Tuesday May 28 Day 11 = Shomron (Samaria) Tel Shiloh Mt.Gerizim Prophet Samuel Tomb Israel Museum. Machaneh Yehuda Market.

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1 Tuesday May 28 Day 11 = Shomron (Samaria) Tel Shiloh Mt.Gerizim Prophet Samuel Tomb Israel Museum Machaneh Yehuda Market Tel Shilo One of the most dramatic sites in Israel is the newly refurbished and rebranded Tel of Shiloh, where the archeological remains of the Tabernacle lie. A person can literally stand in the place where Jews sacrificed to the Lord 3,500 years ago. Shiloh was established by Joshua, son of Nun, approximately 3,500 years ago, as the spiritual capital of Israel. The Tabernacle was placed there, and Jews from all over the land came to worship at the location (Joshua 18:1). The Tabernacle stood in Shiloh for over 350 years according to Jewish tradition, and its remains can still be seen today. Tel Shiloh was the religious capital of Israel during the times of the Judges, and spans 4,000 years of continuous settlement starting from the 18th C BC (Middle Bronze II). Shiloh was an assembly place for the people of Israel and a center of worship. Its sacred area (Tabernacle - Mishkan) in Shiloh housed the Ark of Covenant, Table of Showbread, Altar of Incense and Golden Lamp stand. Shiloh is sacred to the three religions - Jewish, Christian and Muslim - and pilgrims come to visit the ruins for the past 3,060 years. On the south-east side of Tel Shiloh are ruins of Mosques and Churches and a modern Synagogue. Shiloh is located 17km south of Shechem, and is accessible from the city of Ariel. The ruins of Shiloh are part of the archaeological park of "Ancient Shiloh", which is located in the entrance to the modern settlement of Shiloh. Middle Bronze II period - Foundation of Shiloh = During the Middle Bronze II period ( BC) the region witnessed a large settlement wave, when new cities were founded in the high mountain area of Judea, Ephraim and Benjamin - such as Jerusalem, Shechem, Tirzah, Hebron and Bethel. One of these new cities was Shiloh, located in the fertile valley of the area of Ephraim between Shechem and Bethel. A large city was founded in Tel Shiloh during the Middle Bronze II period (18th C BC). A massive wall was later erected during the 17th C BC, which surrounded the city. The wall was 8m high and 3.0m-5.5m wide, and protected by a 25m wide earthen glacis which reached 1m under the top of the wall. The small size of the inner city and the finding of a cult object (statue of a bull), as well as other ritual vessels, may imply that Canaanite Shiloh was a ancient center of worship. Its altar was probably located on the north-west side of the mound (near area "F", where several rooms were found with ritual objects). Perhaps, this was the reason it was later selected by the Israelites to serve as their central religious city. Late Bronze period - Egyptian control = During the Late Bronze period (1550BC-1200BC) the settlements in the region of the high mountain deteriorated. Many of the small cities were deserted, and the region was under Egyptian control since the great battle in Megiddo (1468BC). The strongest city in the area of Ephraim and Manasseh was Shechem, which expanded its control over the entire area between Jerusalem in the south and Megiddo in the north. On the other hand, the Canaanite city in Shiloh has weakened. When the Israelites started to settle the area at the end of this period, the Canaanite presence around Shiloh was scarce.

