Adullam Grove Nature Reserve
שמורת טבע חורש עדולם
LocationCentral Israel
Nearest cityBeit Shemesh
Coordinates31°39′08″N 34°57′22″E / 31.6522848°N 34.95609°E / 31.6522848; 34.95609
Area6,532 dunams (6.532 km2; 2.522 sq mi)
Established1994

Adullam Grove Nature Reserve (Hebrew: שמורת טבע חורש עדולם) is a nature reserve in central Israel, south of Beit Shemesh, managed by the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority.

The park is full with archaeological sites, including a number of ruins of rural villages with findings from the late Second Temple period and the Jewish–Roman wars, Byzantine-period Christian churches, as well as remains from earlier and later times.

Nature reserve

Ruins of Byzantine church, Khirbet Midras, 2010

The reserve was established in 1994, covering 5,380 dunams (5.38 km2; 2.08 sq mi) and was extended to include another 1,152 dunams (1.152 km2; 0.445 sq mi) in 2004.[1] The reserve was declared in order to protect Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub that grow naturally in the area.

Colombarium at Hurvat Midras

Archaeology

Horvat Midras[2] (Hebrew) or Khirbet Midras (Arabic), sometimes spelled Madras, dated to the 10th century BCE until approximately the 4th century CE, is located within the boundaries of the reserve.[3] Burial caves, hiding tunnels and caves used during the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132-135 CE, a columbarium, and a burial pyramid were discovered at the site.[4]

Horvat 'Ethri - remains of a partially restored Jewish village from the Second Temple period and the Bar Kokhba revolt,[5] containing mikvehs, a synagogue, wine presses, and burial caves.

Hurvat Borgyn - remains of a 2nd-century CE settlement, including fortifications, wells, burial caves, a wine press, and other agriculture oriented finds.

Hurvat Lavnin (Kh. Tell el-Beida) - remains of an ancient settlement, Potsherds and coins discovered indicate that it was inhabited from the Iron Age through the early Roman period, the Bar Kokhba revolt and the Byzantine period. The site features four hiding complexes typical of early Roman period Judaea, as well as burial caves dating from the Late Bronze and Iron Ages.[6]

Flora and fauna

Flora include Buckthorn trees (Rhamnus palaestinus), Oak trees, Greek Strawberry trees, Pistacia lentiscus trees, and various types of Cistus and Hyssop.[7]

See also

General landscape of the Adullam-France Park in Israel
The entrance to a dovecote (columbarium) in the Midras Ruin

References

  1. ↑ "List of National Parks and Nature Reserves" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  2. ↑ "Ḥorvat Midras - Church | Huji". dig.corps-cmhl.huji.ac.il. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  3. ↑ שמורת טבע חורש עדולם - חורבת מדרס [Adullam Woods nature reserve - Hurvat Midras] (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  4. ↑ Madras ruins in Park Adullam
  5. ↑ Boaz Zissu & Amir Ganor, Horvat Ethri — A Jewish Village from the Second Temple Period and the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the Judean Foothills, Journal of Jewish Studies 60 (1), Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, London 2009, pp. 92—96.
  6. ↑ איתן קליין, אמיר גנור, גדעון גולדנברג, אילן חדד ואיילת לוי-רייפר (2023). "חורבת לַבְנין". חדשות ארכיאולוגיות (in Hebrew) (13).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ "Adullam Nature Reserve" (in Hebrew). iNature.info. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
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