I'm sorry, but I don't have any earlier text to translate. Could you send the English passage you'd like translated into Swahili?

Forgotten, as if you never were.

Kama kifo cha ghafla cha ndege, kama kanisa lililoachwa utasahaulika, kama mapenzi ya kupita na waridi usiku ... utasahaulika nitakaposahaulika! (Mahmoud Darwish, Forgotten As If You Never Were25)

Like a bird’s violent death like an abandoned church you’ll be forgotten, like a passing love and a rose in the night ... forgotten when I’m forgotten! (Mahmoud Darwish, Forgotten As If You Never Were25)

"Theolojia ya jangwani" na monasteri za jangwa za Palestina, Misri na Shamu za Zama za Marehemu za Kale zilicheza jukumu lenye ushawishi katika jamii za Mashariki ya Karibu, na "Baba wa Jangwani" leo wanatambuliwa kwa upana kuwa watu muhimu katika historia ya theolojia ya Kikristo, roho ya kiroho na maendeleo ya kimafundisho (Binns 1994). Ikiwa miji ya Mediterania ya Kaisaria Maritima na Gaza, pamoja na wasomi wake maarufu, maktaba na wasomi, iliwakilisha Palaestina ya akili, basi mapokeo ya kimonaki ya Palaestina yaliwakilisha Palestina ya moyo. Ya mwisho ilikuwa na athari kubwa katika mapokeo ya kimonaki duniani kote ya Ukristo na Uislamu, na katika fumbo la kidini kwa ujumla. Kwa mujibu wa mapokeo ya Kiislamu, Nabii Muhammad ﷺ alikutana na mtawa Bahirah (Sergius) katika mojawapo ya monasteri za Kikristo katika mji wa Bosra katika eneo la Hauran, wakati huo sehemu muhimu ya Palaestina Secunda.

‘Desert theology’ and the monasteries of the desert of Late Antiquity Palestine, Egypt and Syria played an influential role in Near Eastern societies, and the ‘Desert Fathers’ are widely acknowledged today as key figures in the history of Christian theology, spirituality and doctrinal developments (Binns 1994). If the Mediterranean cities of Caesarea Maritima and Gaza, with their renowned scholars, libraries and intellectuals, represented Palaestina of the mind, the monastic traditions of Palaestina represented Palestine of the heart. The latter had a huge impact on the worldwide monastic traditions of both Christianity and Islam and religious mysticism in general. According to Muslim tradition, the Prophet Muhammad met the monk Bahirah (Sergius) in one of the Christian monasteries in the town of Bosra in the Hauran region, then an integral part of Palaestina Secunda.

Katika "Palestina Tatu", Waarabu Wakristo wa Ghassan walikuwa wengi wao wa madhehebu ya Umonofisiti. Ikiwa Gaza ya Mwishoni mwa Zama za Kale, pamoja na Shule yake ya Balagha iliyoiga mtindo wa kale, ilikuwa kitovu maarufu cha falsafa, balagha, tamthilia na sheria, eneo la Gaza pia lilijulikana sana kwa mapokeo yake ya kipekee ya kimonaki.

In the ‘Three Palestines’, Ghassanid Arab Christians belonged largely to monophysitism. If Gaza of Late Antiquity, with its classicising Rhetorical School, became a famous centre for philosophy, rhetoric, drama and law, the region of Gaza also became renowned for its distinct monastic tradition.

Kwa hakika, mojawapo ya sura zenye kuvutia zaidi katika historia ya Palestina ya Late Antiquity ilikuwa utamaduni wa kimonaki na urithi wa kimonaki wa Gaza.

Indeed, one of the most spectacular chapters in the history of Late Antiquity Palestine was the monastic culture and monastic legacy of Gaza.

