Bethlehem

Bethlehem (/ˈbɛθlɪhɛm/; Arabic: بيت لحم‎ Bayta Laḥm, “House of Meat”; Hebrew: בֵּית לֶחֶם Bet Leḥem, Hebrew pronunciation: [bet ˈleχem], “House of Bread”; Ancient Greek: Βηθλεέμ Greek pronunciation: [bɛːtʰle.ém]; Latin: Bethleem; initially named after Canaanite fertility god Lehem^[3]) is a city located in the central West Bank, Palestine, about 10 km (6.2 miles) south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000 people.^[4][5] It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. The economy is primarily tourist-driven, peaking during the Christmas season, when Christians make pilgrimage to the Church of the Nativity.^[6][7] Rachel’s Tomb, an important Jewish holy site, is located at the northern entrance of Bethlehem.

The earliest known mention of the city was in the Amarna correspondence of 1350–1330 BCE during its habitation by the Canaanites. The Hebrew Bible, which says that the city of Bethlehem was built up as a fortified city by Rehoboam,^[8] identifies it as the city David was from and where he was crowned as the king of Israel. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke identify Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. Bethlehem was destroyed by the Emperor Hadrian during the second-century Bar Kokhba revolt