Nebi Samuel National Park — historic and religious site and hike

Nebi Samuel is not in the Jerusalem Corridor but north of Jerusalem, but it is conveniently discussed here. It is unusual to see a building from the Crusader period completely intact after a thousand years, but Nevi Samuel is unusual in that it is considered the burial place of Samuel. Samuel is a prophet in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the building has remained functional throughout the centuries and has included a synagogue, church and mosque. There are interesting Second Temple period ruins. There are picnic benches in the orchard by Hannah’s Spring. The views of Jerusalem from the roof of the mosque are exceptional. An easy 90-minute hike is described that encircles the fortress.

This site is included in my widely acclaimed best-selling guide for exploring in and around Jerusalem -

"In and Around Jerusalem for Everyone - The Best Walks, Hikes and Outdoor Pools"

It contains essays, maps, photos, helpful information, and much more.

For FREE, speedy, home, courier service from Pomeranz Booksellers in Jerusalem click here (tel: 02-623 5559) and for Amazon click here. To see details about the book and its outstanding reviews click here.

Visiting the site:

Directions and parking: Enter "Nebi Samuel National Park" into Waze. There is free parking in a parking lot some distance from the entrance to the site and also on the side of the road up to the site entrance. Drop-offs can be done at the roundabout by the park entrance.

Admission details::This is a site of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. There is no entrance fee. The archaeological site is open 8.00 AM to 4.00 PM in the winter and until 5.00 PM during the summer. Friday it closes 1 hour earlier. The tomb and prayer areas have much longer hours: Sunday to Wednesday: Open nearly 24 hours, except approximately 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM. Thursday: Open until shortly before Shabbat begins. Saturday: Reopens Saturday morning and remains open into the night. There are restrooms close to the entrance of the park and cold water. A café serves hot and cold drinks and snacks and is open at popular times. There are also nearby stores. Information about tours arranged by the park is available at mh-shomron@npa.org.il or by calling (03) 794-2481.

Security:Nebi Samuel is beyond the Green Line but within the security barrier, is considered safe, and is a popular place for visitors and worshipers.

Public transport: Enter "Nebi Samuel National Park" into Moovit. The nearest bus stop is at Tzomet Nebi Samuel, which is about an eight-minute walk from the park. Bus numbers 131 and 132 leave from Binyanei Ha'umah in Jerusalem.

The Ottoman mosque over the ruins of the Crusader fortress

Visiting the site:

From the entrance to the park, walk to the left of the building to view ruins from Second Temple Maccabean times. This area has been extensively excavated and it is possible to identify a mikvah, oven and winepress. There is a covered area containing a house from this period. The continuation of the path takes you into the fortress and to the front of the building.

Enter the mosque, which was originally a Crusader church. The stairs to the roof are on your immediate left. The views from the roof of the mosque are spectacular and are well worth the climb. Signs identify what you are viewing from all directions.

After returning to ground level, you can visit Samuel’s tomb by passing through the doorway on the far right and descending to the synagogue. The tomb was originally in a cave carved into a rock beneath the main building. There are separate entrances for men and women.

Exit Samuel’s tomb and go to the northern aspect of the building to view the ruins of the entrance to the fortress. Its format is nicely illustrated with a sign. The wall in front of the Ottoman building is the base of the wall of the former Crusader fortress.

Descend to the orchard. It is planted on terraces, and contains mulberry, olive and fig trees. There are many picnic benches here. Hanna’s Spring is at the bottom of the orchard within a cave. The spring is named after Samuel's mother. There is no pool here and the water is quite shallow.

Samuel-territory

A tradition existed in the Byzantine period that this was the burial site of the prophet Samuel and a monastery was built on this hill. There were attempts at that time to link aspects of the Bible to the Holy Land so that a visit to the country by pilgrims would be a meaningful experience.

In 1099, the Crusaders established their Kingdom of Jerusalem, and the Holy Land was once again a Christian country with Jerusalem as its religious center. Because of its location, a fortress was constructed here, and also a church, monastery, and pilgrim center. Crusaders and later Christian pilgrims had their first view of Jerusalem from this hill and they called it Mons Gaudii or Mount Joy, so that in effect the hill became “the emotional gateway to Jerusalem.”

The name Samuel is not mentioned directly in the Qu’ran, but his being a prophet can be inferred from the text, and Islam revered him as such. In the Ottoman period, the Crusader church was turned into a mosque and a mihrab in the direction of Mecca was built into the structure. The mosque is still used for Muslim prayer.

The outer shell of the building is not Crusader but probably Ottoman. However, the foundations, storerooms, partially completed moat and Samuel’s crypt are Crusader structures. From its northern aspect, the Crusader entrance to the castle can be seen.

But is this truly the burial place of Samuel? It seems unlikely. The Book of Samuel records that Samuel was buried in his hometown of Ramah (Samuel I 25:1, 28:3). His family were Levites and Ramah was a Levitical town within the territory of Benjamin. Ramah is mentioned a number of times in the Bible and is probably where the Arab village of Er-Ram (same as El-Ram) is located today, about 8 km north of Jerusalem.

It has been suggested that Nebi Samuel is the site of the ancient town of Mitzpah. If this is correct, then Samuel would have visited here frequently. From his hometown Ramah, Samuel would make a circuit within the tribal territories of Benjamin and Ephraim to adjudicate cases, and this would have included Mitzpah: "And from year to year he would set forth and go around to Bethel, and Gilgal and Mitzpah, and he would judge Israel in all these places. And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house... (Samuel I 7:16-17).