Jumuiya ya kimonaki ya kiakili iliyostawi katika eneo la Gaza, katika Palaestina Prima, kuanzia karne ya 4 hadi ya 7, ilianzisha mapokeo ya kipekee ya kimonaki ya Kipalestina. Mapokeo haya yaliundwa na mapambano ya kiakili kuhusu Ukristo wa Kristo katika karne ya 5 na ya 6, na yalizaa kazi nyingi za kifasihi ambazo zinaweza kuitwa ‘Shule ya Kimonaki ya Gaza’ (Bitton-Ashkelony and Kofsky 2006).26

An intellectual monastic community flourished in the region of Gaza in Palaestina Prima from the 4th to the 7th century, creating a distinct Palestinian monastic tradition, shaped by the Christological intellectual battles of the 5th and 6th centuries, and producing a wealth of literary works which might be termed the ‘Monastic School of Gaza’ (Bitton-Ashkelony and Kofsky 2006).26

Monasticism ya Kikristo ya mwanzo kabisa ilianza kujitokeza kwa wakati mmoja katika jangwa za Misri na Palestina karibu karne ya 3 BK. Maendeleo maarufu ya utawa katika eneo la Gaza yalihusiana kwa karibu sana na uzoefu wa Palestina na wa Misri (Hevelone-Harper 2005: ix). Hata hivyo, kufikia karne ya 4 Palestina kubwa ilichukua nafasi ya Misri kama kitovu cha utawa wa jangwani. Kati ya karne ya 4 na mwanzo wa karne ya 7 Palestina, hasa maeneo mawili yenye ukame wa nusu, Gaza na mashariki ya Yerusalemu – ambayo yalijulikana kama ‘jangwa la Yerusalemu’ – yalibadilishwa kuwa ‘mji’ na kuwa kitovu cha harakati ya utawa wa Kikristo duniani kote.

The earliest known Christian monasticism appeared simultaneously in the deserts of Egypt and Palestine around the 3rd century AD. The famous monastic developments of the Gaza region were intimately connected to both the Palestinian and the Egyptian experiences (Hevelone-Harper 2005: ix). However, by the 4th century greater Palestine effectively replaced Egypt as the centre of desert monasticism. Between the 4th and early 7th centuries Palestine, and in particular the two semi-arid regions of Gaza and east Jerusalem – which became known as the ‘desert of Jerusalem’ – was ‘converted into a city’ and became the centre of the global Christian monastic movement.

Mababa wa Jangwani na Mama wa Jangwani wenye sifa kubwa28 walikuwa wakaapweke, watawa na masista wa Kikristo waliokuwa na athari kubwa katika maendeleo ya Ukristo na utawa wa Kikristo duniani kote. Nyumba za watawa za Palestina zilikuwa kitovu cha uhifadhi wa maarifa na uzalishaji wa maarifa, kuanzia uhifadhi wa teknolojia ya kale ya kutengeneza divai (ya vinywaji vya Palestina) hadi kunakili na kutunza hati-mkono za kale.

The legendary Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers27 were Christian hermits, monks and nuns who had a major influence on the development of Christianity and Christian monasticism worldwide. The monasteries of Palestine were a centre for knowledge preservation and knowledge production, from the preservation of the ancient technology of wine-making (of Palaestini liquors) to the copying and archiving of ancient manuscripts.

Ingawa sanaa ya kunakili na mzunguko mpana wa miswada iliendelea sana chini ya Uislamu, machache yanajulikana kuhusu namna falsafa za Kiislamu za moyo na uchamungu wa Kisufi zilivyoathiriwa moja kwa moja na kwa njia isiyo ya moja kwa moja na fumbo la jangwani la Misri na Palestina Kuu. Hata hivyo, maarifa ya moyo au ufahamu wa ndani katika utawa wa Kikristo yanalingana na ‘Ilm al-Ghayb, au ‘Ilm al-Batin – maarifa ya yaliyofichika, yaliyojificha au ukweli wa ndani – katika Uislamu wa Kisufi, ambao msukumo wake wa asili unaonekana katika Qur'ani Tukufu ({4: 34}, {11:49}, {12: 52}, {12:102}, {25:4‒6}). Wakati Origenism na miji ya Mediterania yenye mwelekeo wa nje kama Kaisaria Maritima, Gaza, Alexandria na Antiokia ilitoa msingi wa kiakili, wa balagha, wa kinadharia na wa kiakili wa kiklasiki kwa Ukristo wa mwanzo, upweke, umaskini, ukali wa maisha, ukimya wa ndani na ‘sala ya moyo’ (Sala ya Yesu)

