A view to the southeast captures the eyes on the tiled roofs, which are not typical for Arab villages. This is the new Jewish settlement of Tekoa (Hebrew: תקוע) According to the Bible, the descendants of Ephraim from Bethlehem and Hebron founded the ancient town of Tekoa. Tekoah was one of the most important cities in the mountains of Judea, conquered by Jewish tribes after their leaving Egypt. Its strategic location on the road running along the eastern slopes of the Judean mountains led to the rapid development of the city. In biblical times, local people were engaged in stone processing, construction, and agriculture. The people of Tekoa participated in the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple after Jews returned from the Babylonian exile. In Roman times and during the Judean War, according to Josephus Flavius, peasants of Tekoa were the country's largest suppliers of wheat. Shimon Bar-Giora and Bar-Kokhba acted here. At the beginning of the 4th century AD, Saint Khariton built one of his koinobion on the slopes of Wadi Tekoa (Fekuya Creek). Koinobion is a monastery housing a community of monks or nuns and emphasizing a communal and egalitarian way of life. The Persians destroyed the monastery in 614. On the slopes of the gorge is the Khariton Cave - the largest cave in Israel. A later legend claims that it was there that David was hiding from King Saul. The main trade route for transporting salt from the Ein Gedi to Jerusalem passed through Tekoa. The new settlement is a large and beautiful village, founded about 30 years ago. A mixed Arab-Bedouin population establishes the Arab communities around Tekoa, mostly members of the Bedouin tribe of Taamre.
A stunning structure that has no analogs in the ancient world is the palace, fortress, and mausoleum of one of the most famous rulers of the past - King Herod the Great. Herodion rises above the hills of the Judean desert and silently looks over Bethlehem - the city where Jesus was born. Who knows, maybe it was the Herodion from where Herod the Great gave the order to kill all the babies in Bethlehem to destroy Jesus. Professor Netzer spent 30 years searching for Herod’s tomb and died in Herodion. Who knows, maybe in this way the king’s curse came true, imposed on the one who will disturb his grave. Herodion is the place where Bar Kochba rebels hid and the place where the desert blooms in spring with the blue Iris, so rare for these places.
