Sebastia
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How it came to be
Sebastia is a multi-period mound northwest of Nablus, occupied from the 9th century BCE. In the Iron Age it was a major regional political centre, widely identified with the ancient city of Samaria. According to the Hebrew Bible, King Omri of Israel bought the hill from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a new capital on it, and about 500 carved ivory pieces were found in the royal palace.
Augustus granted the city to Herod the Great, who rebuilt it in 27 BCE and named it Sebaste in the emperor's honour, adding a temple of Augustus and a stadium. It later became a Roman colony under Septimius Severus. From the mid-4th century it was identified as the burial place of John the Baptist, and the Nabi Yahya Mosque now stands within the remains of a Crusader cathedral.
Since 1967 the area has been under Israeli military occupation. In 2026 the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Busan, inscribed Sebastia under the emergency procedure and placed it on the List of World Heritage in Danger at the same time.
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