Sar’a

The village of Sar’a was located approximately 25 kilometers from Jerusalem, situated on a prominent hill on the western slope of a mountain. A short side road (about 2 kilometers long) connected it to a main road that passed to the northeast of Bayt Jibrin (one of the largest villages in the Hebron subdistrict), which in turn linked to the main Jerusalem–Jaffa road.

It is likely that Sar’a was built on the site of the Canaanite city of Zorah, which later became part of the territory of the tribe of Dan. In Roman times, it was known as Sorea.

Sar’a was divided into three quarters, with houses made of mud and stone clustered closely together, separated by narrow, winding alleyways. In the southern quarter, buildings extended uphill along the slope of the hill, while in the northern quarter, expansion occurred along the northeastern slope. A few shops were located in the center of each of the three quarters.

Sar’a, which had been defended by Egyptian forces, was occupied on 13–14 July 1948, during the Israeli offensive on the Lydda–Ramla plain, located to the west of the village.

In 1950, the settlement of Tarum was established on the northeastern side of the site, on village lands. Tzora was established earlier, in 1949, after the village was demolished. It lies approximately two kilometers southwest of the original site, on land belonging to the depopulated village of Dayr Aban.

Today, scattered rubble from houses and metal beams are found among the vegetation growing on the site.