Gush
Herodian National Park Scavenger Hunt
50nis
Age: Kids 5+, teens and adults. Younger kids should be paired with an older kid or adult.
Location: Google Maps Link
Hours: Summer hours:
Sunday–Thursday and Saturday: 17:00 - 08:00
Friday and holiday eves: 16:00 - 08:00
Winter hours:
Sunday–Thursday and Saturday: 16:00 - 08:00
Friday and holiday eves: 15:00 - 08:00
Location Cost: Adults-29nis, Children-15nis (free if you have a membership)
Payment Details: The purchase will go through Paybox, where I will follow up within 12 hours (not available on Shabbat) on Whatsapp with a PDF of your scavenger hunt. If you need it faster or pefer to have the file emailed, feel free to give me a call and I shall do my best : )
Other Details: Bring pens, water and a hat. For best results, print out in color.
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​This scavenger hunt gives you an exciting means to familiarize yourself with ancient archeological and architectural elements.
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A convenient, local and affordable activity that is easily accessible by car or public transportation
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Kids, teens and adults will gain the skills to identify natural elements common to the Jerusalem area.
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Turn a walk in the park into an opportunity for experiential learning.
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Learn to identify different time periods by gaining an introduction to local archeology.
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Develop team-building skills by pairing different ages together and having the more experienced team members assist the younger ones.
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Shaded area for picnicking off the parking lot and drinks and ice cream available at the gift shop.
A step back into compelling and courageous moments in time
Give your kids, friends, and family the ability to become arecheological experts.
A towering hill overlooks the city of Jerusalem.
In his trademark paradoxical manner, King Herod build this as both a beacon of beauty and a means to keep those in the vicinity aware of his fealty.
Later on this became the hub of the rebellion that the Jews enacted against the Roman rulership.
So enraged were they by what Herod represented that they smashed any remnant of him that they could find.
As a direct result of these incidents, archeologists were baffled for many years over the gravesite of Kind Herod.
By visiting this site you will uncover stories of a king desperately trying to toe the line between his loyalty as both a Jew and a Roman, a courageous band of rebels and the heartbreaking story of an archeologist who finally discovered the secret that had baffled archeologists for years over.
You will also gain an introduction into archeology and the many elements that are incorporated into design and decoration to this very day.
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Herodion, one of Herod the Great's most ambitious building projects, served the Judean King (37 – 4 B.C.E.) as summer palace, fortress, monument, burial ground and district capital. Of all the sites built by the "builder-king", Herodion is the only one that bears his name.
The immense Herodion complex, fifteen kilometers south of Jerusalem and about five kilometers south-east of Bethlehem, near the ancient roads to the dead Sea, was built between 23 and 20 B.C.E. It was divided into two sections: Upper Herodion, which contained the palace set within a circular fortress on an artificial cone-shaped mountain; and Lower Herodion, at the base of the mountain, which consisted of numerous palace annexes for use by the king's family and friends, and for the central offices of the district capital.
Upon his death, Herod bequeathed Herodion to his son, Archelaus, who ruled from 4 B.C.E. to 6 C.E. When Archelaus was banished, Herodion passed into the hands of the Roman procurators, until it was taken from them by Jewish rebels at the outbreak of the great revolt against Rome in 66 C.E. The Zealots, who built a synagogue and ritual baths on the site, held
Herodion for four years, until they were defeated by the Romans. The site was abandoned until 132 C.E., when it was once again occupied by Jewish rebels fighting in the Bar Kochba revolt. With the quelling of the rebellion in 135 C.E., Herodion once again was abandoned, this time for several hundred years, until a large group of Byzantines – possibly a community of monks – took up residence among the ruins between the fifth and seventh centuries C.E., and contributed four churches to the site. Herodion was abandoned yet again during the Arab conquest in the seventh century and remained deserted until recent decades when Bedouins settled in the area.
(Text from the website http://allaboutjerusalem.com/attraction/herodion-national-park)