The Hanut Ruins and Ein Mata

The Hanut ruins or Khirbet Hanut ("ruins of the rest place") is an archaeological site on the side of the main road from Beit Guvrin to Jerusalem. In the Byzantine period it was believed to mark the site where Goliath was buried. Excavations carried out at the site in the 1980s uncovered a Byzantine period church with a colourful mosaic floor. The Mamluks turned the church into a khan or inn known as Khirbet el-Khan, where travellers could spend the night as they made their way to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. A number of interesting artefacts have been uncovered at the site that help us understand how significant this place was at various moments in history.

A large water storage pool from Byzantine times is the first thing we saw at the site, above. The thick walls of the pool were built from large stones. The gaps between the stones were filled with smaller stones or cement. After that, the walls were plastered so that the water in the pool would not leak out.

During the Byzantine period many such pools were built in the Judaean Hills. They collected water for drinking and for irrigating orchards. This pool was the primary source of water for the khan or roadside inn.

Further along are the ruins of the Byzantine church. The floor of the main hall, which was uncovered in 2016, is covered with colourful mosaics illustrating geometric forms, grapes and icons of animals. It is 10x4.25m in size and is based on 1×1cm stones. The eastern edge of the mosaic contained a two-line black and white dedicatory inscription in Greek. It was removed in order to safeguard it. The mosaic was probably the victim of iconoclasm in ancient times. The human and animal figures were destroyed by people who were against the images of humans on public spaces. Based on the Greek inscription the final completion of the church can be dated to 563, 568 or 593 BCE. The church was most likely destroyed in the 8th century BCE.

To the east of the church there is a small crypt. Excavations have revealed an entrance and steps leading down into the narrow chamber of the crypt. Inside excavators found evidence that a single sarcophagi or coffin was once located there, as indicated by its negative imprint.

Next to the church is a large winepress installation from Byzantine times, above. The winepress is composed of 3 levels. On the top level, the floor is paved with white mosaic that is probably a remnant of the 6th century Byzantine church floor. On the 2nd level is the large treading floor where the workers crushed the grapes with their feet. The 3rd level was a covered collecting pit, 1.75m deep, where the grape juice was collected after it fermented.

A short trail took us from the Hanut ruins down to the spring at Ein Mata. Ein Mata means "Spring of the Orchard". The spring is located in the valley of Zanoah and and is named after the nearby Moshav Mata. It was once called Ain Bint-Nuh, named after the daughter of Noah. The ruins of the Arab village of lower 'Allar, which existed here until 1948, are spread along the trail. Near the spring stands a Crusader structure named Salvatio, above and below. The roof is rib vault and the walls are thick. The structure was reused during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods.

Ein Mata is a small spring that is hidden under a cluster of carob and fig trees. It was a nice spot to stop for our sandwiches and to enjoy the shade. The spring itself is too small for a dip. Thick brush surrounds the spring and the irrigation channels, which once carried the water to the nearby fields. The terraced hills around the spring were once used for agriculture and are now filled with greenery: sweet and bitter almonds, olives, grapes, pomegranates, lemons, figs, walnuts, Syrian pears, carobs and hawthorns. 

Another natural spring, Ein Tanur ("Oven Spring"), is nearby but we somehow missed it! According to a local legend, Noah's oven stood there before the flood. When God destroyed the world, Noah's oven began spouting water, proving Noah's great commitment to God. When the flood was over and the water subsided, the oven forgot its original purpose and water continued to flow from it. When Noah passed by in his ark, he only saw the spring rather than his oven, so he continued his journey and finally landed on Mount Ararat.

From Ein Mata and Ein Tanur we followed the trail back up the hill to the parking area at the Hanut ruins where we had started.

* Editing to add that I have just learnt that in 2010 a terrorist attack took place in the Mata forest. Susan Logan, an American Christian, was murdered and Kay Wilson, a British-born Israeli citizen, was critically injured. Sadly this attack is an important part of the history of the area.

** This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Our World Tuesday and My Corner of the World.