| Date | January 18, 749[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | estimated 7 to 7.5 on the Richter scale[1] |
| Epicenter | The Levant |
| Countries or regions | Umayyad Caliphate, modern-day Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan |
| Casualties | unknown, reportedly tens of thousands |
The Seventh Earthquake (Hebrew: רעש שביעית), Ra'ash Shvi'it, also known as the Earthquake of 749, was a devastating earthquake that struck Palestine and eastern Jordan on January 18, 749.[1][2] The cities of Tiberias, Beit She'an, Hippos and Pella were largely destroyed while many other cities across the Levant were heavily damaged. In addition, the earthquake reportedly claimed tens of thousands of victims.
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According to historical sources, Scythopolis (Beit She'an), Tiberias, Capernaum, Hippos (Sussita),[3] Pella, suffered widespread damage. A Coptic priest from Alexandria reported that support beams had shifted in houses in Egypt and a Syrian priest wrote that a village near Mount Tabor had "moved a distance of four miles." Other sources reported tidal waves in the Mediterranean Sea, several days of aftershocks in Damascus, and towns swallowed up in the earth.[1] The death toll in Jerusalem numbered in the thousands. Many buildings, among them the Al-Aqsa Mosque, were severely damaged. The town of Umm el Kanatir and its ancient synagogue were destroyed.[4]
"Ra'ash shvi'it" is mentioned in piyyutim (Jewish liturgical poems). Some rabbis believe the earthquake struck in a Sabbatical year, in which case, the translation of the term would be "earthquake of the seventh year."
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