Titura

It was unseasonably warm this last weekend and my youngest son asked whether we could go for a walk to a local hiking spot within our city, Titura Hill, or Giv'at ha-titura.
Titura Hill, an archaeological site in the heart of Modi'in, dates back to the First and Second Temple periods. On the site is a Crusader-era fortress and, with it's rare flowers and grassy areas, the hill is perfect for picnicking and exploring. Pottery with impressions of a cross, as well as pottery with the Hebrew letters yud, hey and daled (indicating a Persian Jewish community’s presence) has been discovered there and the ancient water cisterns create perfect conditions for the flowers and plants to blossom.
The photos above are just a small sample of some of the beautiful flowers and plants we spotted there. The anemones, cyclamen (the national flower of Israel) and almond trees were in full bloom and we had a wonderful time wandering off the paths, though careful to avoid stepping on the flowers, to see what we could find.
Though Titura hill is of significant archaeological value, there is a constant threat from the Housing Authority to build on the hill. My son and I love it up there and so I pray that this will never happen. We are very lucky to have this wonderful green area on our doorstep and I really hope that the entire area will be preserved for many years to come.