Za’atar Day – September 23, 2026

History of Za’atar Day

In Jewish tradition, Saadiah, Ibn Ezra, Maimonides, and Obadiah ben Abraham all identified the “ezov” mentioned in the Hebrew Bible with the Arabic word ‘za’atar’ which is particularly associated with ritual purity ceremonies, like preparing the ashes of the red heifer. The Children of Israel are also said to have used some of ezov/za’atar stalks to smear the blood of the Paschal sacrifice on the doorposts of their houses right before leaving Egypt. Za’atar has been used as a staple in Arab cuisine since medieval times and up till the present day, along with other spiced salts. Za’atar has historical significance for Palestinians, some of whom see the presence of za’atar as the symbol of a Palestinian household. For Palestinian refugees, and other Palestinians in foreign lands, cultural plants and foods such as za’atar are a representation and reminder of the house, village, and region from which they hailed. There is archeological evidence that a za’atar plant was known and used in Ancient Egypt, though its ancient name has not been definitively determined. Remains of a species used in modern za’atar preparations, known as Thymbra spicata, were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, and this particular species was known to the Ancient Egyptians as “saem” according to Dioscorides. Ecologists discovered that wild za’atar in Israel was on the verge of extinction due to over-harvesting and in 1977, a law was passed declaring it a protected species.