Beit Shemesh
31°44′44″N 34°59′12″E / 31.74556°N 34.98667°E
Beit Shemesh
בית שמש | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • ISO 259 | Beit Šemš |
| • Also spelled | Bet Shemesh (official) |
|
Coat of arms | |
Interactive map of Beit Shemesh | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Jerusalem |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Shmuel Greenberg |
| Area | |
• Total | 34,259 dunams (34.259 km2; 13.227 sq mi) |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 167,318 |
| • Density | 4,883.9/km2 (12,649/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 167,318 as of 2023.
The city is named after Beth Shemesh, a Biblical city of the territory of Judah, and located near Tel Beit Shemesh / Ain Shams, an archeological site with remains going back to an Bronze age Canaanite settlement.