Ein Ziv spring: hidden water source in southern Har Chevron

A minute's walk from the road in southern Har Chevron, in the shadow of a massive rock wall and beside three benches, sits one of the most striking water sources in the Yatir region. From the surface, all you see is a concrete platform and an iron cover. Beneath it opens a cistern, and a sturdy iron ladder takes you down into a wide chamber filled with water so clear that every stone on the floor is visible.

The site has two names: Juhair Yakin and Ein Ziv. The cistern is about six meters deep with a strong ladder, though the water itself reaches only a meter or so in height.

This is a massive spring, roughly 15 meters long and four meters wide, running underground. It likely belonged to a settlement that stood here during the Second Temple period.

Visitors are advised to bring flashlights. The water is cold, and the chamber can accommodate a group of about twenty people.

In Sefer Yehoshua, chapter 15, "Hakain" is listed among the cities of Yehuda, alongside Maon, Carmel and Zif, places we recognize today. It is reasonable to assume that this site is the Hakain mentioned in Yehoshua, and that our forefathers drew water from this very place.

The southern Har Chevron region, known as Yatir, is filled with springs and remarkable sites, and is well worth visiting during Bein Hazmanim.

And since we have immersed in a rare water site like Ein Ziv, it is worth mentioning an even rarer water site, one we cannot currently visit, though it lies in an area close to us.

Achsah bat Calev, wife of Osniel ben Kenaz, asked her father: "Give me a blessing, for you have given me the land of the Negev, and give me springs of water." Calev gave her "the upper springs and the lower springs" (Shoftim 1:15; Yehoshua 15:19).

These "gullot" are two springs of living water.

The exact location of the gullot is disputed, but all proposed identifications point to springs deep within Area A or B, inaccessible to the peace-loving Jewish hiker.

Some identify them with Sil Dilbeh, about a kilometer south of Chevron. Another identification places them in Wadi al-Alqa in the Carza reserve: Bir al-Alqa al-Fuqani (the upper) and Bir al-Alqa al-Tahtani (the lower). In the book "The Rare, Holy and Wet Places in Eretz Yisrael," another proposal is brought from the legendary tour guide of Yeshivas Slobodka during their time in Chevron, the city of our forefathers.

"Gullot" is the biblical name for these springs, and Yeshivas Osniel named its journal "Gullot." Recently, we received news of a new yishuv by the name of Gullot.

May we merit to travel throughout our land in peace and security.

Nothing in this article constitutes a recommendation to undertake the described route. The content is written as a description of the writer's experience and does not constitute a recommendation regarding the safety of the route. Anyone visiting the site or undertaking the route does so at their own sole responsibility.

As always, we advise readers to obey signage in the field posted by the authorities and to observe safety instructions and the law. Before any trip to nature, it is recommended to check the weather forecast and consult with the relevant authorities. In nature reserves, advance coordination through the Nature and Parks Authority website is required.

For inquiries regarding entry to water sites and other matters:

Nature and Parks Authority Information Center — 3639*

Nature Tours Coordination Center — 02-6247955

Forest Hotline — 1-800-350-550