While the art of copying and wide circulation of manuscripts developed considerably under Islam, little is known about the ways in which Muslim philosophies of the heart and Sufi asceticism were directly and indirectly influenced by the desert mysticism of Egypt and greater Palestine. However, the knowledge of the heart or inner insight into Christian monasticism corresponds to ‘Ilm al-Ghayb, or ‘Ilm al-Batin – knowledge of the concealed, hidden or inner truth – in Sufi Islam, whose original inspiration appears in the holy Quran (4: 34, 11:49, 12: 52, 12:102, 25:4‒6). While Origenism and outward-looking Mediterranean cities such as Caesarea Maritima, Gaza, Alexandria and Antioch provided the classicising intellectual, rhetorical, speculative and rational underpinnings for early Christianity, the solitude, poverty, austerity, interior silence and ‘prayer of the heart’ (the Jesus Prayer)

za monasteri za Misri, eneo la Gaza na Palestina kwa ujumla zilikuwa moyo wa jiji. Harakati hii ya kimonaki ya Palestina ilichanganya mtindo wa maisha wa Yesu na maisha ya unyenyekevu na ya kujitenga, yaliyojumuisha kufunga, kujinyima na shughuli za kiroho. Zaidi ya yote, katikati ya maisha haya ya kimonaki ya Palestina ya unyenyekevu na "kukimbilia jangwani" kulikuwa na hamu ya kuepuka madaraka na dini iliyopangwa, pamoja na safu inayokua ya uongozi wa kanisa rasmi lenye makao yake mijini.

of the monastic communities of Egypt, the Gaza region and greater Palestine became the city of the heart. This Palestinian monastic movement combined the way of life of Jesus with a modest and secluded life which included fasts, mortifications and spiritual activities. Above all, at the heart of this Palestine monastic life of simplicity and ‘desert escapism’ was the desire to shun power and organised religion, and the growing hierarchy of the official, urban-based church.

Jumuiya za awali za watawa wa Kikristo huko Palestina zilianzisha jumuiya zinazojitegemea na zenye usawa, zikiwa na abba ("baba yangu" katika Kiaramu cha Kisiriani na pia katika Kiarabu cha Kur'ani) na amma (mama) aliyesimamia ustawi wa kiroho na kijamii wa watawa na watawa wa kike. Neno la Kiingereza Abbot (wa kike ni Abbess), linalomaanisha baba, ni cheo cha kanisa anachopewa kiongozi wa monasteri katika mila mbalimbali za Kikristo. Neno lenyewe linatokana na abba ya Kiaramu ya Kisiriani, ambayo inatokana na mapokeo haya ya Kiaramu ya Kisiriani ya Monofisiti ya Palestina ya Byzantium. Cheo hiki kilikubalika haraka katika lugha zote kama jina la kiongozi wa monasteri.

The early Christian monastic communities in Palestine established autonomous egalitarian communities with an abba (‘my father’ in both Syriac Aramaic and Quranic Arabic) and an amma (mother) in charge of the spiritual and social welfare of their monks and nuns. The English term Abbot (its female equivalent is Abbess), meaning father, is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of a monastery in various Christian traditions. The term itself is derived from the Syriac Aramaic abba, which is based on this Syriac Aramaic Monophysite tradition of Byzantine Palestine. The title soon became generally accepted in all languages as the designation of the head of a monastery.

