The Itri Ruins

I have often been asked over the years why I do so much running around with the kids. Why do I use each school holiday to take them to places of interest, museums and on hikes? Why not just stay home and relax? Well, apart from the fact that I learnt from my Mum that all the running around is only a good thing and is eventually acknowledged as worthwhile, this Chanukah break taught me that the window of opportunity is only short. The kids have gone back to school today after almost a week at home and we have done very little this holiday. My eldest, now in his mid-teens, had homework and revision to do. The youngest came out with us one day, but turned his nose up when I suggested a biking trip to Hurvat Itri, also known as the Itri ruins, because apparently we are too slow! Mister Handmade in Israel and I went anyway. We probably were quite slow, but we had a lovely time!

We hired bikes from TrailHead in Moshav Tzafririm, near Bet Shemesh and, acknowledging that we are indeed beginners and yes, pretty slow, we looked at a map of the area and chose an easy route to the Itri ruins and back. It was perfect.

The Itri ruins are the remains of a Second Temple village which was inhabited by Jews for about 800 years. The site is located within the Adulam Park, in the Judean Hills, and derives its name from the ancient Jewish village of Kfar Atra. The Judean Hills were first settled by the Israelite tribe of Judah during the 12th century B.C.E., and then became densely populated by the Jewish people between the 1st century B.C.E. to the 1st century C.E. The village of Atra was a rural Jewish settlement and was at its largest just before it was destroyed by the Romans in 69 C.E. The Jewish people returned and rebuilt their village but then came a second revolt, also known as the Bar Kochba Revolt, which lasted from 132-135 C.E. In the end the Jewish population was beaten and their villages and towns were destroyed.

The Itri ruins, located on a hilltop, were excavated in 2000-2001 by the Israeli Antiquities Authority. The site was recognized as Kfar Atra when an ostracon was found with the inscription 'Atra'. This was probably used as a sort of agricultural receipt. Pottery and coins from the time period of the big rebellion were also found at the site, as well as earthenware candles with Jewish designs and much more. The ruins include embossed burial caves, mikvaot or Jewish ritual baths, a large public building which may have functioned as a synagogue or as a meeting place, a wine press and an oil press. It has been documented that bone remains of 15 people which were buried together with their belongings were found in these ruins. At least one of them was headless because of a sword swing.

We left our bikes at the bottom of the hill and walked up to the ruins, where we walked around between the rocky walls, and enjoyed the view overlooking the valley and hills. The route to the ruins, all on covered roads, had proved ideal for us. It was relatively easy cycling, winding between some gentle hills and fields, but mainly on the flat. After a packed lunch and a walk around, we returned to the main path and literally whizzed down the hill, back to Moshav Tzafririm. That bit was really fun!
We ended our visit at the nearby Adulam Farm, which we had spotted en route. There we treated ourselves to delicious sachlav (sahlab in Arabic), a thick milk-based drink traditionally made with orchid tubers, which is the quintessential warm winter drink of the region. Sitting in the winter sunshine, we enjoyed our drinks sprinkled with cinnamon, crushed walnuts and dried coconut.
The kids missed out big time!