al-Hamma

The village was built on a narrow strip of land in the Yarmouk Valley, with slopes rising to the north and south. It contained a station on the railway line that once connected Haifa to the Hejaz Railway via Samakh, located at the southern edge of the Sea of Tiberias. The area has attracted inhabitants since ancient times, as Al-Hamma was established on the site of the Hellenistic town of Amanus, also known as Amath or Imath, which is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. During the Roman period, the site was called Amana and was part of the administrative district of Gadara or Umm Qais, which is now part of Jordan.

Al-Hamma was rebuilt in the year 663 CE during the caliphate of Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan after it was destroyed by an earthquake. It was known for its spring, which was believed to have therapeutic properties due to its high sulfur content. Although these springs attracted many visitors during the Greek and Roman eras, the site was later abandoned and visited mainly by Bedouins who established their seasonal encampments there. In 1936, during the British Mandate, a Lebanese businessman named Suleiman Nasif obtained the concession to exploit the springs. Subsequently, Palestinians and other Arabs frequented the area for recreation and treatment.

The inhabitants of Al-Hamma were predominantly Muslim. The village contained a large mosque with marble columns and a water fountain in its front courtyard. Agriculture was the main source of livelihood for its residents. Olive trees were cultivated on a small portion of the village lands. In 1944/1945, a total of 1,105 dunams were irrigated or used as orchards. Among the archaeological remains in Al-Hamma were an ancient amphitheater, baths, a synagogue, tombs, columns, capitals, and a shrine.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

Al-Hamma was not captured by direct combat but was taken long after hostilities ended. At the end of the war, the village fell within a demilitarized zone on the border with Syria. The Syrian-Israeli armistice agreement signed in July 1949 stipulated its protection. However, Israeli authorities decided, according to the Israeli historian Benny Morris, to expel the inhabitants of the group of villages covered by the agreement, alleging that they might have cooperated with the Syrians, stolen livestock, or encroached on other lands.

Between 1949 and 1956, a mixture of carrot-and-stick policies was employed to force the residents out of their homes. According to Morris, these measures included police pressure, intimidation, and material incentives. Most of the villagers relocated to Syria, while some settled in the village of Sha’ab in the Acre district.

The Village Today

The site has been transformed into an Israeli tourist resort featuring tourist facilities and a small fishing pond. The abandoned mosque remains standing, with its minaret and marble columns intact as they were. To the south of the mosque, the foundations of studied buildings uncovered through archaeological excavations are visible. Five basalt stone buildings remain to the east of the village site. The railway station is still operational, with the village name inscribed above its entrance. There are also three other abandoned buildings near the station, along with the ruins of some destroyed houses.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands

There are no Israeli settlements on the lands of the village.