Tell Umm el-'Amr
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How it came to be
On the coastal dunes of Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip lie the ruins of the Saint Hilarion Monastery at Tell Umm Amer. Hilarion, a native of the Gaza region, converted to Christianity in Alexandria and, inspired by Saint Anthony, lived as a hermit in Egypt before returning home. Around 340 he founded a hermitage near his home village of Thabatha. It began as a group of solitary hermits and grew into a community living together, the first monastic community in the Holy Land.
The monastery stood at a crossroads of the trade and communication routes between Asia and Africa and became a place of religious, cultural and economic exchange. Its remains span more than four centuries, from the late Roman to the Umayyad period, with five successive churches, baths, geometric mosaics and a large crypt. The site was abandoned after an earthquake in the 7th century.
The ruins came to light during building work in the late 1990s, and the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities began excavations through international cooperation. From 2002 the work was directed jointly by René Elter and Ayman Hassouna. In December 2023 UNESCO granted the site provisional enhanced protection, and in July 2024 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List and on the List of World Heritage in Danger at the same time.
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