Horvat Midras – Lovely Track with Caves and a Pyramid
Horvat Midras in Adulam Grove offers a short loop trail with beautiful nature and archaeological remains, including a pyramid and caves.
Note: Horvat Midras is part of the Adulam Grove Nature Reserve. In this grove, you can also find Horvat Etri and Horvat Burgin. Moreover, nearby you can visit Beit Guvrin.
Map
Midras Ruins are located not far from Beit Shemesh, close to Bet Guvrin National Park. There are many excellent trails in this area. And though it is about halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, meaning it is higher at the hills, it still gets boiling during summer. Thus either come early or better visit during Spring or Autumn.
To get there, enter “Horvat Midras” into the navigation app.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
Entrance Fee
Free.
Opening Hours
You can visit at any time. Make sure to finish before dark, as there is no illumination along the route (the trail takes about two hours at a slow pace).
Track
It is an easy trail to navigate through. We did not use any maps. I entered “Midras Ruins” into Waze, and we followed signs like this one from the parking.
Here is an interactive map from israelhiking.osm.org.il where this trail is marked:
And here are the details of this track:
| Name | Color of the Track on the Map above | Description | Distance (km) | Total climb and descent (meters) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Loop Track | Blue | The standard round route starts with the blue trail and then switches to the green path leading back. | 1.6 | 94 | You can also walk in the opposite direction. |
At the beginning of the trail, we started climbing a hill. And here we are, looking back towards the parking, just behind the line of trees.
Most of the path has no shade, thus, do not forget water and sunscreen.
As I mentioned, this is a loop route. We turned left to the hideout system at this sign and returned from the right trail, the columbarium.
Adulam Grove Nature Reserve
Horvat Midras is part of the Adulam Grove Nature Reserve. Adulam Grove Nature Reserve extends over 5,000 dunams.
Different species of animals inhabit this area, including mountain gazelles, striped hyenas, caracals, badgers, and chukars. There are also many songbirds in this area.
The reserve is covered with wildflowers in spring, like orchids, buttercups, anemones, and narcissus. Thus, spring is the best time for a visit.
Along the route, we will see remains of the human settlement from the Second Temple period (third century BCE).
The Refugee Caves
It might not look like something big at a distance, but you will find a vast hidden space when you come closer.
The refugee caves are a system of underground chambers connected by narrow crawl spaces. Dozens of these systems were discovered in the Judean area. Many archeologists believe these caves were created during the Bar Kokhva revolt (132-135 CE). Jewish rebels used the caves as hiding places from the Roman army.
You can take the stairs to the bottom of the cave and see a hole in the left corner. The hole is a small and short tunnel that most kids can enjoy. Bring a flashlight and consider long sleeves shirts if you want to crawl inside.
The tree in the refugee cave was home to a group of jackdaws.
After exploring the cave for fifteen minutes, we continued uphill toward the pyramid.
Spring is a good season for a visit. You can read about the weather and when it is best to visit Israel at Events And Festivals By Season.
Here are the flowers we saw on the way.
The Pyramid
At the top of the hill, we found a small pyramid.
This structure built of dressed stone is the only one in Israel. The base is about ten meters long and is currently 3.5 meters high. The top three rows of stone are missing. Together with the top three rows, the height was around five meters.
The pyramid is located in the ancient village’s cemetery at Midras Ruins and was probably a monument to people buried in the cave below it.
