Huqoq

The name Huqoq is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Joshua and the Books of Chronicles as a Jewish city that continued to exist during the Roman period. It was also known then as Hucuca.^[2][3] During the Ottoman Empire there was a Palestinian Arab village named Yaquq.^[4] built on the ancient ruins.

Archaeological investigations at the site of the former village of Yaquq, located near the Sea of Galilee, 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi) north of Tiberias, uphill from Capernaum and Magdala,^[5] suggest that the site was inhabited in the Iron Age, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Abbasid, Fatimid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods.^[6][7] The Arab village of Yakuk was abandoned during the 1948 war and was bulldozed in 1968.^[8]

In July 2020, the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research announced a project funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State in which mosaics and other materials at the archaeological site of the 5th century CE synagogue, first excavated in 2012 by Jodi Magness, would be made available to the public. Initially, access to visitors would be through films, reconstructed images and interpretive material, while conservation efforts continue at the site. The ultimate goal of the project is making the excavations and mosaics open for viewing.^[9]

Among the structures uncovered during the 2012 dig were the remains of an elaborate synagogue,^[13] dated to the 5th century.^[14] Findings include limestone carvings and an elaborate floor mosaic.^[15] The synagogue's walls and columns were painted in bright colors: plaster fragments show traces of pink, red, orange and white pigments.^[16] The artistry of the mosaic, which is composed of tiny tiles, together with the large stones used for the walls, attests to the prosperity of the village.^[17]

In July 2026, the Israel Antiquities Authority and American partners launched a joint initiative called 'Freedom 250' to preserve the ancient synagogue and make its archaeological discoveries more accessible to the public for the first time. The project includes conservation of the site, a dedicated website, a 3D digital reconstruction of the synagogue, documentary films, and other educational resources.^[18][19][20]

Mosaic iconography

The mosaic includes of the Biblical hero Samson.^[15] The figure of Samson appears twice: carrying the gates of Gaza, tying burning torches to the tails of foxes.^[21] Samson and the foxes is an episode from the Book of Judges (Judges 15:1–8). During a battle with the Philistines, Samson catches 300 wild foxes, ties burning torches to their tails and sets them loose to set fire to Philistine grain fields.^[22][23][24]

According to archaeologist Jodi Magness, the discovery is significant because "only a small number of ancient (Late Roman) synagogue buildings are decorated with mosaics showing biblical scenes, and only two others have scenes with Samson (one is at another site just a couple of miles from Huqoq)."^[15]

The mosaic also shows two human faces, apparently female, flanking a Hebrew inscription promising a reward to those who perform good deeds.^[23][25] In 2018, photographs of newly discovered mosaics were published in conjunction with a 70-page interim report of the excavations from 2014–2017.^[14][16] The new publication shows that the floor mosaic also depicts Noah's Ark, The Twelve Spies of Numbers 13:1-33 and the Parting of the Red Sea, themes that are rarely, if ever, found in synagogues of the time.^[14] Other images show Jonah being swallowed by the fish and the building of the Tower of Babel.^[16] The mosaic also incorporates pagan Hellenistic images such as cupids and theatre masks, and an obscure cluster of important looking men, one of whom may be Alexander the Great, next to soldiers and war elephants.^[14] If Magness' theory is correct, this would be the only case of a synagogue being decorated with non-Biblical imagery.^[14] Another theory is that the two groups, one dressed in armour and the other in white robes, represent the alliance between the Seleucids and the High Priest, John Hyrcanus.^[16]

Huqoq is home to at least three rock-cut underground complexes. This type of installation is characteristic of the defensive strategy employed by the Jewish population of Judaea during the Jewish–Roman wars.^[26] While most such complexes are concentrated in Judea proper, more than 80 examples have also been identified in the Galilee. At Huqoq, two complexes are located directly beneath the synagogue site, and another (System #2) lies on the northern slope of the synagogue hill. The latter is the largest and most elaborate complex discovered to date in the Upper Galilee.^[26]

