Adullam-France Park, Protected natural area in Central District, Israel.
Adullam-France Park is a protected area in central Israel featuring limestone hills and Mediterranean vegetation including oak trees, lentisk, and carobs. The park also contains four major archaeological sites from the Second Temple period along with underground structures from various historical eras.
The park is named after biblical Adullam, the ruin where King David found refuge from Saul. Its four main archaeological sites date from the Second Temple period to the Bar Kokhba era: Horvat 'Ethri, a partly restored town with a public building thought to be a synagogue, ritual baths and wine presses; Hurvat Burgin, with burial tombs, a Roman villa and hiding tunnels; and Hurvat Midras, with 56 caves and cisterns. The park itself was established in 2008 for public recreation.
The park is named after the biblical Adullam, the ruin where King David found refuge when he fled from Saul. The Hebrew name Pa'ark Adullam-Tzarfat pairs that site with France, and the park is run jointly by the Jewish National Fund, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Antiquities Authority. Its visitors' center, with guided tours by the Kfar Etzion Field School, holds an archaeological garden of olive presses, ancient milestones, millstones and ossuaries.
The park is accessible from Highway 38, north of Moshav Givat Yeshayahu, and offers hiking and cycling routes for different fitness levels. Visitors should bring good footwear and water as the trails can be hot and steep on sunny days.
The park features a 23-kilometer mountain biking network called Kanim Single Track built specifically for cyclists. Additionally there are underground tunnels and caves from the Bar-Kokhba period that reveal traces of ancient rebel activities.
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