27694°E | |
| Palestine grid | 176/142 |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Jerusalem |
| Government | |
| • Type | Village council |
| Population (2017) | |
• Total | 1,363 |
| Name meaning | Michmash |
Mukhmas (Arabic: مُخماس) is a Palestinian village in the Jerusalem Governorate, located northeast of Jerusalem, in the center of the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 1,363 in 2017.
Mukhmas is identified with the biblical Michmas, and preserves its ancient name. It is described in historical texts as Jonathan Apphus' seat and for supplying fine flour to the Jerusalem Temple. Archaeological fieldwork revealed Iron Age and Second Temple Period remains, indicating a Jewish priestly presence until the Bar Kokhba revolt. Finds also include Byzantine-era remains.
During the early Ottoman period, it was a Muslim village with a small population engaged in agriculture. It was then ruled by the British, the Jordanians and the Israelis. Following the Oslo Accords, Mukhmas' jurisdiction, now under the Palestinian Authority, is divided between Areas B and C.