He is documented studying under Akiva in Judea and later teaching in the Galilee, including at Tekoa, Tiberias and Meron, but no source, including Encyclopaedia Judaica's own detailed account, records the specific place of his birth.
What would resolve this A Tannaitic era record naming his birthplace directly, distinct from the places he later studied and taught.
OpenRabbinic studies; history of the Zohar and Jewish mysticismDivinity Atlas Open Questions Register, First Edition