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The Great Earthquake of Palestine in 460

زلزلة فلسطين الكبرى سنة 460

c. 1068 CE · 460 AH

al-Ramla

In 460 a great earthquake struck Palestine and beyond: it killed fifteen thousand of Ramla's people, toppled two pinnacles of the Prophet ﷺ's mosque, split the earth over hoards of treasure, split the Rock of Jerusalem then closed again, and drove the sea a day's march from the shore — crowds went out gathering on the exposed seabed until it returned and destroyed many; the quake was felt as far as al-Rahba and Kufa 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
Region
Levant & Iraq
Review
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In time

1050106010701080 c.
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era

Summary

In 460 AH an earthquake struck Palestine and other lands. It killed 15,000 people of Ramla 1.

Its effect on the holy sites

Two minarets of the Prophet's Mosque fell. The earth split open and revealed treasures of money. A rock in Jerusalem split and then closed again 1.

The sea withdraws

The sea receded from the shore for a day's journey. It spread over the cold ground, and people went out to gather what was left. Then the water came back and killed a great number of them. The earthquake reached al-Rahba and Kufa 1.

Connections

Explore the connections

Occurred at
al-Ramla

People and things also explored

Atsiz ibn Uwaq's campaign against Syria· Saladin's Defeat at Ramla· Earthquake at Ramla and the sea's recession, 425· The Founding of al-Ramla· The great earthquake of Ramla· Jerusalem· al-Ramla

Sources

  1. Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali , p. 315
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Great Earthquake of Palestine in 460”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/palestine-earthquake-460/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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Atsiz ibn Uwaq's campaign against Syria

Atsiz ibn Uwaq's Seljuk campaign into southern Syria — Ramla and Jerusalem taken from the Fatimids, Ascalon holding out — bringing the Abbasid sultanate to Jerusalem's gates.