From the website inandaroundjerusalem.com (with permission), a website for outdoor activities - hikes (tiyulim), walks, family cycling and outdoor swimming - in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Mountains, Judean Desert, north and south of Jerusalem, and Shefela (up to 75 minutes drive from Jerusalem, with directions for public transport), with interesting articles on the history, geography, geology and botany of Israel.
How did the ancient Israelites and the peoples who settled after them in this land live in the Judean mountains with no rivers for drawing water, few fields for agriculture, and a rain-free summer of about four months? The answer - there are many natural springs on the mountainsides, they used terrace agriculture, and they grew species adapted to the long dry summer. This is all displayed in the Sataf Reserve - a ‘feet-on museum" developed by the Jewish National Fund. The JNF forested the area with pine and cypress trees, restored old terraces, and planted vines, and olive, fig, pomegranate and almond trees. They also laid out hiking trails. This reserve is only a short distance from Jerusalem and is an extremely popular hiking area. So experience the beautiful scenery, follow the explanatory signs on this circular hike, and add some curiosity – and you are in for a hiking treat!
Time: About 2¼ hours
Distance: A circular hike of just over 5 Km
Difficulty: This is an easy trail on a dirt path. In a few areas there is easy climbing on rocks. From the spring to the parking lot the ascent is a bit steep.
Starting point: Start at the upper car park in the Sataf Reserve.
There used to be a restaurant adjacent to the parking lot, but there were structural problems and this is now boarded up. However, the WC's are still functional and there is a caravan selling coffee, other drinks, snacks, and even meals.
Directions from Jerusalem: Enter into Waze "Sataf Reserve" or "שמורת תרבות סטף".
Take route 1 from Jerusalem and exit onto route 3965 to Mevaseret Zion. Turn left after the exit road and continue on route 3965 towards the Castel. Pass the Castel and keep straight on 3965 through the roundabouts. When you come to the Sataf roundabout (which can be identified by the exit of route 395 to Tzubah), take the second exit to Sataf. There is also a small brown sign pointing to Sataf. You will come shortly to the upper car park on the left. Alternatively, and depending on where you live in Jerusalem, drive via Ein Kerem.
Depending on where you are coming from, an alternative way to route 3965 is via route 386 and route 395.
Public transportation: Enter "Sataf" into Moovit. Bus 183 stops at Ma’asaf Sataf, which is a 5 minutes walk away (0.3 mile). Buses 157 and 155 stop 1.7 miles away at Palmach/Mishlat (a 37 minute's walk), and bus 158 stops at Mitzpe Habira/Sderot, also a 37 minute's walk.
OVERVIEWS
TERRACE AGRICULTURE IN ANCIENT ISRAEL
When the Israelites came to Canaan at the time of Joshua, the best agricultural land in the valleys and coastal plain was already occupied by the Canaanites and other tribes, and they were unable to completely dislodge them. They therefore settled in the mountains of Judea and Samaria, and mountainside terraces were used for agriculture. The Israelites may not have invented terrance agriculture, but they developed this form of agriculture extensively in the many mountainous areas of Judea and Samaria. In actuality, much of the ridging on the hillsides is natural, due to erosion of the soft limestone with less erosion of intervening harder rock.
The idea behind terracing is a simple one. Loose rocks found on the natural ridges are used to build walls behind which an expanse of soil can accumulate. On these terraces are grown trees and bushes that are able to survive the long rain-free summer - such as vines, and olive, fig, pomegranate and almond trees. These plants sustain themselves during the summer by their deep rooting systems and from dew. This type of agriculture is called “Ba’al agriculture” - an unfortunate pagan name. On this hike, you will be walking on the “Baal path” through restored terraces. In Israelite and Byzantine times, vines would have been grown on many of these terraces, but they were replaced by olives during the Islamic period because of the Muslim restriction on drinking alcohol.The word "Sorek" (as in Nahal Sorek) means "special vine", indicating that this area was once an important grape growing area.
For human habitation one does, of course, need water. You will be walking along the side of the Sorek Valley and the erosion that created this valley also brought an aquifer close to the surface. To obtain a good flow of water it was necessary to dig into the rock to reach to the aquifer, and this is the system you will see at Sataf and many other springs along Nahal Soreq. There are two springs here - Ein Sataf and Ein Bikura. Villages, such as the village of Sataf, were built above the spring, so as not to waste good agricultural land. The higher ground also provided an element of defense. Water from the spring was channeled into vegetable gardens below. Examples of this ancient agricultural method are shown in the reserve.
