Burgin is in Adullam Park in the Shefelah and is surrounded by a beautiful countryside of wooded hills and fields. Unlike the nearby village of Itri, Burgin has not been extensively excavated. However, its burial chambers, in particular, provide a window into events in the Shefelah prior to and after the Bar Kochba Revolt.
HIKE TO THE SITE OF THE ANCIENT CITY OF BURGIN
Time: About 1¼ to 1½ hours
Distance: 3¼ km
Type of walk: Circular
Difficulty: Easy walking on dirt footpaths. You will need a flashlight and appropriate clothing if you intend to walk through the caves.
Directions and starting point: Enter into Waze “חורבת בורגין”. Park on a dirt parking area by the beginning of the blue and black trails. Internet connection is not good in this part of the park. However, there are signs within the park to “חורבת בורגין” if you lose your Waze connection
Public transport: There is no close public transport.
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Scholars have suggested that Burgin was the site of a fortified town called Bish mentioned in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds from the time of the Maccabees. It is listed as being among the 24 priestly watches that served in the Temple. The city was captured by the Roman Fifth Legion during the Great Revolt and its surrender is described by Josephus in his “Wars of the Jews.” Watching nearby Etri go up in flames, the inhabitants of Bish were doubtless aware of the fate in store for them and they surrendered without a fight, to the surprise of the Romans who had anticipated a long siege. Their surrender allowed the city to flourish until the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt. Its identification with Bish is supported by the name of the Arab village Umm Burj that existed here until the 1948 War of Independence.
The fortified town of Burgin was located on top of the hill. However, there are no obvious Second Temple ruins to view, as the city was not excavated as at Etri. There are the ruins of a Byzantine church, and a portion of its mosaic floor can be seen. The extensive tunnel system close to the church are from the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt. They were intended for hiding, and many of them can be explored. There are also Jewish, Roman and Christian burial caves just outside the city.
THE HIKE:
-
From the parking area, follow the green arrow up the hill on the green-marked trail as indicated by the wooden sign pointing to שביל בורגין and שביל עדולם.
-
At the first intersection turn right onto the continuation of the green-marked trail.
The first sign you will come to (#1) is a farmhouse from the Ottoman period. It is part of the ruins of a settlement called Patom, which dates from the Byzantine period and continued until Ottoman times. There is little of interest to see here, so pass on.
-
You will pass several burial chambers from different historic periods. The first is a Christian burial chamber (#2) (מערת העמוד). Note the pillars within the chamber that have been hewn out of the chalk. The capitals are engraved with a cross. After this you will pass Jewish burial chambers from Second Temple times (#3) (מערת בית המספד). These are more difficult to enter, but they can be satisfactorily viewed from the outside. Finally, pagan Roman burial caves (#4) (מערת הבוקרניות), in which there are carved sarcophagi. Romans were either cremated at death or placed in sarcophagi.
-
At the intersection of the green, blue and red trails at the base of the hill, leave the Burgin trail and turn onto the blue-marked trail. At its beginning it has no defined path, but just a blue mark on a rock, but it will subsequently become a definite path that will lead you around the periphery of the hill and then to its top. A wooden pole with a blue mark lets you know you are on the right trail. You will pass a pool and cistern (#5) from the Ottoman period. Then a dug-out bell-shaped cave (#6), at least part of which may have been a columbarium for raising doves. Entry is not permitted, though, for safety reasons. At the top of the hill is a lookout markedתצפית (lookout) (#7) from which you can appreciate the relationship between the Shefelah and the Judean Mountain range. You will also see the ruins of a house from the Arab village of Umm Burj.
-
Follow the blue-marked trail to the center of the site (מרכז האתר), and you will come to the ruins of a Byzantine church and remnants of its mosaic floor. Below this is Entrance A to the “Hidden tunnels” (מחילת מסתור). The system is even more extensive than in Midras and there are a number of exits. These caves would have been used for the hiding during the Bar Kochba Revolt, but did not save the town from destruction.