2 Iron Age I - Israelite settlement = During Iron age I ( BC) the region of the high mountain area witnessed a new wave of settlement, following the conquest of the Land by the Israelites. Dozens of villages were established. According to many scholars, the core of the Israelites settled in the area of Manasseh and Ephraim, and only later expanded to the south (Benjamin and Judea). Therefore, the capital city was selected to be in Ephraim, and only at the end of this period it moved to Jerusalem. Shiloh, located in the region of Ephraim, became the religious capital of Israel: it was the assembly place for the people of Israel, a center of worship, and housed the Ark of Covenant. It is referred in many places in the Bible, such the visits of Elkanah and Hannah when they prayed for a son (1 Samuel 1 1-3): "Now there was a certain man... his name was Elkanah... And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah...but Hannah had no children...and this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there". Their prayers were answered, and Hannah gave birth to Samuel (1 Samuel 1 20): "Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD". The location of Shiloh is clearly identified in the Bible (Judges 21 19): "Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah". Since the location of all three of these sites are known, hence Shiloh's location is clear. At Shiloh the people of Israel assembled and the Land divided among the tribes (Joshua ,5): "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance... And they shall divide it into seven parts...". The city was unfortified during the Iron Age. Residences and structures were built into the earlier Canaanite wall and glacis. Battle of Ebenezer - destruction of Shiloh = Following the battle of Ebenezer (~1050BC) Shiloh was burnt and destroyed. The excavators found a huge (1m) destruction layer dated to this period. The great battle of Eben-Ezer occurred in the middle of the 11th C between Ebenezer and Aphek, at about 1050 BC. This battle is fully detailed in the Bible (1 Samuel 4 1): "Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek". The Bible describes the course of the battle, and its tragic results: 34,000 Israelite soldiers dead, the two spiritual leaders (sons of Eli) were killed, and worse: the Ark of Covenant, which was brought from Shiloh to encourage the army, was taken by the Philistines (1 Samuel 5 1): "And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod". The Philistines purged all the way to the heart of Samaria and destroyed Shiloh at some time after the defeat (Jeremiah 7 12): "But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel" and (Psalms 78 60): "So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men". Late Iron Age II = After years of neglect, the city was resettled during the 8th C BC or earlier. Several structures were found from this period. This period ended with the Assyrian conquest. In 732BC was an intrusion to the North of Israel by the Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser III, who annexed the area (as per 2 Kings 15: 29): "In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took... Galilee...and carried them captive to Assyria". This intrusion affected the north of the Kingdom, but Samaria was spared since the Assyrians stopped at Megiddo then continued along the shore to Egypt. The Egyptians encouraged the people in the occupied territories of the Assyrians to revolt following the death of Tiglath-Pileser. Hoshea, King of Northern Israel, joined this mutiny, but made a fatal mistake. This time the Assyrians crushed the remaining territories of the Northern Kingdom. The intrusions of Shalmaneser V and Sargon II in ended the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 17: 5-6): "Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth

3 year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes". Shiloh, like other cities and villages in Samaria, was destroyed. Roman/Byzantine Period = The site was resettled during the Roman and Byzantine periods, when it reached a high point of development. Four Churches were built on the south side of Tel Shiloh, the earliest in the 4th C and the latest one in the 6-7th C AD. Shiloh is located on the backbone of the high mountain area of Samaria, and in ancient times a major road passed near Shiloh (Judges 21 19): "a place which is on... the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem". This route was used also during the Roman period, as the road passed 2km to the west of Shiloh, connecting Jerusalem to Shechem. Shiloh also has an extensive Christian history. In addition to the ruins of the Tabernacle, the site is home to the ruins of four churches dating from the Byzantine era. One of them dates as far back as 400 CE. Equally astounding is the mosaic-tiled flooring that is found in Jamia El Arbain, one of the churches in the area. The beautiful mosaic features an image of the Star of David dating back to the 8th century CE. While the Star of David in modern times is closely associated with Judaism, finding one in a church of the Byzantine era has helped archaeologists realize that in ancient times it was a geometric symbol used by other religions as well. Mount Gerizim Mount Gerizim is a mountain next to Mount Ebal, overlooking the Valley of Shechem. It rises 2900 feet high. In Deuteronomy 11:29, Moses tells the Israelites that when the Lord brings them into the promised land, a blessing shall be proclaimed from Mount Gerizim, and a curse from Mount Ebal. The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin stood at Mount Gerizim, and the other six at Mount Ebal. Joshua then read to them all the statements of blessings and curses that Moses had written in the book of Gods laws. Every Commandment Moses had ever given was read before the entire assembly (Joshua 8:30-35). Gideon's son Jotham, stood at the top of Mount Gerizim, and offered his solution to the men of Shechem, as to who would be the next Judge of Israel (Judges 9:7-20). In later times Gerizim became the Samaritan religious center. In John 4:20, the Samaritan woman asks Jesus "Why is it that you Jews insist thet Jerusalem is the only place to worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here (at Mount Gerizim) where our ancestors worshiped." A Samaritan temple was built there during the Persian occupatiom, and was destroyed by John Hyrcanus in 129 BC. Excavations on Mount Gerizim have uncovered a large structure which could be this temple. The blessing of Mt Gerizim is described in the Bible (Deuteronomy 27, 11-13): "And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin: And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali". Both mountains are about the same height (881m for Gerizim, 940m for Ebal). Between them, in the valley, is the city of Shechem (Nablus). The Canaanite/Israelite city was located to its east ("Tel Balata"). In 928 BC the Israelite Kingdom separated to the south (Judah - 2 tribes) and the north (Israel - 10 tribes), and Gerizim became part of the Northern Kingdom. Origin of Samaritans = According to inscriptions from Sargon's palace at Khorsabad, the Assyrian king claims that 27,290 people in Samaria were relocated to Assyria, and the capital city Samaria (Shomron) was destroyed and later rebuilt by Sargon. As a common Assyrian conquest practice, the Israelite exiles were replaced by people from Mesopotamia and other areas (2 Kings ): "And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from

