Mevaseret Zion

**Mevaseret Zion** () is a suburb o Jerusalem, Israel. Mevaseret Zion is composed o twa distinct tounships, Maoz Zion an Mevaseret Yerushalayim—unner the jurisdiction o ane local cooncil. The newer neighborhuids o Mevaseret Zion wur no pairt o either settlement.
Mevaseret Zion is locatit on a muntain ridge 750 meters abuin sea level, on the ootskirts o Jerusalem. It is ten kilometers frae the ceety, straddlin baith sides o the Jerusalem–Tel Aviv heich-gate. It haes a population o 22,800 residents distributit ower 15 neighborhuids. It is the walthiest municipality per caipita in the Jerusalem Destrict. Mevaseret Zion's current Mayor is Yoram Shimon.

## History
Due tae its strategic location, settlement in the aurie o Mevaseret Zion goes back tae antiquity. The Romans built a fortress there, kent as Castellum. On the ruins o this fortress, the Crusaders built a castle, Castellum Belveer, which still staunds the day. An Arab veelage, Coloniya, grew up aroond this spot. The muhktar's hoose wis built on the hilltop, on the ruins o the Crusader castle.

Durin the Breetish Mandate o Palestine, the Breetish referred tae this destrict as "The Castle", droppin the "t" as is customary in Inglis. The Arabs cried it al-Qastal, pronooncin the "t." The Jews cried it "Hacastel" ("the Castel").

In Israel's War o Unthirldom in 1948, fierce battles that claimed mony lives teuk place here as Arabs an Jews fought for control o the Castel, which owerleukit the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem heich-gate. The Castel exchyngit haunds several times in the course o the fechtin. The tides turned when the revered Arab commander, Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, wis killed. Mony o the Arabs left their positions tae attend al-Husayni's funeral at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, Aprile 9. That same day, the Castel fell tae the Israeli forces, virtually unopposed.

Maoz Zion ("Stranghauld o Zion") wis established in 1951 tae hoose new immigrants frae Iraq, Kurdistan, North Africae an Iran who haed been livin in a ma'abara, or transit camp, at the fuit o the Castel. Mony were employed at the nearby Solel Boneh stane quarry.

Mevaseret Yerushalayim wis established east o Ma'oz Zion in 1956 bi Jewish immigrants frae North Africae. It wis locatit on a ridge near the airmistice line, north o Motza. The residents wirked in the fruit orchards in the Arazim Valley.

In 1963, Maoz Zion and Mevaseret Yerushalayim formed a joint local council, which was called Mevaseret Zion. The source of the name comes from the Book of Isaiah:  "על הר גבוה עלי לך מבשרת ציון" ("Ascend a lofty mountain, O herald of joy to Zion") (Isaiah 40:9).

## Institutions an landmarks
The embassies o Paraguay an Bolivie are locatit in Mevaseret Zion. Mevaseret Zion haes 3 grade schuils, a junior-heich schuil an a heich schuil, "Tichon Har'el. Kanyon Harel is a lairge shoppin mall in Mevaseret.
Yeshivat Sha'arei Mevaseret Zion is locatit in Mevaseret Zion.

## Airchaeology
In April-Mey 2003, an aircheological salvage dig carried oot on Nahal Sorek Street in Mevaseret Zion unearthed an auncient burial cave datin frae the mid-Seicont Temple Period.

## Notable residents
*Rachel Adato
*Aharon Appelfeld
*Ran Cohen
*David Grossman
*Matan Vilnai

## Sister ceeties
* White Plains, New York, (2004)
* Sankt Augustin, Germany

## References

## Freemit airtins
* Municipality wabsteid  
* Harel Heich Schuil wabsteid