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‘Atiqot 50 (2005)
ISBN 2948-040X
Khan Gesher (Jisr el-Majami‘)
(pp. 195–207)
Abdullah Mokary and Zvi Gal
Keywords: Jordan River, Islamic periods, medieval period
Khan Gesher is one of the earliest khans in Galilee. Three periods of occupation were documented at the site. The khan was first built during the Mamluk period as a square complex, with a central courtyard surrounded by rooms and halls. The halls served as stables, and the rooms and the central courtyard served non-residential functions, e.g., a gate, a water system, and a prayer room. Thus, the khan might have had a second story for housing travelers. During the Ottoman period, the building underwent changes and modifications. The khan was probably destroyed in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. In 1934, the members of Kibbutz Gesher settled within the ruins of the khan.
Khan Gesher: The Coins
(pp. 209–216)
Ariel Berman
Keywords: Jordan River, Islamic periods, medieval period, numismatics
The numismatic finds date to two main periods: the Mamluk and Late Ottoman. All the coins are of bronze. Two modern German coins, from 1924 and 1930, and one American coin, from 1914, can be associated with the first settlers of Kibbutz Gesher.
Khan Gesher: Epitaph of a Muslim
(pp. 217–218)
Moshe Sharon
Keywords: Jordan River, Islamic periods, medieval period, Arabic, epigraphy
A limestone slab inscribed with five lines of elegant
naskhi
script was found within the Mamluk-period water system at Khan Gesher. The inscription is professionally cut in relief, with no points or vowels.