| Khirbet Jurish[1] | |
| Alt Name: | Hurvat Geres |
| Nearest City: | Tzur Hadassa |
| Coords: | 31.7153°N 35.0836°W |
| Established: | Hellenistic period |
Khirbet Jurish (Heb. Hurvat Geres) is an archaeological site 30km (20miles) southwest of Jerusalem. At the site that is protected by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority remains of a Jewish village were found, dating to the Second Temple period.[2] [3] The ruins of the site stand on a hill to the west of Tzur Hadassa, on a mountain now called Har Kitron, along regional highway 375.
The site, surveyed by archaeologist Boaz Zissu on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, covers an area of about 40 dunams (9.8 acres) and sits at an elevation of 751m (2,464feet) above sea-level. The ruin lay adjacent to the old Jerusalem-Beit Gubrin Roman road,[4] and was visited by PEF explorers, Conder and Kitchener.[5] Three or four miqva'ot have been discovered on the site, attesting to it being an ancient Jewish settlement. The site also contains a large bottle-shaped cistern, with a depth of about 6 meters, and a bottom measuring 4.3 x 4.7 meters. Potsherds found on the site have been dated back to the Hellenistic, early Roman, and Byzantine periods.[6] On the western slope of the ruin are five rock-carved sepulchres, attesting to the site's antiquity.