Olive Columns, Environmental sculpture in Ramat Rachel, Israel

The Olive Columns is a sculpture made of three tall structures, each crowned with a living olive tree at the top. Around these central columns stand approximately two hundred olive trees arranged in circular rings that expand outward.

Ran Morin created the sculpture in 1991, east of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. Three 15-metre columns each carry a decades-old olive tree, and a computerised system beneath the base steps fertilises and waters them. Two more olive trees grow from pyramids of rough-hewn stone at the entrance, their branches joining to form a gate.

Sculptor Ran Morin calls the olive tree a symbol of resilience, fertility and peace. Interpretations of the three crowned columns vary: some read them as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, others as the people of Israel returning to their land, or as roots severed from the soil and revived by technology. Two olive trees growing from rough stone pyramids form a gate at the entrance.

The site lies south of Jerusalem's Old City and can be reached via walking paths with views of the surrounding landscape. Visitors should come prepared for uneven ground and allow time to explore the full extent of the installation.

The olive trees are kept alive through an advanced irrigation system that blends modern technology with traditional farming. This approach allows the trees to thrive in a region where water is naturally scarce.