Historical hikes in the Judean Plains

Visitors to JNF’s France Adullam Park can follow easy hiking trails to amazing archeological sites dating back well over 2,000 years.

By AVIVA BAR-AM
hiking green landscape521 (photo credit: Shmuel Bar-Am)
hiking green landscape521
(photo credit: Shmuel Bar-Am)
In the year 586 BCE, Solomon’s glorious Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians and thousands of Jews were sent into exile. Incredibly, only a few decades later, Babylonian’s newest ruler allowed them to go home. Many – although not all – took advantage of the opportunity to return.
You would think (or I did, at least) that they would flock to the capital city of Jerusalem. But this was not the case; the Holy City lay in ruins. So the people set up housekeeping, all over the country in places like Kiryat Arba, Lachish, Lod and Beersheba.
Indeed, in order to populate Jerusalem, the prophet Nehemiah, a stalwart leader who rebuilt the walls of the city, was forced to hold a lottery: “The people also cast lots, to bring one of 10 to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts in the other cities. And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 11:1-2) Among the villages and cities to which the exiles had returned was Adullam, mentioned nearly half a dozen times in the Bible. It was situated in the Judean Plains between Beit Shemesh and Beit Guvrin, in an area blessed with rolling green hills, rich natural foliage, picturesque, fertile vales and stunning views.
We know that area today as the Adullam Region, named for the ancient Jewish city. During the Second Temple era, when the Judean Plains were the hub of Jewish settlement, two sites in the Adullam Region were among the largest of the densely populated Jewish communities. Today they are known as Itri and Burgin.
Fifteen years ago, the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael- Jewish National Fund realized that the Adullam Region – long abandoned and neglected – needed protection if its unadulterated natural beauty and Jewish legacy were to be preserved.
In cooperation with nearby settlements, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the KKL-JNF began developing the landscape, preparing roads and trails, and initiating excavations at Itri, Burgin and other ancient sites.
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the state, KKL-JNF presented the people of Israel with Adullam Park. It is a huge park in the Judean Plains that extends across some 5,000 hectares. Visitors to JNF’s France Adullam Park can follow easy hiking trails to amazing archeological sites dating back well over 2,000 years, drive through breathtaking landscapes, clamber through all manner of caves, and even take one of two 23-kilometer bicycle trails that lead in and out of the antiquities.
Here is a suggested day trip that is both fun and exciting. The trails, while not at all difficult, are sometimes rocky and are not suitable for canes or wheelchairs.
YOU START your day with a very short hike to the Itri Ruins (Hurvat Itri), and end with a circular trail at Hurvat Burgin. Be sure to bring suitable shoes and strong flashlights. Take Highway 38 and turn onto Route 3544 in the direction of Tzafririm and Givat Yeshayahu. You will spot the sign for the park almost immediately. Turn right into the park.
The trail marked in green is the main route and takes you through marvelous scenery to the attractions. A large picnic site, the only one in the park, is located along this road. The signs are only in Hebrew, but at least the numbers within the sites are in English.
When you reach a blue-marked road on your left, follow it to a dirt road with a small signpost, a picture of antiquities, and an arrow leading to Hirbet Itri (in Hebrew only). Follow this road to a parking lot. Then begin a mild ascent on a short rocky path – once the Roman road – to the ruins), located on a hill 406 meters above sea level.
The hill is partially covered with carob, terebinth and oak trees, offering some shade. To the right of the path, view ruins from a group of houses dating back at least 2,000 years.
Everything in this little neighborhood seems to have been very well planned, with rows of rooms surrounding interior courtyards and featuring sturdy exterior walls.
Soon you will reach a much larger residential area.
In the first century CE, when Itri was in its prime, its buildings were spread over a space of approximately 1.2 hectares. The residents were obviously Jewish, for among the ruins archeologists found three mikvaot (“ritual baths”) and stone vessels that were not susceptible to becoming ritually unclean and could therefore be used in kosher cooking. Other artifacts found include coins from the time of the Great Revolt and the Bar Kochba uprising.
One of the most exciting finds was discovered in a cistern. It is a pottery shard with an inscription in Hebrew that read “kfar etra” (Etra village). Considering the shard’s significance, it is unclear why the Israel Names Committee decided to officially name the site Itri instead of Etra.
Itri was destroyed during the Great Revolt against Rome (66-73 CE), and experts believe that it was the Caphethra of which contemporary Jewish-Roman historian Josephus Flavius wrote in his book Wars of the Jews. He noted that Caphethra “pretended to be a small city, and [the Roman army]... burned it down.”