-
Leave the site by the blue-marked trail on your left. The last sign on the trail (#10) (גת) is for a fairly well-preserved wine press. Continue on this trail to your car.
A Christian Holy Land
The Holy Land was a Christian country for almost 400 years - close to 300 years during the Byzantine period and almost 100 years during the Crusader period. Romans and then Christians took over villages and towns that had been emptied of Jews throughout the country subsequent to the Bar Kochba revolt. The construction of churches and monasteries was part of the Christian mission of making this a Christian country.
Two figures in particular were responsible for ushering Christianity into the Roman Empire and for making Palestine Christian - the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (272-337 CE) and his mother Helena.
The Roman Empire had become too big for one person alone to control and the emperor Diocletian divided his empire into four administrative regions. He appointed Constantine’s father the Cesar over the western part of his empire. Following the resignation and then death of Diocletian, a civil war ensued for control of the empire, and it took Constantine 20 years, until 324 CE, for him to eliminate his competitors and become sole ruler.
Prior to the crucial battle of Milian Bridge, Constantine, who was then a pagan, had a vision. There are different versions of what exactly he saw, but according to one version he was told that if he carried the cross as a standard he would succeed in this battle, and this is indeed what happened.
On becoming emperor, Constantine built a new capital for the Roman Empire in Byzantium, on the Straits of the Bosporus, a city which he renamed after himself – Constantinople. This would remain the capital of Byzantium for more than a thousand years until it was taken over by the Ottoman Empire and renamed Istanbul. The term Byzantium or Byzantine Empire refers to the eastern part of the Roman Empire.
Why did Constantine move the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople? He may have recognized that Rome was difficult to defend and was also far from the borders of the empire and its armies. Constantine was able to control the two parts of the empire, but his successors were not, and Rome was sacked by barbarian tribes in 410 CE.
Constantine declared himself a Christian in his 40s, but was only baptized on his deathbed. He legalized Christianity and all other religions and cults in the Roman Empire with the Edict of Milan in 313 CE and supported the Christian Church financially. Prior to this, Christianity had been a despised and persecuted religion. He also helped resolve Christian theological disputes sweeping the empire, and he summoned and presided over the Council of Nicaea, in which bishops from throughout the empire adjudicated on Christian doctrinal matters. During this council, the divinity of Jesus was formalized. This council also severed the connection between Christian holidays and the Jewish calendar, particularly in relation to the celebration of Easter, which would now be based on the Roman Julian Calendar. Sunday was also made the day of rest instead of the Jewish Sabbath. All this represented a complete break with Judaism.
If Constantine was responsible for encouraging the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire, it was his mother Helena who made Jerusalem into the Holy City of Christianity. Helena had a pagan background. She had been the consort of Constantine’s father, Constantius Chlorus, then a Roman general, although he divorced her when he became emperor and married someone more suitable to his new status. Constantine brought his mother back from her banishment. By this time, she had become an enthusiastic Christian. Constantine subsidized a trip she made to Palestine, Syria and Jerusalem, now as an Empress of the Roman Empire.
Helena was determined to find the cross upon which Jesus had been crucified. She assumed that it would be the under the temple built by Hadrian to the goddess Jupiter, as Hadrian would have wished to cover over the tomb of Jesus. Her workmen therefore dug under this temple and they did indeed find three crosses on which Jesus and two criminals had been crucified. She also identified Golgotha, where Jesus had been crucified, and Jesus’ tomb. Shrines were built above these on the orders of Constantine, as well as a church for services, and this complex would become the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. With these steps, she succeeded in establishing Jerusalem as the holy city of Christianity.
She also built the Church of Eleona on the Mount of Olives, this being the grotto where Jesus had revealed mysteries to his disciples. Constantine and his mother also commissioned a church in Bethlehem. Over the following centuries, convents, monasteries and hospices were built in Jerusalem and Christian pilgrims began flocking to the city. The Byzantines also linked other sites in the country to the Old and New Testaments, thus ensuring pilgrimages a meaningful experience in the Holy Land.
