Nazareth

For other uses, see Nazareth (disambiguation).

"Nazaret" redirects here. For the name, see Nazaret (name).

Nazareth الناصرة (Arabic) נצרת (Hebrew)
City
View of Nazareth, with the Basilica of the Annunciation at the center
Seal
Nazareth Location of Nazareth in Northern Israel Nazareth Location of Nazareth in Israel
Coordinates: 32°42′07″N 35°18′12″E
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Subdistrict	Jezreel
Founded	2200 BC (Early settlement) AD 300 (Major city)
Municipality	Est. 1885
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Body	Municipality of Nazareth
• Mayor	Yaakov Efrati
Area
• Total	14.123 km2 (5.453 sq mi)
Elevation	347 m (1,138 ft)
Population  (2024)
• Total	75,704
• Density	5,300/km2 (13,800/sq mi)
Demonym	Nazarene
Ethnicity
• Arabs	99.8%
• Jews and others	0.2%
Time zone	UTC+2 (IST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (IDT)
Area code	+972 (Israel)
Website	www.nazareth.muni.il

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Nazareth is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. In 2024 its population was 75,704. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and commercial center for the Arab citizens of Israel. The inhabitants are predominantly Arabs, of whom 69% are Muslim and 31% Christian. The city also commands immense religious significance, deriving from its status as the hometown of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity and a prophet in Islam and the Baháʼí Faith.

Findings unearthed in the neighboring Qafzeh Cave show that the area around Nazareth was populated in the prehistoric period. Nazareth was a Jewish village during the Roman and Byzantine periods, and is described in the New Testament as the childhood home of Jesus. It became an important city during the Crusades after Tancred established it as the capital of the Principality of Galilee. The city declined under Mamluk rule, and following the Ottoman conquest, the city's Christian residents were expelled, only to return once Fakhr ad-Dīn II granted them permission to do so. In the 18th century, Daher al-Umar transformed Nazareth into a large town by encouraging immigration to it. The city grew steadily during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when European powers invested in the construction of churches, monasteries, educational and health facilities.

Since late antiquity, Nazareth has been a center of Christian pilgrimage, with many shrines commemorating biblical events. The Church of the Annunciation is considered one of the largest Christian sites of worship in the Middle East. It contains the Grotto of the Annunciation, where, according to Catholic tradition, angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would conceive and bear Jesus. According to Greek Orthodox belief, the same event took place at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, also known as the Church of Saint Gabriel. Other important churches in Nazareth include the Synagogue Church, St. Joseph's Church, the Mensa Christi Church, and the Basilica of Jesus the Adolescent.