Home > Sites > Beit-Kerem > Karmi'el > Khirbet Bata

 

Contents: Background Location History Photos * General view * Bata * South * Hill * Tombs * Nature Links Etymology

Background:

 

 A Byzantine fortified village located on a high hill on the east side of Karmi'el.  This was the most important sites in the area.

 

 

Location:

 

   The site is located on a high hill (altitude 305M) on the east side of Karmi'el.

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History:

 

Byzantine:

 

   During the Byzantine period (5th-7th C) the area of western Galilee was mostly populated by Christians. The area within the municipal area of the city of Karmiel was the densest in this region - a total of nine (!) Byzantine monasteries were excavated here or identified as such.

   Khirbet Bata was one the most important site in this area - a Byzantine fortified village with 2 churches. Excavations by Yeivin (published in 1991), assisted by local high school students, unearthed a fortified monastery, chapel, mosaics and a large cistern.

   A large church (25 x 50M) was excavated in Khirbet Kennes, located on the north side of Bata. It is covered today in the school yard of Megadim high school.

 

Arab/Mamlukes period:

 

  Most of the Byzantine sites were destroyed in the 7th C during the Persian or Arabic conquests. The site was resettled during the Arab, Crusader, Mamlukes and Ottoman periods. Today the site is in ruins and only small sections were excavated.

 

Ottoman period:

 

   In the PEF survey (1881-1883) the site is named as Kh. es-Siyeh. The full Arabic name was "Bat es-Siyeh", which was the base of the modern Hebrew name of "Bata", a Biblical name for scrubland.

 

Modern times:      Karmiel was established in 1964, and has grew since then to a large and beautiful city with over 50,000 residents (2008).     The site, located on a high hill in the east side of the city, was left untouched, and the residential neighborhoods were built around it.

 

 

Photos:

 

 

(a) General view

 

The photo below shows a view of the site from the north side - the Sagi neighborhood (HaDekel st).

 

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Another closer view is seen from the bottom of the valley.

 

 

   The site is accessed from a dirt road that starts from Yodfat street, on south side of Kh. Bata. On top of the hill is the Israeli flag, which was posted by the mayor in all the ancient sites of Karmi'el.

 

 

(b) South side

 

   On the south side of the hill is a large cistern, which was probably used as one of the sources for water on top of the hill. Its roof caved in, leaving a large opening on the top of cistern.

 

 

The interior of the cistern is seen below.

 

 

 

(c) Around the hill

 

   The road winds around the hill from the west and north side. In the far background are the steep hills north of Beit-Kerem. On the left side, across the valley, are the residential buildings of Sagi neighborhood.

 

 

Another view below shows the east side of Karmi'el and Beit-Kerem.

 

 

(d) Tombs on north hillside

 

   On the north side of Khirbet Bata, across the valley, are a series of rock-cut tombs. This is the necropolis of Khirbet Bata.

 

 

Another tomb is seen below.

 

 

   A small section of a stone quarry is also located nearby, as seen below. This may have been a rock cutting which was intended to prepare a new tomb, but was not completed.

 

 

(e) Nature photos

 

Between the pine tree forest, north-west to Khirbet Bata, we noticed fellow photographers - bird watchers.

 

 

On the hill, near the cave, was a giant white flower - called toothpick (Ammi majus) - or in Hebrew: Ammita Gdola.

 

 

   A closer view of the flower shows two bugs admiring the nectar. These beetles belong to the family Cantharidae (either Cantharis atrofoveolatus, rotundicollis or Rhagonycha - the insects experts are working on the identification).

 

 

 

Links and references:

 

* Archaeological links:   Conservation in Urban areas - Karmiel as a test case (English)   Conservation in Urban areas - Karmiel as a test case (Hebrew)   Aviam M.  2004:  Jews, Pagans and Christians in the Galilee (Land of Galilee 1). Rochester. Pp. 181-204. Yeivin Z. 1991. Excavations at Carmiel (Khirbet Bata) `Atiqot 21:109–128.   Flowers: Wild flowers of Israel - Ammita Gdola   BibleWalks - wild flowers, herbs and plants   Insects:   Insects of Israel   Insects in the Bible

 

Etymology (behind the name):

 

Hurvah, Harvat - Hebrew: ruins  (Arabic: Khirbet). Based on the root word "Harev" - ruined.   Bata - Hebrew for scrubland or wasteland, used for pasture rather than growing trees. The word Bata appears in the Bible as "waste" in Isaiah 5, 6: "And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it". Also in Isaiah 7, 19 the word appears as "desolate": "And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes".         The name Bata in Hebrew was derived, based on phonetic similarity,  from          Arabic: Khirbet Bat es-Sih.   Beit Kerem (Beth Cerem) - Hebrew: House of the vineyard (or olive grove). In Jeremiah 6:1 there is reference to another site near Jerusalem with the same name"... and set up a sign of fire in Beth Haccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction".   Karmi'el (Carmiel) - Hebrew: Olive grove (Kerem) of God (-EL). Kerem means also vineyard, so the name also can mean "Vineyards of God". The city's name was based on the name of the valley - Beit-Kerem.

 

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