Kufikia mwishoni mwa karne ya nne kulikuwa na nyumba za watawa zaidi ya kumi na nyingi zenye maelfu ya watawa huko Palestina. Utawa wa jangwani wa Palestina ulibadilika kutoka kujitenga na dunia hadi kushiriki kijamii na kiutendaji katika jamii. Nyumba nyingi za watawa wa kiume na wa kike za Palestina zilianzishwa katika eneo la Gaza, Bethlehemu, Yerusalemu, Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrin), Nazareti na Galilaya, pamoja na hospitali na shule zilizo karibu ili kuwatunza wagonjwa na kuwahudumia jamii zao za karibu. Mafundisho ya kijamii na maadili ya jumuiya hizi za awali za kimonaki zenye usawa yameendelea kuishi katika theolojia ya kisasa ya Wakristo wa Palestina. Hata hivyo, mtazamo wao wa kiakili wa kutafakari na mtindo wao wa maisha wa kujitenga ulipisha nafasi kwa theolojia inayojishughulisha zaidi na kutumika kivitendo.

By the end of the 4th century there were dozens of monasteries with thousands of monks in Palestine. Palestine desert monasticism evolved from detachment from the world to social and practical engagement with society. Numerous Palestinian monasteries of monks and nuns were established in Gaza region, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrin), Nazareth and the Galilee with adjacent hospitals and schools to care for the sick and serve their local communities. The social teaching and ethics of these early egalitarian monastic communities survived in modern Palestinian Christian theology. However, their speculative approach and detached way of life gave way to a more engaged and applied theology.

Hii ndiyo iliyounda msingi wa theolojia ya kisasa ya ukombozi ya Kipalestina yenye muktadha wake, inayopendelea maskini, walioachwa pembezoni na watu wasio na sauti, na inayopinga ukoloni wa walowezi wa Kizayuni na uvamizi wa Palestina (Masalha and Isherwood 2014). Mafundisho yao ya kijamii pia yalizaa mafundisho yaliyoendelezwa na makanisa ya Kikristo ya Palestina yanayojihusisha zaidi na masuala ya haki ya kijamii, umaskini na utajiri, mashirika ya kiuchumi na kijamii, na nafasi ya dola.

This formed the basis of modern contextualised Palestinian liberation theology with its preference for the poor, marginalised subaltern and its struggle against Zionist settler-colonialism and the occupation of Palestine (Masalha and Isherwood 2014). Their social teaching also gave rise to the doctrines developed by the more engaged Christian churches of Palestine on matters of social justice, poverty and wealth, economic and social organisations and the role of the state.

Huko Palestina, nyumba za watawa zilibadilika na kuwa aina mbili tofauti: 'nyumba ya watawa wapweke', au lavra (Kigiriki: lavra), na 'nyumba ya pamoja ya watawa' (coenobium28). Lavra za kwanza ziliasisiwa Palestina, na neno la Kigiriki Λαύρα (Kigiriki: njia29), lililorejelea kundi la mapango au seli walizotumia watawa wapweke kujitenga, huku kanisa likiwa kituo chao cha kukutania kila wiki, lilitumiwa hasa tangu karne ya 5 kwa jumuiya za kimonaki zilizo nusu-upweke za Palestina, katika eneo lililojulikana kama 'jangwa la Yerusalemu', ambako maelfu ya watawa wapweke na watawa waliishi, na ambako makumi ya lavra na nyumba za pamoja za watawa zilianzishwa.

In Palestine monasteries evolved into two distinct types: ‘monastery of hermits’, or lauras (Greek: lavra), and ‘communal monastery of monks’ (coenobium28). The first lauras were founded in Palestine and the Greek term Λαύρα (Greek: path29), which referred to the cluster of caves or cells used by the hermits for seclusion, with a church as their weekly meeting centre, was specifically employed from the 5th century for the Palestine semi-hermitical monastic communities in what became known as the ‘desert of Jerusalem’, where thousands of hermits and monks lived and dozens of lauras and communal monasteries were established.

