Khirbet Jurish (Heb. Hurvat Geres) is an archaeological site 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, specifically from 100 BCE till 70 CE.. 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.
Description 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 above sea-level. The ruin lay adjacent to the old Jerusalem-Beit Gubrin Roman road, and was visited by PEF explorers, Conder and Kitchener.Conder and Kitchener (1883), p. 116 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.Zissu (2007), p. 221 On the western slope of the ruin are five rock-carved sepulchres, attesting to the site's antiquity.
See also Gerasa (Judaea) Khirbet Kurkush Kidron Valley Mokata 'Abud
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External links Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons