Herodion National Park

Herodion, one of Herod the Great's most ambitious building projects, served the Judean King (37 – 4 B.C.E.) as summer palace, fortress, monument, burial ground and district capital. Of all the sites built by the "builder-king", Herodion is the only one that bears his name.

The immense Herodion complex, fifteen kilometers south of Jerusalem and about five kilometers south-east of Bethlehem, near the ancient roads to the dead Sea, was built between 23 and 20 B.C.E. It was divided into two sections: Upper Herodion, which contained the palace set within a circular fortress on an artificial cone-shaped mountain; and Lower Herodion, at the base of the mountain, which consisted of numerous palace annexes for use by the king's family and friends, and for the central offices of the district capital.

The eastern tower of Herodion

Upon his death, Herod bequeathed Herodion to his son, Archelaus, who ruled from 4 B.C.E. to 6 C.E. When Archelaus was banished, Herodion passed into the hands of the Roman procurators, until it was taken from them by Jewish rebels at the outbreak of the great revolt against Rome in 66 C.E. The Zealots, who built a synagogue and ritual baths on the site, held 

Herodion for four years, until they were defeated by the Romans. The site was abandoned until 132 C.E., when it was once again occupied by Jewish rebels fighting in the Bar Kochba revolt. With the quelling of the rebellion in 135 C.E., Herodion once again was abandoned, this time for several hundred years, until a large group of Byzantines – possibly a community of monks – took up residence among the ruins between the fifth and seventh centuries C.E., and contributed four churches to the site. Herodion was abandoned yet again during the Arab conquest in the seventh century and remained deserted until recent decades when Bedouins settled in the area.

The pool in the lower compund of Herodion

Herodion, described in great detail by the ancient historian, Josephus Flavius, was of great interest to eighteenth and nineteenth century scholars. But it was not until 1962 that Upper Herodion was first excavated, and not until 1972 that excavations began in Lower Herodion. The Upper Herodion excavations were carried out between 1962 and 1967 by Father Vigelio Corbo, under the auspices of the Franciscan Custodia di Terra Santa in Jerusalem. The excavations of Lower Herodion, conducted by Ehud Nezer for the Hebrew University, were begun in 1972 and continue through the present (1988).

Recently, a surprise assault system from the bar Kochba period was found in Upper Herodion. It includes water cisterns, tunnels and hidden apertures for sneak attacks – all witness to the great ingenuity of its builders. The circular design of upper Herodion – a round building surrounded by round towers – was rare in ancient architecture. Lower Herodion was built around a large Roman-style garden surrounded by columns. At the center of the garden was a large pool (70 X 45 meters) used for swimming, boating and as a reservoir. Many of the palace annexes surrounded the garden. To the south of these annexes are the ruins of an additional annex, a large rectangular building that served as the main palace annex. At the foot of this building is a 350-meter path that archaeologists believe was built for Herod's funeral procession, as described by Josephus. At the western edge of the path, beneath the central garden, are the ruins of other structures, among them the "monumental building", which may possibly be connected to the king's burial chamber. The grave site has not as yet been located.

Herodian Water Cistern in Herodium

In 1967, the National Parks Authority took over Upper Herodion, excavated the site extensively and prepared it for visitors. Lower Herodion has now also been added to the area of the national park. Development plans include connecting the two sections of the site with a transportation system, re-landscaping the garden in Lower Herodion, excavating and restoring the entire site, opening the Bar Kochba tunnels to visitors (the first stage is already opened), and setting up a visitors' center. All these efforts are jointly sponsored by the National Parks Authority, the Ministry of Tourism, the Jewish National Fund, the Jewish Agency and the Gush Etzion Regional Council.

Entrance Fees:

Adult NIS 27; child NIS 14; Israeli senior citizen: 50% discount

Group (over 30 people): Adult NIS 22; child NIS 13

Herodion National Park, Tel: 057-7761143