![Nahal Sorek as seen from atop Hurvat Tura](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Nahal_Sorek_as_seen_from_atop_Hurvat_Tura.jpg)
Naḥal Sorek ( he, נחל שורק, translation=Brook of Sorek; ar, وادي الصرار, translit=Wadi al-Sirar), also Soreq, is one of the largest, most important drainage basins in the
Judean Hills
The Judaean Mountains, or Judaean Hills ( he, הרי יהודה, translit=Harei Yehuda) or the Hebron Mountains ( ar, تلال الخليل, translit=Tilal al-Khalīl, links=, lit=Hebron Mountains), is a mountain range in Palestine and Israel wh ...
. It is mentioned in the
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges (, ') is the seventh book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. In the narrative of the Hebrew Bible, it covers the time between the conquest described in the Book of Joshua and the establishment of a kingdom ...
16:4 of the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
as the border between the ancient
Philistines
The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek (LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, whe ...
and the
Tribe of Dan
The Tribe of Dan (, "Judge") was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, according to the Torah. They were allocated a coastal portion of land when the people of Israel entered the Promised Land, later moving northwards.
Biblical narrative
In th ...
of the ancient
Israelites
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...
. It is known in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
as Wadi es-Sarār, sometimes spelled Surar,
and by various names along different segments, such as Wadi
Qalunya
Qalunya ( ar, قالونيا, also transliterated Qaluniya) was a Palestinian village located west of Jerusalem.
Prior to the village's destruction in 1948, with the exception of 166 dunams, Qalunya's land was privately owned: 3,594 dunams were o ...
near
Motza
Motza, also Mozah or Motsa, ( he, מוֹצָא, ar, موتسا) is a neighbourhood on the western edge of West Jerusalem. It is located in the Judean Hills, 600 metres above sea level, connected to Jerusalem by the Jerusalem–Tel Aviv highway ...
,
Wadi al-Tahuna, and Nahr
Rubin
Rubin is both a surname and a given name. Rubins is a Latvian-language form of the name. As a Jewish name, it derives from the biblical name Reuben. The choice is also influenced by the word ''rubin'' meaning "ruby" is some languages. further downstream.
Etymology
Folk etymology mentioned in the
Midrash
''Midrash'' (;["midrash"]
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
(''Numbers Rabbah'' 9) states that the ''sorek'' is a "fruitless tree" (the word ריק ''req'' means "empty" in Hebrew), implying a moral lesson and
metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...
suggesting that Samson's involvement in his affair with Delilah was eventually "fruitless".
Etymology suggests that "sorek" means "special vine" and refers to the
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...
s and
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
s grown in the area.
In the Bible
Nahal Sorek was the place where
Delilah
Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label= Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved ...
lived, and
Samson
Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...
came to meet her for the first time. It was also the place she enticed him to tell her the secret of his strength, and where he was eventually captured by the Philistines:
Land property along the river
In 1921, lands that bounded Nahal Sorek (''Wadi es Surar / Wad Issarar'') which passed to the south of
Artuf
Artuf ( ar, عرتوف ) was a Palestinian village in the Jerusalem foothills depopulated in 1948. It was situated west of Jerusalem on a high plateau, surrounded by plains on the south, east, and west. The village was on a secondary road that ...
were designated as "Mara land," meaning, pasture land reserved primarily for the use of the adjoining villages.
Road and railway
![NahalSorekStation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/NahalSorekStation.jpg)
In the 19th century, Nahal Sorek served as an important connection between the two major cities in the area,
Jaffa and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. Because railways at the time were reliant on water sources, several surveyors who planned the first railway in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
, the
Jaffa–Jerusalem line, decided to use Nahal Sorek as the main route for the line. The line was inaugurated in 1892, following Nahal Sorek until its junction with the
Valley of Rephaim The Valley of Rephaim ( he, עמק רפאים, ''Emeq Rephaim'') (; , R.V.) or Valley of the Rephaim,Jerusalem Bible (1966) adds "the": 1 Chronicles 14:9 is a valley descending southwest from Jerusalem to Nahal Sorek below, it is an ancient route f ...