Map of circular hike to the ancient city of Burgin
Burgin is in Adullam Park in the Shefelah and is surrounded by a beautiful countryside of wooded hills and fields. Unlike the nearby village of Itri, Burgin has not been extensively excavated. However, its burial chambers, in particular, provide a window into events in the Shefelah prior to and after the Bar Kochba Revolt.
HIKE TO THE SITE OF THE ANCIENT CITY OF BURGIN
Time: About 1¼ to 1½ hours
Distance: 3¼ km
Type of walk: Circular
Difficulty: Easy walking on dirt footpaths. You will need a flashlight and appropriate clothing if you intend to walk through the caves.
Directions and starting point: Enter into Waze “חורבת בורגין”. Park on a dirt parking area by the beginning of the blue and black trails. Internet connection is not good in this part of the park. However, there are signs within the park to “חורבת בורגין” if you lose your Waze connection
Public transport: There is no close public transport.
Scholars have suggested that Burgin was the site of a fortified town called Bish mentioned in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds from the time of the Maccabees. It is listed as being among the 24 priestly watches that served in the Temple. The city was captured by the Roman Fifth Legion during the Great Revolt and its surrender is described by Josephus in his “Wars of the Jews.” Watching nearby Etri go up in flames, the inhabitants of Bish were doubtless aware of the fate in store for them and they surrendered without a fight, to the surprise of the Romans who had anticipated a long siege. Their surrender allowed the city to flourish until the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt. Its identification with Bish is supported by the name of the Arab village Umm Burj that existed here until the 1948 War of Independence.
The fortified town of Burgin was located on top of the hill. However, there are no obvious Second Temple ruins to view, as the city was not excavated as at Etri. There are the ruins of a Byzantine church, and a portion of its mosaic floor can be seen. The extensive tunnel system close to the church are from the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt. They were intended for hiding, and many of them can be explored. There are also Jewish, Roman and Christian burial caves just outside the city.
THE HIKE:
-
From the parking area, follow the green arrow up the hill on the green-marked trail as indicated by the wooden sign pointing to שביל בורגין and שביל עדולם.
-
At the first intersection turn right onto the continuation of the green-marked trail.
The first sign you will come to (#1) is a farmhouse from the Ottoman period. It is part of the ruins of a settlement called Patom, which dates from the Byzantine period and continued until Ottoman times. There is little of interest to see here, so pass on.
-
You will pass several burial chambers from different historic periods. The first is a Christian burial chamber (#2) (מערת העמוד). Note the pillars within the chamber that have been hewn out of the chalk. The capitals are engraved with a cross. After this you will pass Jewish burial chambers from Second Temple times (#3) (מערת בית המספד). These are more difficult to enter, but they can be satisfactorily viewed from the outside. Finally, pagan Roman burial caves (#4) (מערת הבוקרניות), in which there are carved sarcophagi. Romans were either cremated at death or placed in sarcophagi.
-
At the intersection of the green, blue and red trails at the base of the hill, leave the Burgin trail and turn onto the blue-marked trail. At its beginning it has no defined path, but just a blue mark on a rock, but it will subsequently become a definite path that will lead you around the periphery of the hill and then to its top. A wooden pole with a blue mark lets you know you are on the right trail. You will pass a pool and cistern (#5) from the Ottoman period. Then a dug-out bell-shaped cave (#6), at least part of which may have been a columbarium for raising doves. Entry is not permitted, though, for safety reasons. At the top of the hill is a lookout markedתצפית (lookout) (#7) from which you can appreciate the relationship between the Shefelah and the Judean Mountain range. You will also see the ruins of a house from the Arab village of Umm Burj.
-
Follow the blue-marked trail to the center of the site (מרכז האתר), and you will come to the ruins of a Byzantine church and remnants of its mosaic floor. Below this is Entrance A to the “Hidden tunnels” (מחילת מסתור). The system is even more extensive than in Midras and there are a number of exits. These caves would have been used for the hiding during the Bar Kochba Revolt, but did not save the town from destruction.