Mitzpah means "a lookout" in Hebrew, and Nebi Samuel has the highest elevation in the area. It also has a spring, and this would have permitted habitation here. However, while excavations have found evidence of First and Second Temple settlement, no ruins have been found from the time of the Judges. It is mentioned in the book of Jeremiah that Mitzpah served as the administrative center of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem. This could be Tell en-Nasbeh (the biblical Mizpah of Benjamin), which is 12 km (8 miles) north of Jerusalem and near today’s al-Bireh.

Nevi Samuel overlooks a main road to Jerusalem via Beit Horon, which is nowadays Route 433. An alternative road to Jerusalem, today’s Route 1, was once a very tiring road with lots of elevations and was paved only in 1869. This also accounts for its importance.

Nevi Samuel is also unusual in that there is a functioning permanent mosque and synagogue in the same building. While there are a few places in the world like this, they are few and far between.

The entrance to the Crisader ortress

Hannah's Spring in the orchard

Circular hike around the fortress

This is a recommended circular hike around the fortress that passes by forested terraces and offers views of Arab villages with significant biblical associations.

Starting point and parking: Park at the lower parking lot, as the hike starts just a few meters from here and ends at this parking lot. Go down the hill towards the main road and the trailhead is a gravel road on the right a few meters from the parking lot. Go through the open green gate with a red-marking.

Distance: Almost 5 km

Time: About 2 hours

Type of hike: Circular

Difficulty: : This is an easy hike on a road that is either gravel, packed earth or paved.

Map of the hike

The hike

To view some trenches, at the first intersection by a picnic area with picnic benches turn to the left. You will soon see trenches on your left. After this, turn back to the main path.

These trenches are probably Turkish trenches from the First World War, although they may also be trenches from the Israeii Operation Yevusi or Jordanian trenches from after 1948.

In November 1917, this hill became of the key battlefields in the British advance towards Jerusalem during World War I, and the Ottomans dug extensive trench systems on the surrounding ridges. The British then captured the hill after intense fighting and occupied the same trench system because of counter attacks. The Jordanians bombarded Jerusalem from Nebi Samuel during Israel's War of Independence. The Palmach attempted to capture this height in Operation Yevusi, but was unsuccessful and there were many casualties in the attempt. It remained in Jordanian hands until the Six-Day War.

At the nearby junction, turn to the right through the open gate.

You will eventually have good views of the security barrier and below this the tel of Al Jib in Palestinian territory. It may be difficult to see, but look for steep natural slopes around the tel, sections of retaining walls and artificial terracing.

The importance of this tel is that it sat on a main north-south approaches to Jerusalem and controlled routes from the Benjamin plateau into the Judean hills. You will need very good eyesight or binoculars, but there is also the outline of a pool on the tel.

Al-Jib is identified with some confidence with ancient Gibeon. Excavations uncovered jar handles inscribed “GB‘N” (Gibeon) in ancient Hebrew. Its location also matches biblical geographic descriptions. It was the home of the Gibeonites who tricked Joshua into making a peace treaty and they then became a protected but subordinate population. There was also a nearby battle where Joshua told the “Sun, stand still over Gibeon. . “ Gibeon became an important city in the tribal territory of Benjamin and had priestly and administrative significance in later periods.

Excavations have revealed a large circular, rock-cut pool, about 11 m deep, associated with a steep vertical shaft and tunnel leading to a spring. This is comparable in concept (though smaller) to other systems in Israel and permitted water access during siege conditions.

You will pass on your right a Bedouin encampment.

Just before reaching the parking lot where your car is parked there is a gravel path on your left that leads via steps on either side to a covered spring, Samuel Spring. It is not immediately obvious as it is on a hill and therefore below the level of the road. However, you will see a hole in the ground covered with a metal grid.

The spring of Nebi Samuel

View of Ramot from the roof of the mosque

The tel of Al-Jib

Nevi Samuel and World War I

Because of its elevation, Nebi Samuel has been a critical staging point for attacks on Jerusalem and for its defense.

The British conquered Be’ersheva during the First World War. After Beersheba fell, they attacked Gaza from multiple directions. The Ottomans realized their position was compromised and withdrew northward. The British then advanced through the Judean foothills (the Shephelah), capturing Jaffa on 16 November 1917. The capture of Jaffa secured a port and shortened British supply lines. The hardest part of the campaign was now coming.

The British had to advance from the coastal plain up steep, narrow roads into the Judean Mountains. The capture of Jerusalem by General Edmund Allenby was not a direct assault on the city itself. Instead, it was the culmination of a carefully planned campaign that outflanked Ottoman defenses and made the defense of Jerusalem untenable. Ottoman troops fought stubbornly around Bab al-Wad, Nebi Samuel and the approaches northwest of Jerusalem. Particularly fierce fighting occurred at Nebi Samuel between 17 and 24 November. The village sits on one of the highest points overlooking Jerusalem, and whoever held it controlled the main northern approaches to the city.

Following the surrender of Jerusalem, the front remained static for about 9 months. The final phase occurred in September to October 1918 and was quite rapid. The decisive final British offensive was the Battle of Megiddo. After Megiddo, Allied mounted forces and Arab troops under Faisal bin Hussein advanced north and entered Damascus on 1 October 1918. The fall of Damascus marked the collapse of Ottoman control in Syria. The pursuit continued northward. Allied forces captured Aleppo in late October after fighting north of the city. These were effectively the last military operations of the campaign.