Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 140, 3 (2008), 225–227
    
    REPORT
    Roads and Passes Round Qumran (Shimon Gibson and Joan E. Taylor) In 2007, the authors of this report received a grant from the Palestine Exploration Fund to investigate the roads and passes around Qumran. A visit was made to the area in October 2007, assisted by Rafi Lewis and Mareike Grosser. The aim of the visit was to determine what might be seen of ancient roads and tracks in the Qumran area, and to establish to what extent Qumran was connected with adjacent sites and regions at various points in its history, from the Iron Age to the Roman Period, with consideration given to Byzantine remains in the area as well. Many of these tracks have been recorded previously by cartographers, especially in the Survey of Western Palestine map series from the 1870s, and in maps from the Mandate period. We began by looking at possible remains of tracks along the coast of the Dead Sea, some of which have been identified already (notably by Roy Porath), especially in terms of the access route around Ras es-Feshkha. High tracks enabling access around the promontory were clearly visible from the roadway, and near Ein Feshkha. The main route between Qumran and Ein Feshkha may have been superseded by the modern road, though we were also able to see a high track cut into the hills above the modern road that eventually wound its way inwards along the southern side of the Wadi Qumran. On the flat land between Qumran and Ein Feshkha, we noted numerous remains of what appeared to be relatively modern Bedouin burials, now destroyed, over a wide area, with pottery from quite recent times (late Ottoman at the earliest). A rudimentary pathway, edged with stones, was also noted in places adjacent to the burial ground, but this also had been disturbed. Bulldozing and clearance in this area has played havoc with the archaeological remains. Nothing in this region enabled us to date the visible tracks, though there is no reason to assume they could not have been used until the 20th century. No sign of an ancient wall previously noted by Roland de Vaux running between Qumran and Ein Feshkha was seen. There was also an opportunity to observe a large rectangular structure with a series of rooms dated to the Iron Age, identified and partly excavated by de Vaux, in which vestiges of (largely or entirely Bedouin) burials were found. While this structure has been extremely eroded, we suggest that it might have functioned as an anchorage at a time when the lake level was much higher than today. Tracks leading to the north of Qumran were noted, and compared with satellite images on Google Earth, as well as maps. It is clear that tracks led to both Roman-period Jericho as well as to the modern town. Large tracts of this area have been devastated by modern bulldozing and landscaping. The pass of Qumran was explored by ascending from the lower ground to a level half-way up the slope of the ridge, where there is a natural platform overlooking the ruins, just before the point where the track turns inwards, towards the west. Contrary to what was noted by a previous explorer, Schultz, it did not seem to us that there are any rock cuttings in this area other than clearance work of rubble of a very rudimentary kind. There were no signs of any specific Roman-style rock-hewn or built features used in the creation of the pass (widening, borders, etc) and no clear signs of built steps. There were, however, natural steps formed in the rock. There was considerable obstruction caused by the collapse of stones over the centuries, but the pass is still accessible. Occasionally ceramic potsherds of Early Roman date were identified. We were able to link the main pass with a subsidiary pass which we had identified during a previous visit in 2006, which ran towards the north from a point just beneath the rock platform. The main track of the pass follows a tributary of the Wadi Qumran — on the northern side of this tributary — towards the Buqei`a. The track here was eroded in places along the slopes and rather dangerous. It was, however, clear that it was never intended as a significant roadway, but rather meant to serve as a mule or donkey track, and to be accessible to people on foot. We subsequently decided to approach Qumran from the Buqei‘a region, to observe the tracks leading from Khirbet Abu Tabaq to the Wadi Qumran. Considerable destruction has taken place to the Iron Age site of Kh. Abu Tabaq as a result of military vehicles and private four-wheel drives. The
    © Palestine Exploration Fund 2008 doi: 10.1179/174313008X341546
    
