Adullam-France Park ( he, פארק עדולם-צרפת ), also known as Parc de France-Adoulam, is a sprawling park of (ca. 12,350 acres) in the Central District of Israel, located south of

Beit Shemesh Beit Shemesh ( he, בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ ) is a city located approximately west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District, with a population of in . History Tel Beit Shemesh The small archaeological tell northeast of the modern city wa ...

. The park, established in 2008 for public recreation, features two major hiking and biking trails, and four major archaeological sites from the Second Temple period. It stretches between ''Naḥal Ha-Elah'' (Highway 375), its northernmost boundary, to ''Naḥal Guvrin'' (Highway 35), its southernmost boundary. To its west lies the Beit Guvrin-Beit Shemesh highway, and to its east the " green line" – now territories under joint Israeli-

Palestinian Arab Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

control – which marks its limit.

Park features

The park's main attraction is its pristine, unspoiled beauty; gently rolling limestone hills clad in natural Mediterranean vegetation of underbrush (''

Sarcopoterium ''Sarcopoterium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. ...

''), oak trees (''

Quercus calliprinos ''Quercus calliprinos'' is an oak classified as part of the ''Ilex'' section of the genus growing in the Mediterranean climate zone, mainly on limestone, in mid-elevations, often dominating the flora, alongside terebinths (''Pistacia terebinthu ...

''), lentisk (''

Pistacia lentiscus ''Pistacia lentiscus'' (also lentisk or mastic) is a dioecious evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus ''Pistacia'' native to the Mediterranean Basin. It grows up to tall and is cultivated for its aromatic resin, mainly on the Greek islan ...

''), carobs (''

Ceratonia siliqua The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and lands ...

'') and buckthorns (''

Rhamnus lycioides ''Rhamnus lycioides'', the black hawthorn, European buckthorn, or Mediterranean buckthorn, is a shrub up to about 1 metre tall in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It is found in the Mediterranean region, in southern Europe and northern Africa ...

''), including seasonal flowers endemic to the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...

(

anemones ''Anemone'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family (biology), family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are Native plant, native to the Temperate climate, temperate and Subtropics, subtrop ...

, cyclamens,

almond blossoms ''Almond Blossoms'' is a group of several paintings made in 1888 and 1890 by Vincent van Gogh in Arles and Saint-Rémy, southern France of blossoming almond trees. Flowering trees were special to van Gogh. They represented awakening and hope. ...

and asphodels), all within the purlieu of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. The hills are interspersed with low-lying riverine brooks. A section of the park has been planted with pine forests by early Jewish immigrants who settled in the Lachish region at the founding of the State. The park is replete with a picnic area, a lookout point and marked trails for hikers and bikers. The main bike trail, known as the ''Kanim Single Track'', is made in the form of a loop and extends to a full 23-kilometers, traversing the park from west to east, and is suitable for experienced cyclists with a moderate level of technical ability. The other bike trail is known as the ''Illegal Resident's Trail''. Within the confines of the park are four principal archaeological sites of historical importance:

Adullam Adullam () is an ancient ruin, formerly known by the Arabic appellation ''ʿAīd el Mâ'' (or ''`Eîd el Mieh''), built upon a hilltop overlooking the Valley of Elah, Elah Valley, straddling the Green Line (Israel), Green Line between Israel and ...

Hurvat Itri Horvat 'Ethri ( he, חורבת עתרי; alt. spellings: Hurvat Itri, Ethri, Atari), Hebrew for "Ethri ruin", Arabic name: Umm Suweid ("mother of the buckthorns"), is an archaeological site situated in the Judean Lowlands in modern-day Israel. E ...

, '' Ḥurvat Burjin'' (Burgin ruins) and ''Ḥurvat Madras'' (Midras ruins), including two lesser known archaeological sites, ''Ḥurvat Kanim'' and '' Ḥurvat Rebbo'', and the Adullam Grove Nature Reserve. Remnants of other ancient settlements are known to dot the hilltop landscape. The park is run jointly by the

Jewish National Fund Jewish National Fund ( he, קֶרֶן קַיֶּימֶת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael'', previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Syria (later Mandatory Palestine, and subseq ...

(JNF – KKL), the

Israel Nature and Parks Authority The Israel Nature and Parks Authority ( he, רשות הטבע והגנים ''Rashut Hateva Vehaganim''; ar, سلطة الطبيعة والحدائق) is an Israeli government organization that manages nature reserves and national parks in Israel, ...

(INPA) and the

Israel Antiquities Authority The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, he, רשות העתיקות ; ar, داﺌرة الآثار, before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of ...

(IAA), and has a visitors' center with guided tours run by the Kfar Etzion Field School. The park also caters to limited agricultural needs, such as in

viniculture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

Etymology

The park takes its name from the biblical

, now a ruin, but where King

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

once found refuge when he fled from

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...

