It was described by Zeller, in 1839, and is known from South Africa, Uzbekistan, Spain, Turkmenistan, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia, Russia, Israel, Palestine, Tinos, Australia, Seychelles, Afghanistan, the United States, Iraq, Namibia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Mauritius, Mozambique, Sarepta, Argentina, Sri Lanka, and Aden.
In Hebrew after the Diaspora, the name Zarephath (צרפת, ts-r-f-t, Tsarfat) is used to mean France, perhaps because the Hebrew letters ts-r-f, if reversed, become f-r-ts.
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Originally Sidonian, the town passed to the Tyrians after the invasion of Shalmaneser IV, 722 BCE.
Sarepta |
The "New" was then added because the name Sarepta was already a place name in Ontario and the government was not about to approve the similarity.