| Khirbat el-‘Ora | |
| Native Name: | Hebrew: ח'רבת אל ע'ורה |
| Map Type: | Israel |
| Relief: | yes |
| Map Dot Label: | Khirbat el-‘Ora |
| Coordinates: | 32.1283°N 34.8158°W |
| Location: | Ramat HaSharon, Tel Aviv District, Israel |
| Region: | Southern Levant, Middle East |
| Type: | Settlement |
| Built: | 2nd-4th century |
| Abandoned: | 10th century |
| Excavations: | 2021 |
| Archaeologists: | Yoav Arbel |
Khirbat el-‘Ora (Hebrew:) is an archaeological site within the modern city of Ramat HaSharon in the Tel Aviv District of Israel.[1] Salvage excavations were conducted on the site in 2021, revealed remains of an industrial and agricultural settlement that existed from the 2nd to 10th centuries AD. The municipality of Ramat HaSharon plans to incorporate the site in a public park.[2]
The site was excavated in 2021 by the Israel Antiquities Authority, under the supervision of Yoav Arbel, prior to the construction of a new residential quarter and park in its area.
The excavations revealed remains of an industrial settlement. The principal remains are of wine and olive-presses. One structured was identified as either a farmstead, a warehouse or a public building while the settlement itself was not identified. The earliest datable finds are from the Roman period (2nd century), though they are meager and found in limited locations. Most of the finds are dated to the Byzantine period and it seemed the buildings were erected in the 4th century, and the site reached its peak in the 7th century. There is partial evidence that would suggest the activity at the site was reduced because of the Samaritan revolts in the 6th century. The activity at the site continued during the Umayyad period (7th-8th centuries), though it declined. The dwellings of this period were identified, as well as a glass workshop. In the Abbasid period, all of the previous structures from Byzantine times were abandoned, and new ones were constructed. Now, it became agriculturally oriented, mostly involved with growing cereals. It exited until abandonment in the 10th century.