System #2 was hewn into the soft chalk bedrock beneath a hard caliche layer. It contains seven or eight chambers and spaces connected by arched openings and winding, narrow, low passages designed to restrict movement and enhance security. The complex was integrated into earlier structures: its original entrance was through a rock-cut mikveh, and two water cisterns were incorporated into its plan.^[26] To convert these installations for use as a hiding complex, the cisterns were intentionally sealed, the wall between the mikveh and the interior of the system was breached, and stairways were carved to facilitate movement between levels. Additional spaces were cut for storage and concealment.^[26] The workmanship, initially rough and later more precise, suggests two phases of construction, possibly corresponding to preparations for the First Jewish Revolt and later for the Bar Kokhba revolt.^[26]

Finds from within the system indicate intensive use during the first and second centuries CE. The pottery assemblage is typical of the period, with many vessels belonging to the Kefar Hananya production tradition, a major Jewish ceramic industry in Galilee. The absence of later ceramic types (e.g., those of the third and fourth centuries CE), together with close parallels to the assemblage from the destruction layer of the 130s at Khirbet Wadi Hamam, supports the suggestion that the complex was active during the first half of the second century CE, around the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt, and was apparently abandoned after its suppression.^[26] Additional finds, including a gem ring, axeheads, and a hoard of 22 coins (one dating to the second century CE), indicate preparation for unrest in this period, even if the extent of Galilean participation in the revolt remains uncertain.^[26]

The complexes were reused in the Middle Ages. In System #2, a hoard of 24 Crusader bullion coins was discovered, all dating from 1140–1163 CE, most minted by Baldwin III of Jerusalem.^[27] Only a few Crusader-period potsherds were found, suggesting that the complex was used only sporadically at that time, perhaps not as a regular hiding place.^[27] The hoard may have been the personal treasure of a Frankish or local inhabitant, possibly marked by two black X-shaped signs (or crosses) painted on the ceiling near the entrance to the chamber where the coins were concealed. Some tools recovered from other rooms attest to continued, though limited, reuse during the Mamluk period.^[27]

Jewish, Christian, Druze and Muslim tradition located the tomb of the prophet Habakkuk in Huqoq and it has been a site of pilgrimage since the twelfth^{[dubious – discuss]} century.^[10] The earliest mention of the tomb is a letter written by Rabbi Samuel ben Samson in 1210: "On our way back from Tiberias we went on to Kefar Hanan. In journeying there we came across the tomb of Habakkuk in Kefar Hukkok."^[10] In 1215 Menahem ben Perez of Hebron visited the site and wrote: "And I went from there, and saw the tomb of the prophet Habakkuk near a spring."^[10] The earliest detailed description appears in the book "These are the Travels" (1270–1291): "From there one goes to Ya‘aquq, where is the grave of the prophet Habakkuk, upon which there is a fine monument between four party walls."^[10]

An Englishmen named John Sanderson visited the tomb in 1601 and wrote "Then we passed by a little village where dwelt and is buried the prophet Abicoke; so said the Jews, and that the town was called Yeacoke."^[10]

A description from the 1930s states that "The tombstone. . . is built of basalt stones, about two metres wide and 1.5 metres long, covered in white plaster".^[10]

In 1981 the old tombstone was replaced by a new one, over which a small building was erected, along with a pool filled by spring water and meant to be used as a ritual bath.^[10] Jewish and Druze pilgrims continue to visit the tomb.^[10]

Seffi Ben Yosef, a local tour guide, questioned the tradition in an editorial in Ynet News, arguing that the tradition was only based on the similar-sounding name between the village and the prophet.^[28]

A 2011 dig led by archaeologist Jodi Magness excavated several sections at the site of the former village.^[7] Magness writes: "The ancient village is surrounded by associated features, including cist graves, rock-cut tombs, a mausoleum, quarries, agricultural terraces and installations, a winepress and an olive press. Two large miqwa'ot (ritual baths) are hewn into bedrock on the eastern and southern periphery of the ancient village (see below)."^[7]

• Khirbet Wadi Hammam – nearby site with similarly intricate synagogue mosaic