Kuungwa mkono na dola la Byzantium, utawa wa jangwani na falsafa zenye mwanga kuhusu moyo zilihimiza kuenea kwa nyumba za watawa kote Palestina kubwa (Palaestina Prima, Palaestina Secunda na Palaestina Salutaris).

Supported by the Byzantine state, desert monasticism and enlightened philosophies of the heart encouraged the proliferation of monasteries across greater Palestine (Palaestina Prima, Palaestina Secunda and Palaestina Salutaris).

Chini ya Wabyzantini wa Ukristo, Sinai, Naqab (Negev), eneo la Wanabatea na kaskazini mwa Arabia (dola la zamani la Roma, Provincia Arabia) vyote vilikuwa sehemu ya Palaestina Salutaris (Ward 2008: 69). Monasteri ya Mtakatifu Catherine ilijengwa kati ya mwaka 548 na 565 kama monasteri ya Palaestina Salutaris iliyowekwa wakfu kwa Mtakatifu Catherine wa Alexandria. Monasteri ya Mtakatifu Catherine iko chini ya Mlima Sinai, ambao umetajwa katika Qur'ani (Surat al-Tur, Sura ya 52, Aya 1–28). Kwa wasomaji wa eneo hilo katika karne ya 6 na 7, Palaestina Salutaris, Sinai na kaskazini mwa Arabia vilikuwa vimeunganishwa kijiografia na kiutawala.

Crucially under the Christian Byzantines Sinai, the Nagab (Negev), the Nabataean region and northern Arabia (former Roman Provincia Arabia) were all part of Palaestina Salutaris (Ward 2008: 69). The monastery of St Catherine was built between 548 and 565 as a Palaestina Salutaris monastery dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Saint Catherine’s monastery lies at the foot of Mount Sinai, which was mentioned in the Quran (Surah al-Tur, Chapter 52, Verses 1–28). For local audiences in the 6th and 7th centuries, Palaestina Salutaris, Sinai and northern Arabia were geographically linked and administratively united.

Nyumba za watawa katika jangwa la Yerusalemu zilianzisha mfumo mpana wa mabwawa yaliyojengwa ili kukusanya na kuhifadhi maji ya mvua, na kama Waarabu wa Nabatea waliotangulia, walijulikana kwa uwezo wao mkubwa wa kujenga mbinu bora za kukusanya maji katika mazingira ya nusu-kame na tasa.

The Jerusalem desert monasteries developed an extensive system of cisterns built to catch and store rainwater, and, like the Nabataean Arabs before them, they became known for their great ability in constructing efficient water collecting methods in the semi-arid and barren environment.

Monasteri nyingi za Palaestina Prima zilijumuisha Monasteri maarufu ya Euthemius, iliyoanzishwa mwaka 428 upande wa mashariki wa Yerusalemu na kupewa jina la mtawa Mwarmenia Euthemius (377‒475), ambaye alikuwa mmoja wa waanzilishi wa utawa wa 'jangwa la Yerusalemu' katika Palestina ya Byzantine yenye wengi wao wakiwa Wakristo. Monasteri ya Euthemius pia ilicheza nafasi muhimu katika kuwageuza kuwa Wakristo makabila ya Kiarabu yaliyokuwa yamehamia Palaestina Prima katika karne ya 4 na 5 (ona sura ya tano). Eneo hilo liliendelea kufanya kazi kama monasteri kubwa ya Kikristo kwa karne nyingi chini ya utawala wa Waislamu, na Wakristo wa Kilatini waliopigana Vita vya Msalaba waliipanua zaidi katika karne ya 12. Monasteri hiyo iliachwa baada ya Wapiganaji wa Msalaba kufukuzwa Yerusalemu mwishoni mwa karne ya 12, na kuanzia karne ya 13 eneo hilo lilianza kufanya kazi kama kituo kikubwa cha msafara wa Kipalestina, al-Khan al-Ahmar ('Nyumba ya Wageni Nyekundu'), kwenye njia ya biashara ya Yerusalemu‒Jeriko, hadi lilipoachwa kabisa wakati fulani wa kipindi cha Ottoman. Karibu nayo, kituo cha msafara cha Ottoman cha karne ya 16, pia kilichoitwa al-Khan al-Ahmar, kilijengwa ili kuwahifadhi wafanyabiashara wa misafara.

