Hurvat Rimon and Tel Ayalon

In hidden corners of the JNF forests and sites throughout Israel, sprouting alongside tree roots, there are also other, historical, roots, which tell the story of ancient Israel. In recent years the JNF with the assistance of the Antiquities Authority has opened and upgraded dozens of archaeological sites and prepared them for visitors.

Hurvat Rimon lies in the Judea Plain, on the edge of Lahav forest, about half a kilometer south of Kibbutz Lahav. The hill, 1500 feet in height, on top of which lie the ruins overlooks Yaval valley, whose fertile lands provided the main source of livelihood for the settlement. The remnants of the ancient settlement which once existed here, including many caves, are spread over about 25 acres.

The synagogue

The synagogue is the most impressive construction in the site, and about the only one on it that was dug. It was founded in the 3rd century over an older public building, the use of is not clear. A base in the east of the synagogue with three ledges of pillars is what remains of that older building. Fragments of decorated architectural artifacts, such as frame-heads and headstones, were used in building the renewed synagogue in the 6th century.

Before, the synagogue was surrounded by a large, rectangular area (100 by 110 feet large). The synagogue was set in the north-west corner of the enclosure, and around it rooms were constructed. Some of the room walls still stand at 10 feet tall. Adjacent to the synagogue and to its west is an elongated space purposely filled with dirt. Diggers found many dozens of bronze pieces and jewelry in the dirt. The most exciting finding from that dirt was 2 pieces of pottery which together held 47 gold coins from the 4th and 5th centuries.

The remains visible today are mostly of the 6th century synagogue. Two columns of pillars, each with 3 pillars, divided the structure into a main hall and two smaller flanks. The pillar foundations are clearly visible today as well. The synagogue’s elaborate floor was laid in the end of the 6th century. It is made of stone slabs carefully places in straight rows. Five rosettes with six petals and a seven-branched menorah in each rosette were carved into the center of the floor.

Additional sites in Lahav Forest

Hurvat Abu Hof – in the slopes below Karal lookout point. The ruins contain remains of a settlement from the Byzantine period including two churches from the 6th and 7th centuries, whose pillars are laid on the ground. The southern church had an underground room which probably held a sacred artifact. The ruins also include a dovecote structure which is unique because it was built of stone, and not carved in the rock, as most of the area dovecotes are.

Tel Halif – researchers recognize this location, north of Kibbutz Lahav, as the biblical Rimon, before the settlement moved to Hurvat Rimon. The settlement is mentioned as part of the land of Simeon (Joshua 19:7).

Remains of a bastioned town were found on the mound, probably from the early bronze period. A large city probably existed here in the early Israeli period, and was most likely destroyed in the journeys of Sennacherib, king of Assyria (701 BC). Remains of later settlements were also discovered in the site. The trenches seen in the site are Turkish entrenchments from the World War I.

Hurvat Halif – tools from the Egyptian period were found, and there are nearby Jewish burial caves from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, proof of Jewish life in the area after the Bar-Kokheva insurrection.

How to get there

The road to Lahav (route 3255) branches off the Beit Kama – Beer Sheva road (route 40). Pass Dvir and reach the road into Lahav forest (between the 8th and 9th km marker).

Tel Ayalon

Ayalon Valley’s natural endowments made it a desirable location since ancient times. Other than the fertile land and abounding springs, the place was renowned for its strategic use, as it dominated the road from the coast to Beit Horon and Jerusalem. Many battles were fought over control of the valley. One of the most famous battles was Joshua’s war against the Canaanites, ending with the famous cry: “Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ayalon” (Joshua 10:12).

This mound holds the ruins of the settlement recognized as biblical Ayalon, a town in the land of the Dan tribe (Joshua 19:42), which gave the entire valley its name. Several wells were dug at the foot of the mound. Ayalon is mentioned in writing in the el-Amarna letters of Egypt (14th century BC). Later, King Rehoboam fortified the city as one of the chain of fortified cities around Judah.

Tel Ayalon is also the location of the remains of the Crusader fortress Castellum Arnoldi, built by the Crusader king Foulques d'Anjou as part of the system for defending the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem. The fort dominates the north of the Ayalon valley. Parts of the fort visible today include part of the west wall and a small section of the south wall.

A lovely area with terraces and orchards lies at the foot of the mound. Tel Ayalon can be reached by the “Tamar Way”, a dirt path marked in black which branches off from the paved road surrounding the spring valley.

The spring valley

A valley about a mile in length which includes remains of the water system of the Roman city Emmaus. Two aqueducts in the valley were built in the late Roman perios (the 3rd and 4th centuries). They are made of links of stone along which a tunnel was dug. The top aqueduct begins at Hurvat Akad and the lower aqueduct begins at the underground spring in Spring Valley.

Throughout the entire way ancient relics and carved wine-presses can be found. “The Roman Tomb”, a family burial plot carved into the rock, is of special interest.

Orchard trees grow along the walking path, mostly fig, olive, pomegranate and vines. The trail ends at the Palm Spring (Ein Nini), a spring flowing from a carved tunnel built of stone. The tunnel is part of an early watering work, probably fro the Byzantine period. In present days, the spring waters flow in a short aqueduct to a recreational lake.

Sheikh ibn Jabal

A tomb commemorates the legendary Muslim warlord ibn Jabal, who, according to tradition, perished in the plague which erupted among the Mulsim forces of Emmaus (639 AD). An inscription on the entrance to the tomb shows that the structure was built by the Mameluke head of the Jerusalem fort in 1288. There is a beautiful view of the coastline from here.

Bathhouse

Close to the park’s entrance there is a bathhouse from the Roman period which remains almost completely intact. An aqueduct brought water from the springs to the bathhouse. The Arab name of the place is Sheikh Obeid. According to Arab tradition Sheikh Obeid, the leader of the Muslim army, dies in the 7th century in the plague of Emmaus. For safety reasons, entry to the bathhouse is forbidden.

How to get there

From the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway turn at the Latrun junction in the direction of Mevo Horon and Ramallah (route 3). Ayalon Park lies to the right and left of the road, about 1 km (less than one mile) from the intersection.