Marus
| Marus | |
|---|---|
 Marus
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| Arabic | ماروس |
| Name meaning | Kh. Marus=the ruin of Marus, where "Marus" comes from a personal name. |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Coordinates | 33°01′43.38″N 35°31′41.61″E / 33.0287167°N 35.5282250°ECoordinates: 33°01′43.38″N 35°31′41.61″E / 33.0287167°N 35.5282250°E |
| Palestine grid | 199/270 |
| Population | 93 (1948) |
| Date of depopulation | 26 May 1948/ 30 October 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Influence of nearby town's fall |
| Secondary cause | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
Marus (Arabic: ماروس) was a Palestinian village in Upper Galilee, 7 km northeast of Safad. In the Roman and medieval period it had Jewish population, and by the 16th century it became entirely Muslim. After a period of desertion, it was resettled by Algerian Arabs. It was depopulated in 1948 during the Operation Hiram by the Israeli attacking brigade Sheva' Brigade.
In 1875, Victor Guérin found major ruins here. He described the place as a destroyed Arab village.
In 1881 the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine found here: "Modern and ancient ruins; a spring in a rock-cut cave, ancient foundations of good-sized stones; the foundations of a small rectangular building to the west of the eastern portion of the ruin. Some rock-cut tombs and many caves in hills around."
Starting in 1981 Zvi Ilan excavated in sites next to the 20th century village in different directions. Excavations revealed signs of a long-standing community, and Jewish presence at some periods. An ancient synagogue built in the late 4th or early 5th century, and a related Beth midrash of the 7th century, a cache of coins ranging from the 5th to 9th centuries, a necropolis partly of the 1st century CE, and sherds from Roman to early Ottoman period. There are remains of a defensive wall of large stones, and a hewn moat.
Based on the archaeological findings and the name Marus, archaeologist Zvi Ilan suggested Marus is to be identified with the town Meroth. Meroth (Ancient Greek: Μηρωθ) is mentioned by Josephus as a border town between Jewish Galilee and Tyre in the First Jewish–Roman War, and a place fortified early in the war. Previous suggestions as to its location included Maroun al-Ras, and Meiron, which show less archaeological parallels. The name possibly derives from מערות (Me'arot, caves).
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