Aqraba
| Aqraba | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | عقربة |
| • Also spelled | 'Aqraba (official) Akraba (unofficial) |
 Aqraba
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| Coordinates: 32°07′35.17″N 35°20′36.82″E / 32.1264361°N 35.3435611°ECoordinates: 32°07′35.17″N 35°20′36.82″E / 32.1264361°N 35.3435611°E | |
| Palestine grid | 182/170 |
| Governorate | Nablus |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Jawdat 'Abd al-Hadi |
| Area | |
| • Jurisdiction | 34,659 dunams (34.7 km2 or 13.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 8,180 |
| Name meaning | Scorpion |
Aqraba (Arabic: عقربة) is a Palestinian town in the Nablus Governorate, located eighteen kilometers southeast of Nablus in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Aqraba had a population of approximately 8,180 inhabitants in 2007.
Nearby hamlets surrounding Aqraba for natural extensions of the town; they are the khirbets of al-Arama, al-Kroom, Abu al-Reisa, al-Rujman, Firas al-Din and Tel al-Khashaba. The total population of these hamlets is estimated to be 500. The prominent families of Aqraba are Al Dayriyeh, Bani Jaber, Al-Mayadima, Bani Jame', and Bani Fadel.
The origin of the name is Semitic - Canaanite or Aramaic. Aqraba Arabic translation is "scorpion".
Cisterns dug into rock have been found in Aqraba.
Pottery sherds from Iron Age II, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad and Crusader/Ayyubid era have also been found.
The town has a mosque built of ancient stones with Greek inscriptions and contained a cross. According to local tradition and a number of British scholars believe the mosque was originally a Byzantine-era church. To the north of the village there is a fort called Qal'at al-Hosn consisting of a block of buildings put on the hill. The masonry is drafted with a rustic boss. A cistern exists within the enclosure which still holds water. A birkeh ("pool") stands in the middle of Aqraba, while on the hillside nearby are some kokhim, tombs carved from the rock.
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