The numerous monasteries of Palaestina Prima included the famous Euthemius Monastery which was established in 428 to the east of Jerusalem and named after the Armenian monk Euthemius (377‒475), who was one of the founders of the ‘Jerusalem desert’ monasticism of Christian-majority Byzantine Palestine. The monastery of Euthemius would also play an important role in converting to Christianity the Arab tribes that had settled in Palaestina Prima in the 4th and 5th centuries (see chapter five). The site continued to function as a major Christian monastery for centuries under Muslim rule and the Latin Crusaders expanded it further in the 12th century. The monastery was abandoned after the expulsion of the Crusaders from Jerusalem in the late 12th century, and beginning in the 13th century the site began to function as a major Palestinian caravanserai, al-Khan al-Ahmar (the ‘Red Inn’), on the Jerusalem‒Jericho trade road, until its final desertion at some point during the Ottoman period. A nearby 16th century Ottoman caravanserai, also named al-Khan al-Ahmar, was built to shelter caravans of traders.

Monasteri nyingi za Kibyzantini za Palestina ziliendelea kustawi baada ya ushindi wa Waarabu Waislamu wa Palestina katika miaka ya 630. Monasteri ya Mar Saba iko kusini mwa Yerusalemu katika Ukingo wa Magharibi. Ilibadilika kutoka laura kuwa monasteri ya kijumuiya na inaendelea kufanya kazi hadi leo. Ilianzishwa katika Palaestina Prima mwaka 484, na imewekwa wakfu kwa Mtakatifu Sabbas Mtakaswa (439–532).30

Many Byzantine Palestinian monasteries continued to flourish after the Arab Islamic conquest of Palestine in the 630s. Mar Saba’s Monastery is located south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. It evolved from a Laura to a communal monastery and continues to function today. Founded in Palaestina Prima in 484, it is dedicated to Saint Sabbas the Sanctified (439–532),30

kiongozi wa utawa wa Kipalestina ambaye athari yake kama mwanzilishi na abati imedumu kuanzia karne ya 5 hadi leo (Patrich 1995). Sabbas alikuwa mtawa na padre Mgiriki aliyezaliwa Cappadocia, aliyeishi sehemu kubwa ya maisha yake katika Palaestina Prima, na aliandika kanuni ya kwanza ya ibada za kanisa za kimonaki, ‘the Jerusalem Typikon’, kitabu cha kimonaki kilichodhibiti maisha katika nyumba za watawa na kuwa mwongozo kwa nyumba zote za watawa za Kibyzantini. Nyumba nyingine maarufu ya watawa katika Palaestina Prima ilikuwa ya Mtakatifu Hilarion, iliyoko katika Ukanda wa Gaza wa leo, na iliyowekwa wakfu kwa Mtakatifu Hilarion (291–371). Hilarion, Baba wa Jangwani mwenye hadithi nyingi, alizaliwa Thabatha, wakati huo maili 5 kusini mwa mji wa Gaza, katika mkoa wa Kirumi wa Syria-Palaestina. Baada ya kuishi nyikani kwa miaka ishirini na miwili, mchungaji huyu wa Palestina alijulikana sana katika Syria-Palaestina yote na kwingineko, na watu waliomwomba walianza kutembelea makao yake karibu na Gaza wakitafuta baraka na msaada wake.