A complex system of subterranean complexes and cisterns was added to Itri when it was rebuilt soon after.
These were demolished, along with the rest of the city, at the time of the Bar-Kochba Revolt against Rome (132- 135). However, in sharp contrast to what happened elsewhere, the Jewish ruins were left untouched by the next inhabitants: veterans of the Roman Legions.
At the top of the hill is a large, well-plastered mikve that was carved out of the rock. Nearby, a grotto that began as small hiding place but was later transformed into a burial cave can be visited.
From the city’s overlook there is an excellent view of the region’s rounded hills, composed of chalk and covered with lush natural foliage. It is worth taking the time to examine your surroundings carefully. Remains of other ancient villages can be seen on many of the peaks. Winding through the hills are long, twisting valleys in which, like their forefathers, today’s farmers are growing their crops.
Facing Jerusalem, the public building is the largest remaining structure at the site and is believed to have served as a combination synagogue and community center. It was erected in the period between the Great Revolt and the Bar-Kochba uprising, and boasts both pillars and capitals. On the far side of the synagogue, brave souls can descend into an underground hideaway and crawl about 40 meters to the opening on the other side.
Descent into the adjacent cistern is by way of steps carved into the rock. During excavations, 12 skeletons, reach 2,000 years old, were discovered inside. (The head of one had been chopped off by a Roman sword.) Archeologists believe that these were Jews killed during the Bar-Kochba Revolt after being smoked out of their hiding places. The soldiers who settled here apparently threw their bodies into the mikva – together with their garbage.
Past the residential area is a beautiful winepress dating to the Second Temple period. Now head back to your car and return to the scenic route. Continue until you reach the sign for Hurvat Burgin (in Hebrew).
NOW YOU are in for a different kind of experience, where you park your car and take a longer, circular hike.
Ascend the hill to the left of the big map, and follow the numbers that eventually guide you back to your car.
Itri was a compact site, and was methodically excavated. At Burgin, however, archeologists, hoping to get a taste of what lay beneath the ground, ended up digging all over the place. Among the major attractions are several fascinating caves.
Burgin has been identified with the ancient town of Bish, mentioned in both the Jerusalem and the Babylonian Talmud as a Jewish village in the time of the Maccabees. In his book Wars of the Jews, Josephus describes how the Fifth Roman Legion laid siege to the city of Bish (Caphatabira in the original Greek) because it had very strong walls.
And although they expected to have a long wait, the army was startled when “those that were within opened their gates on the sudden... and surrendered...”
Quite possibly, the city capitulated after seeing Itri – only a few kilometers away – go up in flames. Yet this meant that Burgin both remained standig, and retained its position as a major Jewish center.
Your trail passes the ruins of Hurvat Patom, a settlement which was populated for at least 1,000 years.
Rather more exciting is the next attraction – Cave of the Column, created out of the soft chalky rock sometime during the Byzantine era.
Inside, the capitals of two Greek-style, carved pillars are engraved with a cross. One of the pillars was broken during a grave robbery but has been repaired. This cave was used for Christian burial – not surprisingly, since archeologists expecting to find a synagogue at Burgin uncovered instead two large churches (not yet open to the public). Nearby, an ancient Jewish burial cave features a wide staircase descending to a beautifully carved entrance.
Soon you reach the Jackdaw Pit, named for the family of jackdaws (a type of crow) that nests inside.
Very social birds, they are also extremely vocal. Their call sounds something like “kak kak” (in Hebrew they are called ka’akim).
Fig trees peeking out of holes in the ground are actually growing inside “bell caves” that were whittled out from above. Enter a nearby bell cave to see that a hard layer of rock tops the easy-to-carveout chalk.
Continue by ascending to the top of the hill. Like the hill on which Itri was built, this one also offers a lovely view. See if you can see Tel Azeka and Gush Etzion from the top.
To reach one of Burgin’s most exciting attractions, follow the path down the hill to a staircase carved underneath the remains of a building. The steps lead into hiding caves used during the Bar-Kochba Revolt and to an area that served as both cistern and storeroom. Enjoy the striking contrast between the heat outside the cave and the cool air within.
As you go down the hill on your way back to the parking lot, you will pass a well-preserved wine press.
Stop, if you will, to imagine your forefathers – and mine – stomping grapes in this very press, or in others just like it.