, after which it follows the Valley of Rephaim into Jerusalem. While the
Tel Aviv-to-Jerusalem high-speed railway line is designed to avoid the Nahal Sorek route and shorten the line, the older railway along Nahal Sorek has been refurbished and remains in use. It connects the country's two largest cities and its main international airport, running in a westerly-easterly direction between
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
,
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport, ; ar, مطار بن غوريون الدولي , commonly known by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod, it is th ...
,
Lod,
Ramla
Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations.
The city was f ...
,
Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem. However, today the rail line mainly serves as a scenic route used by tourists. Several small water reservoirs exist along its route, notably near
Tal Shahar and
Yesodot
Yesodot ( he, יְסוֹדוֹת, ''lit.'' Foundations) is a Haredi moshav shitufi in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Nahal Sorek Regional Council. In it had a population of .
History
The village was ...
. Waterfalls are located on several of its tributaries, including Ayanot Dekalim in
Beit Shemesh, Ein Sifla on Nahal HaMe'ara, and others.
Nature Reserve
The Nahal Sorek Nature Reserve, first declared in 1965, and since expanded, spans over 11000
dunams, from the
Avshalom Cave
Avshalom Cave ( he, מערת אבשלום, Me'arat Avshalom), known in academic literature as Soreq Cave ( he, מערת שׂורק, Me'arat Soreq), ar, مغارة سوريك, Mghar Suriq) an popularly as Stalactites Cave ( he, מערת הנטי ...
Nature Reserve near Beit Shemesh, to
moshav Nes Harim.
Desalination plants
Near the mouth of the Sorek River are two large seawater
desalination plants, Palmachim and Sorek, the latter being, when used at full capacity, the largest of its kind in the world (as of 2013).
[Sales, Ben (May 30, 2013]
With desalination, a once unthinkable water surplus is possible
''The Times of Israel''
Gallery
File:Nahal Sorek.jpg, Distant mountain rising above Nahal Sorek
File:Steep mountain slopes rising above Nahal Sorek.jpg, Forested mountains above Nahal Sorek
Image:ValleyOfSorek.jpg, Running waters of brook in Nahal Sorek
File:General view of Nahal Sorek as seen from Tur Shimon eastward.jpg, Looking towards the east from Tur Shimon
File:View of Tur Shimon (Hurvat Tura) in Nahal Sorek.jpg, View of Tur Shimon in Nahal Sorek
File:Ancient wall of Tur Shimon.jpg, Ancient wall of Tur Shimon (Hurvat Tura)
File:Olive press in Nahal Sorek, below Tur Shimon.jpg, Remnants of material culture in Nahal Sorek
File:Nahal Sorek seen from Horvat Tura (Tur Shimon).jpg, View of Nahal Sorek from the ruins of Tur Shimon
File:Hurvat Tura (Tur Shimon).jpg, Tur Shimon rising from Nahal Sorek
File:Soreq026.jpg, The place where the Sorek valley empties into the sea
See also
*
Nahal Sorek Regional Council
Nahal Sorek Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית נחל שורק, ''Mo'atza Azorit Nahal Sorek'') is a regional council in the Central District of Israel. The seat of the council is Yad Binyamin. The council is named for the Sorek str ...
, administrative district in central Israel situated along Sorek Valley
*
Soreq Nuclear Research Center
Soreq Nuclear Research Center is a research and development institute situated near the localities of Palmachim and Yavne in Israel. It operates under the auspices of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC). History
The center conducts re ...
, a research and development institute
*
Timnah
Timnath or Timnah was a Philistine city in Canaan that is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in and in connection with Samson. Modern archaeologists identify the ancient site with a tell lying on a flat, alluvial plain, located in the Sorek Valle ...
, Philistine city mentioned in the Bible, identified with Tel Batash in the Sorek Valley
*
Zorah
Zorah ( he, צרעה) or Tzorah (), was a biblical town in the Judaean Foothills. It is identified with the depopulated village of Sar'a. It has been identified with the former village of Sar'a, now often referred to as Tel Tzora.
Location
Z ...
, biblical town in Judah, identified with a site overlooking the Sorek Valley
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorek
Hebrew Bible rivers
Rivers of Israel
Geography of Israel