Adullam-France Park (), 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 () is a city council (Israel), city located approximately west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District. A center of Haredi Judaism and Modern Orthodoxy, Beit Shemesh has a population of 170,683 as of 2024. The city is named afte ...

. 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 () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous ...

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. The genus is sometimes considered synonymous to ''Poterium''. The sole species within this genus, ''Sarcopoterium spinosum'', is common to the southeast Mediterranean region a ...

''), oak trees (''

Quercus calliprinos ''Quercus coccifera'', the kermes oak or commonly known as Palestine oak, is an oak shrub or tree in section (botany), section ''List of Quercus species#Section Ilex, Ilex'' of the genus. It has many Synonym (taxonomy), synonyms, including ''Quer ...

''), 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 isl ...

''), 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, which takes the form of seed pods, and as an orname ...

'') and buckthorns (''

Rhamnus lycioides ''Rhamnus lycioides'', the black hawthorn, European buckthorn, or Mediterranean buckthorn, is a shrub up to about 1.5-4 metres tall in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It is found in the Mediterranean region, in southern Europe and northern Afr ...

''), 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. The definition ...

(

anemones ''Anemone'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are native to the temperate and subtropical regions of all regions except Australia, New Zealand, and ...

, cyclamens, almond blossoms and asphodels), all within the purlieu of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. 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 once numbered among the thirty-six cities of Canaan whose kings "Joshua and the children of Israel smote" (Joshua 12:7–24). After that, it fell as an inheritance to the tribe of Judah and was included in the nort ...

Horvat 'Ethri Horvat 'Ethri (; also spelled ''Hurvat Itri, Ethri, Atari''), or Umm Suweid (Arabic for "mother of the buckthorns"), is an archaeological site situated in the Judean Lowlands in modern-day Israel. Excavations at the site have uncovered the remain ...

, '' 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 Adullam Grove Nature Reserve () 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 v ...

. Remnants of other ancient settlements are known to dot the hilltop landscape. The park is run jointly by the

Jewish National Fund The Jewish National Fund (JNF; , ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael''; previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') is a non-profit organizationProfessor Alon Tal, The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion ...

(JNF – KKL), the

Israel Nature and Parks Authority The Israel Nature and Parks Authority (, ; ) is an Israeli government organization that manages nature reserves and national parks in Israel, the Golan Heights and parts of the West Bank. The organization was founded in April 1998, merging two o ...

(INPA) and the

Israel Antiquities Authority The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, ; , before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservatio ...

(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 (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing 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, ...

Etymology

The park takes its name from the biblical

, now a ruin, but where King

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

once found refuge when he fled from

Saul Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late eleventh c ...

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 bar Kokhba ( ) or Simon bar Koseba ( ), commonly referred to simply as Bar Kokhba, was a Jewish military leader in Judaea (Roman province), Judea. He lent his name to the Bar Kokhba revolt, which he initiated against the Roman Empire in 1 ...

era, a Roman villa,

columbarium A columbarium (; pl. columbaria), also called a cinerarium, is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns holding cremated remains of the dead. The term comes from the Latin ''columba'' (dove) and originally solel ...

(

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

), among other things. Until 1948, the Palestinian Arab village Khirbat Umm Burj was here. * Horvat 'Ethri (), a partially restored town dating back to the

Second Temple The Second Temple () was the Temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. It was constructed around 516 BCE and later enhanced by Herod ...

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

. The main entrance to the park is accessible from regional hwy. 38, some north of

Moshav A moshav (, plural ', "settlement, village") is a type of Israeli village or town or Jewish settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 and 1 ...

Givat Yeshayahu Givat Yeshayahu () 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 Regional Council. In it had a population of . History Givat Yeshayahu wa ...

, 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 th ...

. Additional places of interest in the region are the

Elah Valley The Valley of Elah, Ella Valley ("Valley of the terebinth"; from the ), or Wadi es-Sunt (), is a long, shallow valley in the Shephelah area of Israel. It is best-known from the Hebrew Bible incident where David defeated Goliath (1 Samuel 17:2 an ...

Britannia Park Britannia Park (Hebrew: Park Britannia, פארק בריטניה) is a forest and recreation area in Israel, in the Judean lowland. The forest was planted by the Jewish National Fund starting in the 1950s, and with the financial aid of Britis ...

and the Luzit 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