Anim Synagogue

The site is identified with the lower of the two historical settlements known as Anim/Anaia from Biblical times and Late Antiquity and preserves the remains of the Anim Synagogue [1]. Archaeological remains of a rectangular, basilical synagogue date its main phase to the 4th–7th centuries CE, with later conversion to a mosque in the early Islamic period [1]. Excavations by Z. Ilan and Dan Urman (1988–89) reported standing hewn-stone walls to c. 3.5 m, an eastern entrance with preserved lintels, traces of a mosaic pavement beneath a later stone floor, and inscription fragments [1]. The synagogue at Lower ʽAnim is paired historically with a Byzantine-era church on the hill east of Upper ʽAnim, reflecting the Christianisation patterns of the South Hebron Hills in late antiquity [1].