OFF THE BEATEN TRACK: Tel Yarmut (Biblical Jarmuth)

Remains of the massive, 4500-year-old city wall. Notice (in the foreground) part of the elaborate ramp that took visitors to the ancient city from ground level to the fortified city above. Today, tourists can walk along this ramp. (Nosson Shulman) (Nosson Shulman)

‘Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, sent to Hoham, king of Hebron, and to Piram, king of Jarmuth, and Japhia, king of Lachish, and to Debir, king of Eglon, saying, Come up to me and help me, and we will smite Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.’ (Joshua 10: 1-4)

By Nosson Shulman, Licensed Tour Guide

One of the most impressive sites well below the radar is only a 15-minute walk from my home. I am referring to Jarmuth (Tel Yarmut), mentioned 7 times in the Bible. Its remains are among the world’s oldest, and the panoramic views on a clear day afford a view of much of Israel that includes Tel Aviv, Ashdod, and the Mediterranean Sea on one side, and the Judean Mountains (in the environs of Jerusalem) on the other side. Let us explore this wondrous, ancient city together!

**The views from Tel Yarmut are spectacular on all four sides, including these rolling hills just east of us where you can see all the way to the Judean Mountains on the horizon.**

When I bring my tourists here, we almost always have the site to ourselves. The city was first founded in the early Bronze age (circa 3050 BCE – 2400 BCE) by the early Canaanites, when the first urban cities with walls began to appear in Israel. Although most cities from that time (while organized) were rarely large, this city was an exception. It was about 40 acres (in comparison, Jerusalem at the time of King David, over a thousand years later, was only about 15 acres). The palace alone was a whopping 1.5 acres, unheard of from that time!

**Some of the remains of the massive Canaanite palace, built around 4500 years ago. The structure was constructed with perfect angles and was no less than 2 stories.**
Photo Credit: Davidbena – CC BY-SA 4.0

The city walls were massive (the Greeks called the massive rocks that made up the structure “Cyclops Stones” because they were so large that only someone with the strength of Cyclops would be able to build something like this). Due to the height difference between the palace and the surrounding topography, which was much lower, a series of elaborate platforms were built leading from the ground level to the city gate. The width of road leading there was 38.5 meters thick (as wide as a multi-lane highway today). The gate is still remarkably well preserved.

Remains of the massive, 4500-year-old city wall. Notice (in the foreground) part of the elaborate ramp that took visitors to the ancient city from ground level to the fortified city above. Today, tourists can walk along this ramp!

Around 2400 BCE, most of the urbanized Canaanite cities were abandoned (to this day, the reason is not so clear why, although there are several theories). The economy collapsed, and people returned to a more rural, nomadic lifestyle. Jarmuth was no exception.

**An ancient vessel from Jarmuth’s heyday. Around 2400 BCE, the economy collapsed region wide (including this city) and moved into a long dark age.**
Photo Credit: Bukvoed – CC BY 4.0

For the next 1000 years, the city lay more or less in ruins (with perhaps some light settlement). In the later Canaanite period (not too long before Joshua brought the Children of Israel back to Israel), the city was re-established. Although the city seems to have flourished (there were pottery shards found from faraway places, suggesting that they were involved in trade) the city was much smaller and confined to the Acropolis. The lower city area including the palace was not resettled, which is one of the reasons why its remains are still in great shape since no one built on top of it. It is the city from this time period that is first mentioned in the Bible.

The location of the upper city (Acropolis) as seen from the lower city. In the late Canaanite period (when the city was resettled after 1000 years of laying in ruins) the city was only rebuilt on the hill and the lower city remained abandoned. It was this city that fought against Joshua’s army.

The city (like most major Canaanite cities) had its own King. After Joshua successfully conquered Jericho and Ai, the powerful city of Gibeon made an alliance with the Children of Israel. Five Canaanite kings attacked Gibeon. sending a message that making peace with the Children of Israel was not in their best interest. When they attacked, Joshua felt bound by his oath and came to their rescue. As the armies of the five kings saw him coming, G-d put panic into their hearts and they were smitten, with the survivors fleeing by way of the “Ascent of Beth-horon”. As they began descending from Beth-Horon, G-d sent a hailstorm that finished off most of the remaining troops (Joshua 10). According to Jewish sources, these actual hailstones were left over from the plague of hail in Egypt. When Moses asked G-d to stop the plague (see Exodus 9:33) the remaining hail was saved. With the death of most of the Canaanite troops, the remainder fled westward through the Ayalon valley and the sun was quickly setting (according to Jewish sources, it was Friday evening and therefore almost Shabbat). In order to take care of the job before sundown, Joshua prayed to G-d for the sun to stand still (which it did) and it didn’t set until the enemies had been destroyed and the war was over. The King of Jarmuth (along with the four other kings) was found hiding in a cave. Joshua ordered that they be brought to him, and then personally slew them (see Joshua 10).

The remains of the ancient city state of Gibeon (in red circle) as seen from the Tomb of Samuel. It was this city that made an alliance with the Jewish people and was subsequently (and unsuccessfully) attacked by five Kings including the King of Jarmuth.
Photo Credit: Natritmeyer – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

The conquered city of Jarmuth was given to the tribe of Judah (see Joshua 15:35). In 422 BCE (some historians say 586 BCE) Jerusalem was destroyed, its people exiled and the cities of Judah, including Jarmuth, became desolate. About 50 years later, during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Jewish people were permitted by the Persians (who now controlled Israel) to return to their homeland. One of the towns resettled was Jarmuth (see Nehemiah 11:29). The city continued to be in existence until the Byzantine period (circa 4th Century CE) when it was abandoned. The town was never rebuilt, but the intriguing Biblical ruins can be visited and enjoyed on your next visit to Israel!

To see a sample Jerusalem walking tour itinerary which can include Yarmut, click here

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Nosson Shulman is a licensed tour guide and trip organizer in Israel who specializes in History, Tanach (Bible) and Adventure Tours. For itineraries click here. Check out his new virtual tours including free sneak preview videos.