Shechem in Rehoboam’s Story


Shechem: Map of Rehoboam's story

The assembly that confronted Rehoboam met at Shechem. The ancient city is identified with Tell Balata, about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) east-southeast of Nablus in the West Bank. The marker identifies the archaeological site, not a known throne or meeting platform.

English-labeled map for Shechem in Rehoboam's Story, with geographic reference points and uncertainty notes.
English reference map using public-domain Natural Earth boundary and coastline data. The marker identifies Tell Balata as the usual archaeological orientation point, not a reconstructed scene.

Why this place matters

Rehoboam went to Shechem to be made king. Here the people asked him to ease their harsh labor. After his threatening response and the rebellion that followed, he escaped to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:1–20).

Reading the map

The streets and borders are modern orientation aids. The distance is approximate geographic separation, not a walking or driving route. Tell Balata is included in a State of Palestine submission to UNESCO’s tentative list; that does not mean it is an inscribed World Heritage Site. The surviving remains do not identify the exact spot where Rehoboam spoke.

Read Rehoboam’s profile.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Canaanite city-states, Tell Balata; 1 Kings 12, NIV. Coordinates rounded from the submission to 32.21361, 35.28194. Checked September 15, 2026.