a ‘leader of Palestinian monasticism’ whose impact as founder and abbot has endured from the 5th century to the present (Patrich 1995). Sabbas was a Cappadacian-born Greek monk and priest who lived most of his life in Palaestina Prima and composed the first monastic rule of church services, ‘the Jerusalem Typikon’, a monastic book to regulate life in monasteries and for guidance of all the Byzantine monasteries. Another famous monastery in Palaestina Prima was Saint Hilarion’s, located in today’s Gaza Strip and dedicated to Saint Hilarion (291–371). A legendary Desert Father, Hilarion was born in Thabatha, then 5 miles south of Gaza city, in the Roman province of Syria-Palaestina. After he had lived in the wilderness for twenty-two years, this hermit of Palestine became famous throughout Syria-Palaestina and beyond and petitioners started to visit his abode near Gaza seeking his blessing and help.

Maisha ya Sabbas yaliandikwa na mmoja wa wanafunzi wake, Cyril wa Scythopolis (525‒559) (leo Beisan) katika Palaestina Secunda; anayejulikana pia kama Cyrillus Scythopolitanus, alikuwa mtawa wa Kikristo na mwanahistoria wa maisha ya kimonaki huko Palestina katika miaka ya mwanzo ya Ukristo (Kazhdan 1991). Masalia ya Sabbas yalichukuliwa na Wakrusedi wa Kilatini katika karne ya 12 na yalibaki Italia hadi Papa Paul VI alipoyarudisha kwenye monasteri ya Palestina mwaka 1965 kama ishara ya nia njema kwa Kanisa la Othodoksi. Mar Saba kwa sasa inazingatiwa na UNESCO kuwa Urithi wa Dunia). Monasteri nyingi zimeacha alama yake katika mandhari ya Palestina.

Sabbas’ Life was written by one of his disciples, Cyril of Scythopolis (525‒559) (modern Beisan) in Palaestina Secunda; also known as Cyrillus Scythopolitanus, he was a Christian monk and historian of monastic life in Palestine in the early years of Christianity (Kazhdan 1991). Sabbas’ relics were taken by the Latin Crusaders in the 12th century and remained in Italy until Pope Paul VI returned them to the Palestinian monastery in 1965 as a gesture of goodwill towards the Orthodox Church. Mar Saba is currently being considered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site).31 The numerous monasteries have left their mark on the landscape of Palestine.

Zimeendelea kuishi pia katika kumbukumbu ya kijamii ya Wapalestina na katika baadhi ya majina ya kisasa ya maeneo ya Kiarabu ya Palestina yanayoanza na neno Deir (Monasteri), ingawa neno la Kiarabu deir (wingi diyar) pia lina maana ya nyumba.

They have also survived in Palestinian social memory and in some of the modern Palestinian Arabic toponyms which begin with the word Deir (Monastery), although the Arabic word deir (pl. diyar) also means house.

Leo magofu ya Monasteri ya Euthemius yako katika koloni la Waisraeli la Ma’alie Adumim katika Ukingo wa Magharibi. Kumbukumbu ya kituo hicho cha misafara ya Kipalestina imehifadhiwa katika jina la kijiji kidogo cha Kibedui cha Kipalestina, al-Khan al-Ahmar, kilichopo kati ya makoloni ya walowezi wa Kiisraeli wa Ma’alei Adumim na Kfar Adumim. Kijiji hiki cha Kipalestina kimekuwa kikitishiwa kubomolewa na dola la Israeli tangu mwaka 2010, katika mpango wa kupanua makazi ya Waisraeli yaliyopo katika Ukingo wa Magharibi.32

Today the ruins of Euthemius Monastery are located in the Israeli colony of Ma’alie Adumim in the West Bank. The memory of the Palestinian caravanserai was preserved in the name of a small Palestinian Bedouin village, al-Khan al-Ahmar, located between the Israeli settler-colonies of Ma’alei Adumim and Kfar Adumim. This Palestinian village has been threatened with destruction by the Israeli state since 2010 in a plan to expand local Israeli settlements in the West Bank.32