4 Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof". These new people brought with them pagan beliefs. However, the new arrivals were a minority among the Israelites, and so they absorbed the Jewish religion. The Bible writes that only after God punished them by sending lions - they converted their religion (2 Kings 17, 25-26): "And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them. Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land". Thus, the Bible summarizes the origin of the Samaritans (2 Kings 17, 29): "Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt". Therefore, the Samaritans came from other parts of the Assyrian empire, and converted to the local faith. They are often called "Cuthans" - named after one of the cities where they came from (40 km northwest of Babylon). Evidence of this origin may have been found in the excavations (Reisner & Fisher, ) of the capital city Samaria/Shomron (Sebastia), where a 8th C South-Mesopotamian vessel was found by the archaeologists. After the Assyrian destruction, followed by the Babylonian conquest, there were still many Israelites living in the territories of Samaria. The Bible tells of several events that involved Israelites from this area (2 Chronicles 30; 34; Jeremiah ). Most of the Southern Kingdom of Judah were also damaged in 701BC by Assyrian intrusion of Sennacherib, son of Sargon II, but the city of Jerusalem resisted this onslaught (2 Chronicles 31 1). However, in 586 BC it fell to the Babylonians, and its people were exiled to Babylon. Persian period (6th C BC- 4th C BC) = The Persians defeated the Babylonians (539BC), and King Cyrus "the Great" allowed the Judean exiles to return back to Israel (Zion) and rebuild their temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus restored the vessels of the temple, as illustrated here on the right (Ezra 1:7-8): "Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;". The returnees, headed by Ezra and Nehemiah, started to rebuild the destroyed city of Jerusalem. A small group of native Israelites from the North, who remained in Samaria and Galilee during the Babylonian exile, requested to assist in the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritans were now devoted Jews and followed the strict Biblical laws, and so they expected to be welcomed by the newcomers and share the reconstruction of the nation. However, Zerubbabel and the other Judean elders refused to absorb them into their community. This crisis, as told below by the book of Ezra, was the starting point of the conflict, which separated the Samaritans from "main stream" Judaism and the two religions departed. (Ezra 4 1-5): "Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired

5 counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia". Since they were banished from the Judean temple in Jerusalem, the Samaritans established their own rival temple city on Mount Gerizim, which served as the religious and administrative center for the Samaritans. This construction at the end of the 5th C was headed by Sanballat, the Governor of Samaria. The Samaritan temple substituted the one built in Jerusalem, and became the spiritual, religious and administrative center for the Samaritan people. Hellenistic period (4th C - 1st C BC) = During the Hellenistic period, with a peak in the 2nd C BC, the city around the temple flourished. The city covered 400 Dunam (40 Hectares) with a population of 10,000, mostly priests who served the temple and supported the Samaritan pilgrimage from Samaria and beyond. The city was destroyed at the end of the 2nd C BC by the Hasmonean King John Hyrcanus I, and many of the Samaritans were forced to bring back to Judaism. Roman/Byzantine (1st C BC - 6th C AD) = After the Roman conquest, the Samaritans gained again their freedom, and their communities flourished in the region. However, they were not allowed to rebuilt the temple city. During the Roman times the Samaritans increased in size (a million people) and wealth. They populated Samaria and beyond, with dozens of villages in the Holy Land. The Samaritans reached a peak from the 2nd C AD (following the Bar-Kochba revolt) to the middle of the 5th C AD. However, their success brought upon them a fierce reaction from the Christian population. The Byzantine ruler Zenon constructed a church in 484 AD on the ruins of the holy precinct, which caused the Samaritans to mutiny. After 100 years of struggles the Samaritans were forced to convert or were exiled. Since then their numbers were reduced to a few hundred. Prophet Samuel s Tomb Nebi Samuel, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, is the traditional tomb of Prophet Samuel, with ancient remains from the Hasmonean period (2nd C BC) through the Crusaders period (12th C AD). It is a holy place for the Jewish, Christians and Muslims. The site is located on a high hill (885m), which overlooks the area of the Judean hills and the western gateway to Jerusalem. Samuel was one of the most important prophets in the Bible. Under God's directive, he shifted the leadership of the Israelites from the judges to the Kings. He anointed the first King - Saul - with Holy Oil on his head. Afterwards, Samuel anointed King David, thus establishing the royalty Davidic line ("Royal house of David"). According to two Biblical verses, Samuel died and was buried in a place called "Ramah", which was the home city of the prophet: (1 Samuel 25 1): " And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah." (1 Samuel 28 3): "Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city.". According to the tradition, Samuel anointed Saul at this site, which is called "Mizpeh" (Hebrew for tower). As per the Bible (1 Samuel 10: 17-25):

