Horbat Burgin tunnels now open to the public

ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOURISM: Ancient tunnels that helped Jewish rebels evade the Romans now open for tourists. Horbat Burgin, in the Judean foothills, features underground passageways used to evade Roman forces, colorful church mosaics and remains spanning more than 2,000 years (Zev Stub, Times of Israel).

Now, the archaeological complex — featuring underground hiding tunnels used by Jewish rebels during the Roman period and a Byzantine-era church decorated with colorful mosaics — has been opened to the public for the first time. Some of these tunnels are preserved for visitors to climb through today, with about 200 meters accessible underground, [IAA excavator Amir] Ganor noted.

Horbat Burgin, located within Adullam–France Park south of Beit Shemesh, is one of the largest archaeological sites in the area of the Judean foothills, with numerous periods of settlement between the second century BCE, during the Second Temple period, and the Ottoman Empire of the 19th century CE, said Ganor.

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