The Emperor’s Road

 

Photograph: Adi Tene-Nathan, KKL-JNF

 

 

 

With great pleasure and excitement, the Jewish National Fund invites the public to explore the Emperor’s Road’s new route. Its previous route, which linked Khirbet Hanut to the Beit HaBad (“Olive Press”) Recreation Area, has been closed, as it crossed Highway no. 375, which has become hazardous in recent years.

The new route is the result of close collaboration between KKL-JNF and the Israel Trails Committee.

The new trail, which is signposted and marked out in black, descends from the area of the Forester’s House to the Beit HaBad Recreation Area through a planted pine forest intermingled with remnants of native woodland, along natural rock ledges where the remains of an ancient winepress and collection vats can be seen. Visitors can enjoy excellent views of the Beit Shemesh area and the Coastal Plain to the west and spurs of the Judean Hills to the north.

The starting point of the black trail is accessed via a paved green-marked road that turns off Highway no. 375, opposite the entrance to Khirbet Hanut, and leads southwards towards Mount Yaaran.

After about 800 meters, on your right, you will see the signpost to the start of the trail.

Towards its end the trail branches out into a route that leads to the Roman steps. The branch creates a circular trail for visitors who don’t want to walk the whole length of the route and prefer to start and end their excursion at the Beit HaBad Recreation Area.

Now is the time to take a trip along the new trail, get to know it, enjoy the wild flowers that bloom along its length – and tell your friends all about it. 

 

 

From here (where is here? The start?) the Emperor’s Road leads downhill alongside the Roman road that ascended from Beit Guvrin to Jerusalem. In the past a milestone bearing the name of the Emperor Hadrian, from whom the route derives its name, stood beside the road. When he visited Judea in 130 CE, Hadrian may well have traveled up to Jerusalem along this very same route. Beside the trail, remains of an ancient winepress and collection vats can be seen hewn into the hard limestone rock.

Before reaching the Beit HaBad Recreation Area, the Emperor’s Road makes its way through a mixed natural forest where colorful wild flowers bloom in winter and spring, Towards its end the trails branches out into a route that leads to the Roman steps. The branch creates a circular trail for visitors who don’t want to walk the whole way and prefer to start and end their excursion at the Beit HaBad Recreation Area. (this is a repetition of a sentence that appears above – CS).