THE OLIVE TREE
The olive tree is uniquely adapted to growing in Israel and other countries in the Mediterranean Basin that have hot and rain-free summers. This is because of its deep root system,its ability to use water with a high salt content, and because of dew, the hot summer air being able to hold more water. The olive tree is one of the seven species mentioned in the Bible as growing in the Holy Land (Deuteronomy 8:8). The number 7 in the Bible has the connotation of Divine oversight. Nowadays, many olive groves are irrigated to increase the quality and yield of olives, but this is not the case for Arab olive groves and was not the case in the past.
Olive trees thrive well here on the calceraous soil found on limestone slopes and crags. With richer soilds, the oil yield is poor and the trees tend to develop disease. The leaves of the tree turn in relation to the position of sun, thereby exposing their lighter-green side to the bright sunlight and this provides protection for the tree. It also gives the tree a glittering appearance in sunlight. The olive tree is a very hardy plant, and it is drought, disease and fire-resistant. This is because it continues to produce shoots from the base of the main trunk, and these can develop into new trunks if the main trunk is damaged. In this way, the tree can survive for hundreds of years.
The unripe olive is green, and it ripens to a black/brown/purple color and becomes more juicy during the beginning of the rainy season. In Biblical times, the olives were harvested by beating the tree, although this can damage the branches and subsequent yield of the tree. According to Jewish law, the beaten branches were to be left for the poor (Deut 24:20). In Mishnaic times olives were harvested by hand.
Olive oil was obtained by crushing the olive together with its seed by a stone mill. The seed was included because it also contains oil. The crushed pieces were then placed in a sack through which the oil dripped out. In this way olive oil from the “first press” was obtained.
Olive oil was used primarily for cooking and lighting. Olive oil burns nicely without smoke. This was important in ancient Israel since this was a largely literate society and it enabled reading and writing to continue after the agricultural day was over.
Olives are now one of the most extensively grown fruits globally. Spain is the biggest producer of olive oil in the world. Israel also has an olive oil industry, although it is not as competitive price-wise as Spanish olive oil.
Olive oil is an important ingredient of the Mediterranean diet and is an extremely healthy food because of its high content of anti-oxidant polyphenols that protect against "oxidative stress". Oxidative stress is the basis of many diseases, including heart disease. Raw olives also have a high content of polyphenols.
The Trail:
Map taken from the Keren Kayemet information brochure
This guardhouse reminds us that agriculture was people's primary occupation and their produce needed to be protected from theft. The farmers would occupy these buildings until the end of the harvest. They may also have slept here and stored in it produce and containers. One is reminded of the verses from Isaiah when castigating the people: "My beloved had a vineyard in a fertile corner. And he fenced it in, and he cleared it of stones, and he planted it with the choicest vines; and he built a tower in its midst, and also a vat he hewed there; and he hoped to produce grapes, but it produced wild berries" (Isaiah 5:1-2)
The area here was important for growing grapes, especially in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Unlike today, produce was not sent to a central location for fermentation, but the wine was fermented locally by the farmer in pits dug into the rock. The mosaic floor reminds us that extracting the grape juice from the vines was a gentle process, usually done by foot. Unlike olives, the grape seeds were not crushed, as this would impart a bitter taste to the wine.
Ruins have been excavated here from as far back as the Charcolithic period, between 4 - 6,000 years ago (see Background: The Charcolithic Period in the Ein Gedi-Nahal David hike). There was also a village here in the Second Temple and Byzantine periods. The ruins you see are from the Arab village of Sataf, which was abandoned during the War of Independence, and also a moshav that was started here by North African Jews, but which only continued for a few months.
NEARBY PLACES OF INTEREST:
You are just a 5-minute drive from Kibbutz Tzuba:
Galita Chocolate Factory: This is located by the kibbutz entrance, on your left after you enter the kibbutz and just before the Adventure Park. A video is shown on the origins of chocolate, and there is a workshop and a store. The chocolate is kosher lemehadrin. The kids will find this a fun activity working with chocolate molds, chocolate creams and dressings to make professional looking and great tasting chocolates. The cost depends on what they make, and you may wish to check on this if you are on a tight budget. The Factory is open 10.00 AM -6.00 PM andt closed on Shabbat and holidays. Reservations are required – call 02 534 7650.
Kiftzuba Adventure Park: This amusement park is located by the kibbutz entrance, on your left as you enter the kibbutz. It has bumper cars, a “Jungle train,” large inflatables, electric bicycles, a playroom, game machines, and café for refreshments.
Tzuba Winery is also located in the kibbutz. All wines are kosher mehandrin. The vineyards are cultivated by the kibbutz in an area that was historically a major wine-producing area in Biblical times. Wine testing and guided tours of the winery, vineyards and ancient wine presses are available by calling 02-534 7000.
There are beautiful views of terraces and distant hills from the "Baal Path"
The terraces here have been restored by the Jewish National Fund and some have been planted with olive trees.
This is the entrance to the spring Ein Sataf. Bring a flashlight if you wish to explore the spring!
