In 1033 CE a violent earthquake shook the whole of Palestine. The writer of this graphic account, Solomon son of Semaḥ, tells his friends in Egypt how it affected the capital of Palestine, the city of Ramla. People fled their houses when they noticed the walls shaking, losing all their belongings in the ruins. A third of the city was completely destroyed. Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, was badly damaged too.

Ramla, Palestine, 1033 CE

Hebrew, paper

T-S 18J3.9