-
Leave the site by the blue-marked trail on your left. The last sign on the trail (#10) (גת) is for a fairly well-preserved wine press. Continue on this trail to your car.
A Christian Holy Land
The Holy Land was a Christian country for almost 400 years - close to 300 years during the Byzantine period and almost 100 years during the Crusader period. Romans and then Christians took over villages and towns that had been emptied of Jews throughout the country subsequent to the Bar Kochba revolt. The construction of churches and monasteries was part of the Christian mission of making this a Christian country.
Two figures in particular were responsible for ushering Christianity into the Roman Empire and for making Palestine Christian - the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (272-337 CE) and his mother Helena.
The Roman Empire had become too big for one person alone to control and the emperor Diocletian divided his empire into four administrative regions. He appointed Constantine’s father the Cesar over the western part of his empire. Following the resignation and then death of Diocletian, a civil war ensued for control of the empire, and it took Constantine 20 years, until 324 CE, for him to eliminate his competitors and become sole ruler.
Prior to the crucial battle of Milian Bridge, Constantine, who was then a pagan, had a vision. There are different versions of what exactly he saw, but according to one version he was told that if he carried the cross as a standard he would succeed in this battle, and this is indeed what happened.
On becoming emperor, Constantine built a new capital for the Roman Empire in Byzantium, on the Straits of the Bosporus, a city which he renamed after himself – Constantinople. This would remain the capital of Byzantium for more than a thousand years until it was taken over by the Ottoman Empire and renamed Istanbul. The term Byzantium or Byzantine Empire refers to the eastern part of the Roman Empire.
Why did Constantine move the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople? He may have recognized that Rome was difficult to defend and was also far from the borders of the empire and its armies. Constantine was able to control the two parts of the empire, but his successors were not, and Rome was sacked by barbarian tribes in 410 CE.
Constantine declared himself a Christian in his 40s, but was only baptized on his deathbed. He legalized Christianity and all other religions and cults in the Roman Empire with the Edict of Milan in 313 CE and supported the Christian Church financially. Prior to this, Christianity had been a despised and persecuted religion. He also helped resolve Christian theological disputes sweeping the empire, and he summoned and presided over the Council of Nicaea, in which bishops from throughout the empire adjudicated on Christian doctrinal matters. During this council, the divinity of Jesus was formalized. This council also severed the connection between Christian holidays and the Jewish calendar, particularly in relation to the celebration of Easter, which would now be based on the Roman Julian Calendar. Sunday was also made the day of rest instead of the Jewish Sabbath. All this represented a complete break with Judaism.
If Constantine was responsible for encouraging the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire, it was his mother Helena who made Jerusalem into the Holy City of Christianity. Helena had a pagan background. She had been the consort of Constantine’s father, Constantius Chlorus, then a Roman general, although he divorced her when he became emperor and married someone more suitable to his new status. Constantine brought his mother back from her banishment. By this time, she had become an enthusiastic Christian. Constantine subsidized a trip she made to Palestine, Syria and Jerusalem, now as an Empress of the Roman Empire.
Helena was determined to find the cross upon which Jesus had been crucified. She assumed that it would be the under the temple built by Hadrian to the goddess Jupiter, as Hadrian would have wished to cover over the tomb of Jesus. Her workmen therefore dug under this temple and they did indeed find three crosses on which Jesus and two criminals had been crucified. She also identified Golgotha, where Jesus had been crucified, and Jesus’ tomb. Shrines were built above these on the orders of Constantine, as well as a church for services, and this complex would become the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. With these steps, she succeeded in establishing Jerusalem as the holy city of Christianity.
She also built the Church of Eleona on the Mount of Olives, this being the grotto where Jesus had revealed mysteries to his disciples. Constantine and his mother also commissioned a church in Bethlehem. Over the following centuries, convents, monasteries and hospices were built in Jerusalem and Christian pilgrims began flocking to the city. The Byzantines also linked other sites in the country to the Old and New Testaments, thus ensuring pilgrimages a meaningful experience in the Holy Land.
Map of circular hike to the ancient city of Burgin