6 "And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; And said unto the children of Israel... ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us.... and Saul the son of Kish was taken...and Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king". Is this hill - where Nebi Samuel is located - the Biblical Mizpeh? Perhaps this tradition gave the site is holiness, and associated it with Samuel. Nebi Samuel is located on a high hill 1.5 KM south of the Biblical city of Gibeon, which was one of the famous cities in the tribal territory of Benjamin (Samuel's tribe). This may have granted it the religious status, and over the years this linkage to Samuel eventually evolved into being the prophet's burial place. This might also be the "high place of Gibeon" where King Solomon made an offering and had a dream, asking God for wisdom rather than long life and riches (1 Kings 3 4-5): "And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee". Israel Museum The Israel Museum was founded in 1965 as Israel's national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among the unique objects on display are the Second Temple Model, Dead Sea Scrolls, Scrolls and artifacts discovered at Masada, Venus of Berekhat Ram; the interior of a 1736 Zedek ve Shalom synagogue, from Suriname; necklaces worn by Jewish brides in Yemen; a mosaic Islamic prayer niche from 17th-century Persia; and a nail attesting to the practice of crucifixion in Jesus time. Machaneh Yehuda Market World-famous icons of Jerusalem include the Western Wall, the Tower of David and the Machane Yehuda market. The Western Wall and the Tower of David represent the religious, historical nature of Jerusalem, the place from which the Jewish people developed. Machane Yehuda market, however, represents the contemporary and the future heart of Jerusalem. Machane Yehuda integrates, in a unique way, the old and the new. Both a bustling marketplace and a neighborhood, it incorporates food, drink, shopping, bars, restaurants. The shuk still retains its most important characteristics: it remains authentic, with all the flavors and aromas, the colors and the traders' interaction with the crowds. The Machane Yehuda market is widely recognized as a symbol of the Jerusalem, and for a very good reason: Jerusalemites see it as a place that represents them, symbolizes them, and gives them a unique identity in a larger Israeli social context. It is nicknamed "MachneYuda," which is also the name of one of the finest Israeli restaurants located in the market. But this name has something inexpressible to language. It is beyond words, because it reminds Jerusalemites of themselves, their childhoods, and the Jerusalem they love. Even though Jerusalem today has many shopping and entertainment centers, some are even at several hotels in Jerusalem, there is something about the Machane Yehuda market that attracts people, even without a shopping list. Perhaps it is the ability to simply be who we are--people who love life and who love Jerusalem.

7 We have established this site, first and foremost to pay our respects to this place, and to the traders, the people who live and work in the market, who have transformed Machane Yehuda into the brand it has come to be. The Machane Yehuda market is a symbol, and we believe that this symbol deserves honest and loyal representation online. The second reason for this website is to provide natives and visitors alike with all the necessary information about this unique place--and how inspiring and welcoming it can be. We invite you to surf the site, to get lost in all the colors, the scents and the sounds of the market. We hope that this experience will inspire you to visit the market, and to love it, as much as we do. We welcome you to take a look at our varied Israel Food Tours, which are similar in many ways to our Berlin food tours