Ein Dor (Endor) is the village where King Saul, desperate and terrified on the eve of his final battle, sought out a woman who could summon the dead. The story of the Witch of Endor, told in 1 Samuel 28, is one of the most eerie passages in the Bible, and the village where it happened sits quietly on the slopes of Givat HaMoreh, looking out at the Gilboa where Saul would die the next day.
The Story
Saul had banned mediums and necromancers from Israel, but when he saw the Philistine army assembled in the valley and received no answer from God through dreams, prophets, or the sacred lots, he disguised himself and went to the woman of Endor by night. He asked her to bring up the spirit of the prophet Samuel.
Samuel appeared, and his message was devastating: “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.” Saul collapsed in terror. The woman fed him bread and a fatted calf, and he went out into the night to meet his fate on Mount Gilboa.
The Site
The modern village of Endor (Ein Dor) is a small community near Kibbutz Ein Dor. There are no major archaeological remains to visit, but the location, visible from Gilboa across the valley, gives the story a physical reality. Standing here, you can trace Saul’s nighttime journey from the Gilboa camp to Endor and back.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Ein Dor adds biblical atmosphere to a Gilboa and Jezreel Valley itinerary. Hoshen Tours connects the Witch of Endor story to the battle of Gilboa and the landscape where it happened.