The name Beit Sahur belongs to two places in the vicinity: Beit Sahur
al-Atiqah ("ancient Beit Sahur") and Beit Sahur an-Nasara ("Beit
Sahur of the Christians"). 16th century Arab geographer Mujir al-Din
mentions the former in a biography of a Muslim scholar Sha'ban bin Salim bin
Sha'ban, who died in the town in 1483 at the age of 105. The former was noted
by French geographer Guerin as being 40 minutes away from Jerusalem, a short
distance south of the Qidron Valley.
Beit Sahur al-Atiqah surrounded the tomb of Sheikh Ahmad al-Sahuri, a local
saint to whom the local Arab tribe of al-Sawahirah attribute their
