Beit Shemesh
Beit Shemesh
בית שמש | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • ISO 259 | Beit Šemš |
| • Also spelled | Bet Shemesh (official) |
| Coordinates: 31°44′44″N 34°59′12″E / 31.74556°N 34.98667°E | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Jerusalem District |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Shmuel Greenberg |
| Area | |
• Total | 34,259 dunams (34.259 km2 or 13.227 sq mi) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 170,683 |
| • Density | 5,000/km2 (13,000/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Jews and others | 99.9% |
| • Arabs | 0.1% |
| Name meaning | House of the Sun |
Beit Shemesh (Hebrew: בית שמש, lit. 'House of the Sun') is a city located approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District. A center of Haredi Judaism and Modern Orthodoxy, Beit Shemesh has a population of 170,683 as of 2024.
The city is named after and located near the remains of ancient Beth Shemesh, a biblical city in the territory of Judah. Its ruins can be found today at the archaeological site of Tel Beit Shemesh.