Religious Place Names

Lalibela, Ethiopia: This historical site is named for an Ethiopian Orthodox saint, King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela (ruled ca 1181 + 1221). The buildings are laid out to represent Jerusalem and each of the eleven churches is carved from a single rock.

Remlap, State of Alabama, United States: This community is named for a local family. Since there was already an existing community named "Palmer," the name was reversed to spell "Remlap."
The surname is of Old French ("paume" = "palm tree") by way of the Latin word "palmifer" which means a "palm bearer" or a "pilgrim." and the suffix "erius" which means "descendant of." This is in reference to a pilgrim to the Holy Lands who returned, bringing back palm branches.

Bubastis, Egypt: aka: Tell - Basta; Per-Bast; Pi-Beseth . This city is mentioned in Ezekiel 30:17 as Pi-Beseth. It was a center of worship for the feline Egyptian goddess named Bast or Bastet, Numerous mummies of cats have been found at the site.

Touba, Senegal: "Tuba" is the Arabic word for "felicity" or "bliss." This is in reference to the sweet pleasures of eternal life in the Islamic afterlife paradise. The word also refers to closeness to Allah.

Nymph, State of Alabama, United States: Nymph is an unincorporated community in Conecuh County. In classical mythology, a nymph was an animating or maintaining nature spirit who appeared as a beautiful maiden and lived in the woods and rivers.

A 1500 Year Old Church is Uncovered in Israel

On 2 February 2011, in the Judean hills, southwest of Jerusalem, Israeli archeologists announced the discovery of a church built about 1500 years ago.  Khirbet Madras (aka: Khirbet Midras) could be identified with the shrine of St. Zacharias found on the sixth-century Madaba Mosaic Map. “The Madaba Map (also known as the Madaba ) is part of a floor mosaic in the early Byzantine church of Saint George at Madaba, Jordan. The Madaba Map is the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem. It dates to the 6th century AD.”  From Wikipedia article, “Madaba Map.”


The Byzantine church contains a mosaic floor depicting lions, peacocks, foxes and fish.  The archeological group plans to cover the site with dirt after one week to protect it from the elements.

           
Picture of Archaeology of Israel

            thanks to Pikiwikisrael from Wikimedia Commons and Ookaboo!      

The photograph is from http://ookaboo.com/o/pictures/picture/12619161/Columbarium_Khirbet_Midras