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    remains of the Iron Age flood farm structures (dams etc) — previously studied by Cross and Stager — have also been partly obliterated by this activity. The cistern at Kh. Abu Tabaq was observed as providing an important water resource. Pottery around this site was largely Iron Age, with a scattering of Early Roman period sherds. A path leading towards Qumran was followed on the southern side of the riverbed. This was a narrow cleared track suitable for people and donkeys. This track disappeared and reappeared at various points along the valley edge. Approximately half-way between Kh. Abu Tabaq and the edge of the mountains overlooking the Dead Sea, a plastered cistern was noted, maintained to the modern period, and approximately 1 km further there were the remains of what appeared to be a Byzantine anchorite cave. The track to Qumran was difficult to determine in a dry landscape with much natural erosion. Near the edge of the ridge, where the hills drop down to the Dead Sea, we observed natural rocky formations that had been identified by others as Roman paving, but they were not. At one point the track extended over such a natural formation. At the top of the Qumran pass there were the remains of a small, square hut, probably dating to the Iron Age, like others identified by de Vaux between the area of Qumran and Ein Feshkha. Much of the pottery around the ruin dated to this time, though Roman period sherds were also identified. Unlike around Kh. Abu Tabaq, there were no vestiges of farming features in this very exposed and barren spot. The hut would possibly have been a travellers’ shelter, in a location which is otherwise without shade. On the other side of the Wadi Qumran, the high track from Ras Feshkha was clearly noted, winding inwards to the west. It should be mentioned that at the top of the Qumran pass was an unexploded rocket shell. Various bits of military detritus as well as a signpost warning about landmines were also observed during our walk. Our dating of the various tracks was dependent on the pottery found scattered along their course and also the initial dating of adjacent settlements. Given the initial settlement of Qumran and Kh. Abu Tabaq in the Iron Age, the numerous potsherds dating from this time, and the simple forms of the tracks (clearance of narrow paths, with only vestigial edging), it seemed reasonable to suppose that the track system in this region is fundamentally of Iron Age origin. There were no signs of these tracks being improved in accordance with Roman or Byzantine road-building techniques, and the width of these tracks was no more than one metre, as a rule. These were unlikely to have been trade routes and seemed to have existed to connect various Iron Age establishments in the region, which were reoccupied in the Roman period, both along the Dead Sea (En Gedi, Qasr Turaba, Ein el-Ghuweir, Kh. Mazin, Ein Feshkha, Qumran, Jericho) and also inland through the Buqei‘a (Kh. Abu Tabaq, Karm es-Samra, Kh. el-Maqqari). In order to test our theory regarding these tracks being originally Iron Age, we visited a number of known Iron Age sites in the Buqei‘a, observing possible remains of tracks in their vicinity. As with Kh. Abu Tabaq, we observed considerable damage to these archaeological sites as a result of the vehicles of military training activities and joy-riders (some of whom were seen on the final day of our visit to the region). The same pottery assemblage of largely Iron Age date, with a small scatter of Early Roman period remains, was seen everywhere. In addition, we also noted Bedouin burials, many of which had been destroyed by military activities. We were also unable to match certain remains with our maps, since south of Kh. el-Maqqari there was another smaller site with Iron Age pottery, as well as a few sherds of Early Roman date, and Bedouin burials, which we have called Kh. el-Maqqari South. However, we should point out that our work was not a field survey in any way and we record this information only to alert future surveyors. We were also able to observe from various vantage points additional small sites that may also date from the Iron Age, as well as a single Bronze Age tumulus. As for tracks, what appeared to be a wide, edged Byzantine road leading from Hyrcania due east to the Dead Sea was observed in the vicinity of Kh. el-Maqqari, as well as a large dammed pool in a valley to the north of the ruins. On the basis of maps from the Mandate period, it seems that the old north–south track of the Buqei‘a has been superseded by the modern asphalt road, which runs along beside the Iron Age ruins to the Wadi en-Nar (Kidron Valley). The old route had a junction near here, with a track that extended westwards, towards Mar Saba monastery, and eventually on to Jerusalem.
    
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    There did not seem to be any track leading directly from Qumran towards Jerusalem. Instead, a natural path extended from Qumran due west to Kh. Abu Tabaq, south to the Wadi en-Nar (Kidron), and then along the wadi westwards either to Bethlehem or through to Jerusalem. The north–south track through the Buqei‘a was an alternative route connecting Jericho (joining the road from Jerusalem to Jericho north of the Naby Musa) and the regions to the south (Hebron, Gaza etc.). The situation of the Hasmonean/Herodian fortress of Hyrcania — which became the Byzantine monastery of Marda — was also considered. An ancient track was observed leading to this mount, and around the ruins were the remains of a good road leading to the west; much work had been done to it in the Byzantine period, with neat edges, building up the sides of the road. The connection between this and other Byzantine sites in the vicinity was not possible to verify during our research time. We were able to note that in the Hasmonean period Hyrcania must have been connected with the Hasmonean site of Bethbasi, which is now in the suburbs of Bethlehem. We observed, however, that Hyrcania could not have been a way station for trade, since it was too distant for soldiers trying to protect travellers along the north–south track of the Buqei‘a. However, it would have made an excellent viewing platform for observing incoming armies or caravans along the north to south route. We followed on with our research by investigating the remains of tracks ascending from the Wadi en-Nar in the area of Mar Saba monastery. We were able to note remains of routes along the southern side of the ravine, which we followed for some distance. The general conclusion that comes out of our work is that there is nothing that would lead us to assume that there was a clear track connecting Qumran and Jerusalem in ancient times. The distance between these two sites would have been quite long on foot because of the hilly landscape and the circuitous road system, so that from Jerusalem to Qumran over the Buqei‘a it would actually have been a distance of about 30 km over hard terrain, with little shelter or water. A more natural route from Qumran to Jerusalem would have been to go north to the Jericho–Jerusalem road, with a distance of some 28 km. Qumran in the Iron Age was linked to the local track network connecting sites extending along the western Dead Sea region from En Gedi to Jericho and into the Buqei‘a. These tracks probably continued to be used in the Hasmonean and Early Roman periods, but the traffic was a great deal less than in the Iron Age. It is highly unlikely that the tracks of the region or the pass of Qumran would have been used as significant trade routes during the Hasmonean–Roman period. We are very grateful to the Palestine Exploration Fund for the grant received which enabled this work to take place.

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