From atop this windswept hill, An Nabi Samwil commands a view that stretches back centuries. Here, at a place revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, the echoes of history whisper through the stones. An Nabi Samwil, also known as Nebi Samwil or al-Nabi Samuil, isn’t just a village. It’s a palimpsest of faith and conflict, built around the Mosque of Nabi Samwil, which houses what is believed to be the Tomb of Samuel. A tradition dating to the Byzantine period designates this spot as the prophet Samuel’s burial place.
The name itself, An Nabi Samwil, translates to “the Prophet Samuel” in Arabic, a testament to the significance of this figure. While the Hebrew Bible says Samuel was buried in his hometown of Ramah, some believe that Ramah and An Nabi Samwil are one and the same. In the 6th century, a monastery marked this place, evolving into Dir Samwil, or the Samuel Monastery, during the early Arab period. The layers of history continue to stack. The Crusaders, arriving in 1099, beheld Jerusalem from this vantage point and christened it Mont Joie, the “Mountain of Joy.” Their fortress, built to protect pilgrims, gave way to a mosque in the 14th century under Mameluk rule. That very mosque, with its underground chamber holding the purported tomb, still stands, having been restored after WWI damage.
Today, the tomb chamber serves as a synagogue, with separate prayer areas for men and women. Interestingly, though An Nabi Samwil is a Palestinian village in the Jerusalem Governorate, the original settlement around the shrine was demolished in the 1970s by Israeli authorities, its residents relocated down the hill. The village itself is subject to strict Israeli control, situated within Area C of the West Bank and designated as a national park in the 1990s. Despite these hardships, approximately 20 Muslim families remain, alongside a small Bedouin community from al Jib, struggling to maintain their connection to this place. An Nabi Samwil. A place where history isn’t merely read, it’s lived.