In the Bible, Nazareth is considered to be the birthplace of Jesus, but it is also a bustling, busy city today. The population is over 70,000 people, compared to just 400 people in Jesus' time. While traveling around Nazareth, tourists should avoid the traffic on Paulus VI Street. If possible, the most important sites for visiting Nazareth are St. Gabriel's Church and St. Peter's Church.
While Israeli authorities claim that the town has an ethnically diverse population, the city was actually founded on land taken from Arab villages in the area. As a result, Nazareth lost its capacity to absorb additional residents. Today, the city has 6 percent Arab employees and a Palestinian deputy mayor. Despite this, the Arab population is small and unorganized. During the 1948 War of Independence, the town grew rapidly, but the Arab population didn't stay.
A recent survey revealed that about eight percent of Upper Nazareth's Arab population has migrated to the city. The other half has moved out. The residents of Nazareth City are divided between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods. The city is still largely Jewish, but it is increasingly diverse. In Upper Nazareth, we found an interesting discussion between three women. Two of the women were younger than me and were shopping together in a T-shirt.
Ancient Jewish sources say that Nazareth was founded in the third century C.E., as a village in Judea. The town is located near an unidentified "Cochaba" (a place). This location is not consistent with the traditional location of Nazareth in Lower Galilee, but may reflect Africanus' ignorance of Palestinian geography. Other historical references, such as the Hebrew inscription mentioned above, place Nazareth as the home of the priestly family Hapizzez.