Tirzah (Tell el-Far'ah North): Omri's First Capital
De Vaux's excavation of Israel's second capital, with a building project abandoned when Omri moved to Samaria
Found 1946 — Roland de Vaux (École Biblique et Archéologique Française), nine seasons 1946–1960; renewed by the Universidade da Coruña with the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, 2017–2019 and 2022
Where Tell el-Far'ah (North), Wadi Far'ah, north-east of Nablus (West Bank (Palestinian territories))
Dates from c. 930–720 BCE (Israelite town) · Iron Age IIA–B (Israelite capital); occupied Neolithic–Iron II · Jeroboam to Omri; northern kingdom capital
Now at Finds in the École Biblique (Jerusalem) and the Rockefeller Museum; the site is open farmland
How Tirzah (Tell el-Far'ah North): Omri's First Capital was found
De Vaux dug the large mound at the head of Wadi Far'ah, 11 km north-east of Nablus, from the Neolithic village through the Early Bronze walled city to the Iron Age. He found an Israelite town of four-room houses, a shrine and a gate, and a phase in which large ashlar buildings were started and left unfinished — dressed stones stacked and walls half-built — which he tied to Omri's move to Samaria. A later 8th-century level shows rich houses beside poor ones and ends in the Assyrian conquest.
What it is
A 10-hectare mound beside twin springs, with an Early Bronze city wall and gate, and an Iron Age town whose streets, houses and gate were exposed over a wide area. The 'unfinished building' level (Stratum VIIb) contains partly dressed blocks and incomplete walls, and a clay model shrine was among the cult objects.
Why it matters for the Bible
Tirzah was the capital of the northern kingdom under Baasha, Elah, Zimri and, for six years, Omri. The unfinished building phase is one of the rare cases where an excavator's find lines up with a single verse — Omri buying the hill of Samaria and moving his capital. The 8th-century houses of very different sizes have been read alongside Amos's condemnation of the rich in Israel. Recent radiocarbon work is refining the dates, and not all agree the unfinished level is Omri's.
The Hebrew word: teer-TSAH
תִּרְצָה
תִּרְצָה is pronounced teer-TSAH and means Tirzah — 'delight'; a city so lovely it is a compliment in Song of Songs (Strong's H8656).
People this discovery connects to
- Omri — עָמְרִי (om-REE) — uncertain; perhaps 'my sheaf' or from Arabic 'life'
- Zimri — זִמְרִי (zim-REE) — my music / praise
- Baasha — בַּעְשָׁא (ba-ah-SHAH) — uncertain
Places
- Tirzah — תִּרְצָה (teer-TSAH) — pleasantness, delight
Events
Zimri's seven-day reign and the burning of the palace · Omri moves the capital to Samaria · Assyrian conquest of Israel
Tirzah (Tell el-Far'ah North): Omri's First Capital in Scripture
Joshua 12:24 First mention of Tirzah in Scripture.
1 Kings 16:17-18 Zimri burns the king's house at Tirzah over himself; excavators look for this destruction.
1 Kings 16:23-24 Omri reigns six years in Tirzah, then buys the hill of Samaria; the abandoned building project at Tell el-Far'ah is tied to this move.
Questions people ask
What is Tirzah (Tell el-Far'ah North): Omri's First Capital?
A 10-hectare mound beside twin springs, with an Early Bronze city wall and gate, and an Iron Age town whose streets, houses and gate were exposed over a wide area. The 'unfinished building' level (Stratum VIIb) contains partly dressed blocks and incomplete walls, and a clay model shrine was among the cult objects.
When was Tirzah (Tell el-Far'ah North): Omri's First Capital discovered?
It was found in 1946 by Roland de Vaux (École Biblique et Archéologique Française), nine seasons 1946–1960; renewed by the Universidade da Coruña with the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, 2017–2019 and 2022, at Tell el-Far'ah (North), Wadi Far'ah, north-east of Nablus.
Where is Tirzah (Tell el-Far'ah North): Omri's First Capital today?
Finds in the École Biblique (Jerusalem) and the Rockefeller Museum; the site is open farmland.
Which Bible verses does Tirzah (Tell el-Far'ah North): Omri's First Capital relate to?
Joshua 12:24, 1 Kings 16:17-18, 1 Kings 16:23-24.
Related discoveries
- כְּמוֹשׁMesha Stele (Moabite Stone)King Mesha of Moab's own account of his revolt against Israel
- שֶׁמֶרSamaria: The Omride Royal AcropolisOmri's new capital and Ahab's palace on the hill he bought from Shemer
- פְּלִשְׁתִּיםTell el-Far'ah (South): Egyptian Residency and Anthropoid CoffinsPetrie's 'Beth-pelet', with Egyptian-style clay coffins and a governor's house on the Philistine frontier
- מִנְחָהBlack Obelisk of Shalmaneser IIIJehu of Israel bowing before the Assyrian king — the only known portrait of an Israelite king
- בָּמָהTel Rehov Open-Air Sanctuary and Horned Clay AltarsNeighborhood worship in the Northern Kingdom: a small bamah and dozens of pottery altars
- יַחַדKhirbet Qumran SettlementThe ruined community center beside the scroll caves, with its ritual baths, scriptorium and cemetery
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Tirzah (Tell el-Farah North)'
- Chambon, A., Tell el-Far'ah I: L'âge du fer (1984)
- Bible Archaeology Report, 'King Omri: An Archaeological Biography'
- Fundación Palarq, 'Tell el-Far'a, archaeological investigations in the biblical lands'
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