Main archaeological sites

PikiWiki Israel 12061 Colombarium cave in Hirbat Midras

* Ḥurvat Burgin (), a site maintained by the JNF (KKL) in Israel, and where extensive archaeological excavations have been conducted. The site features ancient burial tombs, and a labyrinth of underground hiding places believed to have been associated with the

Bar Kokhba Simon ben Koseba or Cosiba ( he, שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר כֹסֵבָא, translit= Šīmʾōn bar Ḵōsēḇaʾ‎ ; died 135 CE), commonly known as Bar Kokhba ( he, שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר כּוֹכְבָא‎, translit=Šīmʾōn bar ...

era, a Roman villa,

columbarium A columbarium (; pl. columbaria) is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns, holding cremated remains of the deceased. The term can also mean the nesting boxes of pigeons. The term comes from the Latin "'' colu ...

(dovecote), among other things. Until 1948, the Palestinian Arab village

Khirbat Umm Burj Khirbat Umm Burj was a Palestinian people, Palestinian Arab village in the Hebron Subdistrict, Mandatory Palestine, Hebron Subdistrict, sometimes designated in modern maps as ''Burgin''. Its ruins are today located within the borders of Israel. I ...

was here. * Ḥurvat Itri (), a partially restored town dating back to the

Second Temple The Second Temple (, , ), later known as Herod's Temple, was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem between and 70 CE. It replaced Solomon's Temple, which had been built at the same location in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited ...

period, with a public building believed to be a synagogue, ritual baths, wine presses and caves. * Ḥurvat Midras (Madras) (), an archaeological site south of Jerusalem and dating back to the Bar-Kokhba era, replete with no less than 56 caves and cisterns. The site also abounds with over twenty underground passages, one of which connecting three older cisterns with 50 meters of tunnels, and another connected by 90 meters of tunnels, an ancient burial site with sarcophagus, and a large columbarium. A survey of the site was conducted in 2010 by Amir Ganor and Alon Klein, on behalf of the

(IAA). The site is located within the Adullam Grove Nature Reserve. The main entrance to the park is accessible from regional hwy. 38, some north of

Moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...

Givat Yeshayahu Givat Yeshayahu ( he, גִּבְעַת יְשַׁעְיָהוּ, ''lit.'' Yeshayahu Hill) is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Valley of Elah around ten kilometres south of Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Reg ...

, about south of

. The park houses a visitors' center and an archaeological garden, held in offices run by the JNF (KKL) in conjunction with the

(IAA). The offices are open Mondays thru Thursdays, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. In it are found artifacts and relics of Israel's distant past for the public's viewing, such as olive presses, ancient milestones, millstones and

ossuaries An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the ...

. Additional places of interest in the region are the

Elah Valley The Valley of Elah or Ella Valley ("the valley of the terebinth"; from the he, עמק האלה ''Emek HaElah''), called in ar, وادي السنط, Wadi es-Sunt, is a long, shallow valley in Israel and the West Bank best known as the place des ...

, Britannia Park and the

Luzit Luzit ( he, לוּזִית, ''lit.'' Almond Tree) is a moshav in central Israel. Located between Beit Shemesh and Kiryat Gat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The village wa ...

Caves. In 2010, a survey of the Adullam-France Park was conducted by Noygborn Hagit on behalf of

(IAA).

Excavators and Excavations Permit for Year 2010
Survey Permit # A-5821

Gallery

File:Rappelling in Columbarium at Hurvat Burgin.jpg, Child rappelling in an underground vault with columbarium (dovecote) at Park File:Entrance to cave at Hurvat Burgin.jpg, Entrance to large cave in the Adullam-France Park File:'מערת העמוד' ב'שביל חורבת בורגין'.jpg, Cave of the columns, Hurvat Burgin File:Columbarium at Midras Ruins, Israel.jpg, A columbarium in the Midras ruins File:Tombstone in the Midras Ruins (Israel).jpg, Entrance to a tomb at the Midras ruins File:View of Itri ruins (Israel).jpg, View of Itri ruins File:Exploring a cave at the Midras Ruin.jpg, Exploring a tunnel in the Midras Ruin File:Columbarium.jpg, Columbarium at the Midras Ruin File:Landscape of Judea.jpg, General landscape of the Adullam-France Park File:Razed structure at Midras Ruin.jpg, Ruins at the site of Khirbet Midras File:Welcome to the Adullam-France Park.jpg, The entrance to the Adullam-France Park File:Niche in Columbarium for pigeons.jpg, Niche in columbarium, at the Midras ruin

References

External links

Nature and Parks Authority Official Site

Adullam Park Map

The Jewish National Fund (KKL)
Adullam-France Park: A Green Event Amid the Splendor of Nature {{authority control National parks of Israel Land management in Israel Forestry in Israel Nature conservation in Israel Mateh Yehuda Regional Council Archaeological sites in Israel