Home > Sites > Judea > Horkania

Contents: Background Location History Photos * General * Reservoirs Etymology Links

Overview:

 

   Horkania is one of the seven desert fortresses constructed by the Hasmonean Kings during the 2nd C BC, and reinforced by King Herod. It raises 200m above the valley of Horkania, on the northern Judean desert. During the Byzantine period a Monastery was built on the ruins of the fortress by the Judean monks.

 

Location and Aerial map:

 

   The site is located in the Judean desert, 16 KM east-south-east of Jerusalem.   The hill is 248m above sea level.

The aerial map below shows the location of Horkania, with the north side directed to the left.

 

     

 

History of the place:

 

• Hasmonean Kingdom period

 

   The fortress was built during the Hasmonean Kingdom, probably in 120BC by John Hyrcanus (reigned 134-104BC), and is named after him. The purpose of Horkania, as well as the other six desert fortresses,  was to protect the eastern border of the Jewish Kingdom against the Edomites and other threats from the east.  Josephus Flavius (Wars 1 8 2): "He (Hyrcanus) also built walls about proper places; Alexandrium, and Hyrcanium, and Machorus, that lay upon the mountains of Arabia". These fortresses had additional designations - they served as palaces, protected royal treasures, stored supplies and weapons, and also functioned  as prisons.

 

    Queen Shlomzion (Alexandra), the widow of Alexander Jannaeus (Yannai), stored goods in the fortress and did not pass it to her sons (Josephus Flavius, Ant 13 16 3): "So Alexandra... committed the fortresses to them, all but Hyrcania, and Alexandrium, and Macherus, where her principal treasures were.".

 

• Early Roman Period

 

   The Roman forces, headed by Pompey, destroyed Hasmonean  fortresses in 63 BC, including Horkania. According to Greek geographer Strabo (Book 16 2 40): "Pompey went over and overthrew them and razed their fortifications... Alexandrium and Hyrcanium and Machaerus and Lysias...". It was later rebuilt by Alexander II, son of Aristoblus,  during his mutiny against the Romans (57BC), and destroyed by Gabinius (Wars 1 8 5). After being rebuilt. Alexander revolted again (55BC), but this time the fortress was not harmed.

 

   Herod the Great, the Jewish Roman client King under the Romans(37BC-4BC), fortified and enlarged Horkonia (Josephus Flavius, Ant 16 2 1): "...he had built, and at the fortresses which he had erected at great expenses, Alexandrium, and Herodium, and Hyrcania".

  

   A mutiny against Herod (33-32BC), headed by a Hasmonean princess, was used by the rebels as a stronghold, but Herod reconquered the fortress (Wars 1 19 1): "as being already freed from his troubles in Judea, and having gained Hyrcania, which was a place that was held by Antigonus's sister.".

 

   Herod locked up his enemies in the fortress and killed them (Ant 15 10 4): ..."and many there were who were brought to the citadel Hyrcania, both openly and secretly, and were there put to death;". Herod killed most of his family, including his son and heir Antipater (Wars 1 33 7): "Herod... sent some of his guards and slew Antipater; he also gave order to have him buried at Hyrcanium". After five days (in 4BC) the great King died, after 34 years as King of the Jews.

 

   During the great revolt against the Romans, it is not known if Horkonia was part of the battles.

 

• Byzantine period

 

    The Byzantine monks reused the stones of the ruined fortress to build a monastery, including and underground church. The first residence on the site was by St. Sabbas in 492AD, and called "Castellion" named after the ruined desert castle. The site was part of the Laura (Lavra) of Mar Saba (named after Sabbas) monastery, which was a cluster of caves or cells of hermits residing around a central monastery. The monks met in the center on Saturdays and Sundays, while in the rest of the days they lived in seclusion. The hermits resided here until the 14th C, then the site was deserted until the 20th C.

 

Modern times     This remote site is in ruins and is accessible only by 4x4 vehicles, bikers or hikers.      According to some interpretations of the Qumran copper scroll, their treasures are hidden here in Horkania. So treasure hunters and expeditions are trying to find them in the past 50 years. This mystery and quest makes the remote desert fortress of Horkania even more interesting.

   

Photos:

 

(a) General view

 

   A view from the valley of Horkonia, on the south-east side of the site, is seen in the following photo. A herd of camels are seen in the foreground.

 

Click on the photos  to view  in higher resolution...

 

Another view of the camels and the fortress:

 

 

You can also see this photo in 3D - click here and a new window will open up with the special picture. Then, use the standard (red-cyan) 3D  glasses to view it. Focus on the camels and they will pop out in front of the background. If it doesn't work, well, you should go out to the desert yourself to view it in natural 3D...

 

 

(b) The fortress

 

   A closer view of the fortress from the south-east is seen in the next picture. Notice the traces of the walls on top of the hill, covering an area of 120m x 60m.

 

 

* * *

More photos of the site will be added in the future

 

(b) Water Reservoirs

 

   The Judean desert is very dry, and the supply of water was one of the important engineering projects that were required to keep the fortress alive. There were two aqueducts that supplied water to the fortress. The shorter north-west aqueduct brought water from the springs on the eastern hillside of Jabal Munttar. The longer channel diverted water from the Kidron stream, south-west of Horkonia.

 

  The photo shows a section of the southern aqueduct from Kidron (traces of a wall that crosses the valley in the center of the picture):

 

 

  Additional water reservoirs collected rainwater in the bottom of the valley on the west side of Horkonia. They are seen below. 

 

 

A closer view of the reservoir:

 

 

  

Etymology (behind the name):

 

* Names of the site:

• Horkania, Hyrcanium, Hyrcania - names of the fortress, named after Hasmonean King Hyrcanus.
• Merd, Mert - Arabic name of the site. Based either on the Syrian word Marda - fortress, or on the sons of Judah (1 Chronicles 4 17): "And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa".
• Castellion - The name of the Byzantine monastery, based on "castle"

 

 

Links:

External:

 

• Monasteries of the Judean desert
• The real designation of the desert fortresses (pdf; Hebrew)

 

 

Internal:

• Mar Saba nearby monastery
• Munttar nearby mountain
• Nebi Musa

 

 

BibleWalks.com - Have Bible, will Travel!

 

               Munttar <<<---previous Judea site---<<< All Sites >>>---next Judea site--->>> Nebi Musa