The Shephelah (the Judean Foothills, literally “the lowland”) is the rolling hill country between the coastal plain and the Judean mountains, one of the most biblically rich landscapes in Israel. Every major route from the Mediterranean coast to Jerusalem and Hebron passes through the Shephelah, and the valleys and ridges of this region have been the setting for some of the most famous stories in the Bible: David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Joshua’s conquest, and the last stand of the Kingdom of Judah.
Geography
The Shephelah is a transitional zone: higher than the flat coastal plain but lower than the Judean mountains. The landscape consists of parallel east-west valleys separated by low ridges, creating a natural system of corridors that connect the coast to the highlands. The main valleys, the Ayalon, the Sorek, the Ella, and the Lachish, are the routes that armies, traders, and pilgrims have used for millennia.
Biblical Frontier
In the biblical period, the Shephelah was the border zone between the Israelites in the mountains and the Philistines on the coast. The great battles of the Bible, David and Goliath in the Ella Valley, Samson’s exploits in the Sorek Valley, Joshua’s sun miracle in the Ayalon Valley, all took place in this contested border zone. The fortified cities of the Shephelah, Lachish, Gezer, Azekah, and Beth Shemesh, were Judah’s first line of defense against invasion from the west.
Archaeology
The concentration of major archaeological sites in the Shephelah is unmatched in Israel. Tel Lachish, the second city of Judah, with its Assyrian siege ramp and Lachish Letters. Beit Guvrin and Maresha, with over 3,500 underground caves. Tel Zafit (Gath), the home of Goliath. Khirbet Qeiyafa, possibly from the time of King David. Tel Gezer, with Solomon’s gate and the standing stones. Each site tells a chapter of the biblical story.
The Wine
The Shephelah is once again wine country, as it was in biblical times. Boutique wineries dot the hillsides, producing wines from grapes grown in the same soil that sustained the vineyards of ancient Judah.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
The Shephelah is where the Bible meets the ground. Hoshen Tours designs Shephelah itineraries that connect the valleys, the tells, the caves, and the wineries into a single day of walking with the Bible.