Home > Sites > West Galilee > Khali

 

This page reviews the ancient sites in the western side  of the creek of Sepphoris (Zippori),  which flows into the Kishon river. For information on other sites in this area, you can look up West Nahal Zippori.

 

Contents: Background Location History Photos    -Allil    -West Khali    -Govit    -Sasey    -Migdal Usha References Biblical Etymology Links

 

Background:

 

The Zippori creek flows year round into the Kishon river. It starts from the springs near the ancient city of Sepphoris (Zippori), and winds down and westward in a valley between the hills of lower Galilee. 

 

Close to the plains of the bay of Haifa, where the creek flows into the Kishon river, there are a number of ancient villages in the last 3 KM before the end of the valley, including a biblical city and satellite agriculture villages.

 

This page reviews these ancient sites.

 

Location:

 

The entrance to the valley is 3 KM south-east of Kiryat Atta, or 4KM south of Somech junction. It can be approached by driving off the highway, following directions to Khwalad, an Arab village in the entrance to the valley.  The ancient sites are located on the western hills and in the valley.

History of the place:

 

(a) Early man

 

Along the creek there are many sites, starting from prehistoric times. See more information in West Nahal Zippori page.

 

(b) Later periods

 

The surveyors  (see reference below) have identified pottery and structure remains the following historic periods, listed in ascending order:

•  Tell Allil (Khali) was a bronze age site (3150-1200BC), and may be Khali which is referred by Joshua.
• Tell West KHali  and Khirbet Govit were from the middle/late Israelite period (1000-586BC)
• Khirbet Govit and a site near Harduf were from the Babylonian/Persian period (586-332BC).
• Khirbet Sasay was from Hellenistic (332-37BC).
• In Roman/Byzantine periods(37BC-640AD) there were Khirbet Sasay, Tell West Khali and Migdal-Usha
• In later periods there were  Khirbet Sasay and Migdal-Usha

 

Photos:

  

 

(a) Tell Allil (Ras 'Ali, Khali):

 

This round steep hill is completely surrounded by the creek. It is accessible only from the south, and thus was naturally protected - an important asset for a fortified city. On the hill, whose area is 5,000 sq M,  there are few remains except ancient pottery from Early Bronze to and Iron I (spanning 3150-1000BC) .

 

This site may be Khali - one of the cities that Joshua lists, since the pottery that was identified was from the Israelite period, which fits the biblical text and preserved the name.

 

The city's purpose was to protect the agriculture villages and farms in the area. This pattern of settlements - a series of agriculture villages and a regional fortified city - was typical in the Iron/Israelite  period. For example - see Khirbet Oren in the Carmel.

Click on the photo to view it in higher resolution...

 

A closer look on the Tell. In the photo below you can see the small creek (the photo was taken at end of summer, hence the water levels are low). The creek winds around the Tell, creating a natural wet and muddy moat, another important asset for a fortified city.

 

Today there are new buildings on the hill, a small village called Ras 'Ali (Ras is top/head in Arabic, and Ali maybe is a part of the name Allil or Hali - preserving the biblical name).

 

 

(b) Tell West Khali - An Israelite fortified city:

 

This Tell (mound) is located in the entrance to the valley, west of Tell Allil (Khali). It is a round hill (133M height, 700 sq M). On the top of the hill is a flat terrace (size), which was the center of the fortified small city. In the north of the top of the hill is a 6 x 10M rectangular tower, which may be the gate. On the slopes of the hill is a constructed glacis that surrounds the city. 

 

According to the survey, this site was settled from the Middle & Late Israelite (Iron II) period (950-586BC) , Babylonian/Persian and up to the Roman period (until 324AD). It is called "West Khali" since the east Khali hill is another (earlier) ancient site from the Bronze age.

 

Click on the photo to view it in higher resolution...

 

The Tell is located just above the entrance of the valley, and the fields. In the photo below it is the right hill, and the creek flows around it, in the middle of the valley, where the green bushes are seen. 

 

 

(c) Khirbet Govit:

 

Khirbet  Govit was one of the agriculture villages that were under the protection of the fortified city (Tell Allil or West Khali). It is located in the valley south west of Tell West Khali, and was a small farming village (300o sqM), located on the road to the west. The pottery in this site is from the late Israelite and Persian period.

 

The following photo is a view from the west.

 

 

Another  view from the north. In the background is the new settlement of Nofit (Pi-Ner), a residential neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

(d) Khirbet Sasay:

 

On the western edge of the valley, close to the highway, is the ancient ruins of Khirbet Sasay (or Sasey). It is seen here only in the far background. This site, located at 70M height, was from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

 

On top of the hill are the remains of  an Ottoman road hotel (Khan), consisting of rooms around a courtyard. On the east of the structure is a Muslim cemetery.

 

 

Another view from the west. The site is seen above the trees. In the background - the new settlement of Nofit (Pi-Ner). On the left background is the West Khali site and the entrance to the Zippori valley.

 

 

(e) Migdal-Usha (El Mejdel, Kh. El Majdal):

 

On the western side of the highway, 2KM from Khirbet Sasey and 0.5 KM south of Ramat Yochanan, is another Roman/Byzantine site, called Khirbet Migdal-Usha. It was was inhabited also in later periods (Crusader, Mameluk and Ottoman periods). As in Khirbet Sasey, the site was also a road side hotel. A new Khan (hotel) was built (10x20xM) in the Ottomon periods and stands today on top of the site. Around the site, on the hill side, there are ruins and many rock-cut cisterns and tombs.

 

 

 

References:

 

• Archaeological survey of Israel Map of Shefar'am (24)  Y. Olami, Z. Gal [ISBN 965-406-157-0, 2003]

• Carta's Atlas of the Bible - Y. Aharoni [Carta Jerusalem 1974] - Shop for this must-have book.

                     Maps: 72 (Asher tribe region), 113 (Solomon's Kingdom)

 

Biblical References:

 

(a) Joshua 19:24,25

 

This text, describing the land of the tribe of Asher,  may relate to Tell Allil (Khali):

 

24 "And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.

 25And their border was Helkath, and Khali, and Beten, and Achshaph"

 

Etymology (behind the name):   Zippori - Sepphoris in Hebrew. Zippor is "bird", so the creek is named after the birds. Nahal (Nakhal) - In Hebrew: Creek, brook. Khali - unknown word. In Hebrew Khalila means "again and again",  maybe the word refers to the turn of the water around the hill. Khirbet - ruins in Arabic. In Hebrew "Hurvat" - from the root name (Kharav) means ruin. Migdal - tower in Hebrew   Links:   You can visit the following sites, which are around this site: Tell Par & Khirbet Ibtin - ancient sites located 3KM to the south. The former site is from Tell Khali's biblical times, while the latter from Roman times (Sassay and Migdal-Usha) Tell Regev which is located 5KM south of this site, and was the major city in the area in the biblical times.

 

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