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The Rayyan manor house in Migdal Afek (Migdal Tsedek), 2008

Migdal Afek (Hebrew: מגדל אפק), also Migdal Tsedek (Tzedek, Zedek; Hebrew: מגדל צדק), is a national park on the southeastern edge of Rosh HaAyin, Israel. The ruins of a fortified manor house built by a sheikh during the 19th century, among which remains of the Crusader castle of Mirabel can be seen, are today known in Hebrew as Migdal Afek or Migdal Tsedek.^[1] It is the site of the depopulated Palestinian village of Majdal Yaba.

Etymology

Migdal Aphek (Hebrew: מגדל אפק; Ancient Greek: Αφεχού πύργος, 'Aphek Pyrgos') means 'Tower of Aphek' in both those languages.^[2]

Migdal Tsedek means "Tower of Sadek" in Hebrew, referring to the name of Sheikh Sadek al-Rayyan.^{[citation needed]}

History

The walled Jewish settlement of Migdal Aphek or Afek stood at the site as early as the second century BCE, and was destroyed by the Romans during the First Jewish–Roman War in 67 CE.

From a Byzantine-period church, a lintel set over a stone-built doorway survives, bearing the Greek inscription "ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΟΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΚΗΡΥΚΟΥ", Martyr shrine (martyrion) of Saint Kyriko.^[3]^[4] The room behind it was used by the al-Rayyan sheikh as a stable and for fodder storage.^[4]

In the Crusader period, a castle named Mirabel was built at the site of ancient Migdal Afek. It was described in Muslim sources in 1225 as a village with a fortress called Majdal Yaba.^[1]

For a short time under Ottoman rule, its name was changed from that to Majdal Sadiq and then back again.

In the 17th century, the village was taken over by the Rayyān family, who arrived from Transjordan and built a two-story manor house.^[1]

During World War I, Migdal Afek was the site of battles between the Central Powers (forces of the Ottoman, German, and Austro-Hungarian empires) and the British imperial Egyptian Expeditionary Force.^[5]

In de 1940s, the Solel Boneh quarry at Migdal Tzedek was used by Ta'as, the underground Jewish arms industry, for testing the first weapons it produced.^[6]

The Arab village was depopulated by the IDF in July 1948.^[7]^[8]