FAR'AH, TALL AL-

ancient site in southwestern Palestine, located on the Wadi Ghazzah near Tall al-'Ajjul, in modern Israel. The site was excavated between 1928 and 1930 by British archaeologists in Egypt under the direction of Sir Flinders Petrie, who identified the site as Beth-pelet. Other scholars, however, are probably correct in their belief that the site is instead ancient Sharuhen, an important Egyptian (Hyksos) fortress during the late 17th and early 16th centuries BC. According to the Egyptian account, after the collapse of Hyksos rule in Egypt, Sharuhen managed to withstand a siege by anti-Hyksos Egyptians for three years. The excavations revealed city levels and tombs dating from about 1900 BC to about 1200 BC. Nearby were a number of sites dating from the Chalcolithic Period (4th millennium BC) that yielded valuable prehistoric pottery and stone objects.