Tur Shimon, Archaeological site in Judean Hills, Israel

Tur Shimon is an archaeological site in Nahal Sorek, Israel, sitting 595 metres above sea level on a conical hill that rises from the riverbed. Its top holds ashlars, a partially standing field-stone wall, razed structures, six plastered rock-cut reservoirs and pottery fragments. A tunnel of about 80 metres on the northeastern slope ends in a rock-hewn pit with niches.

The site was first settled in the 2nd century before the common era and remained inhabited through Hellenistic and Roman times. Archaeological investigations in the 1990s documented these occupation phases by studying pottery and architectural remains.

Rabbinic literature links the site's Hebrew name Tur Shimon to Shimon, and the Jerusalem Talmud (Ta'anit 4:5) and Lamentations Rabbah (2:5) both mention the town. The same lore says its inhabitants set out 300 sealed jars of summer produce every Friday, and explains its destruction by lechery or by playing ball on the Sabbath.

Access is mainly from the southern slope via footpaths branching from regional highway 3866 near Moshav Nes Harim. Visitors should bring sturdy shoes and water since the climb is steep and exposed to sun.

The 80-metre tunnel on the northeastern slope ends in a rock-hewn pit with niches resembling a columbarium, likely for doves. On the southwest slope lie a second rock-cut columbarium, a lime pit, a cistern and a wine press. Lt. Conder in 1881 recorded a hilltop foundation 23 by 16 feet and a cistern 12 feet deep.