Before starting out, we would note that the town of Meitar was founded in the 1980s. Its name is symbolic: Meitar is the rope used by desert nomads to tie tents to wedges in order to attach them to the ground. KKL-JNF began planting the Meitar forest in the early 1980s. The forest encompasses the town, and its hiking paths are accessible directly from the residential neighborhoods.
Near the entrance to the forest is a bridge suspended over the Hebron ravine by the Hebron – Beersheba highway. This bridge was famous during the War of Independence. The day after Beersheba was conquered (October 23, 1948), a task force from the 9th Brigade of the Negev Corps, led by Captain Gershon Dubenbaum, was sent to blow up the bridge in order to halt a possible counterattack by the Egyptian army, which was on the Hebron Ridge. In the course of the action, Dubenbaum was shot. He was taken to the hospital in Kibbutz Ruhama but died from his wounds two days later. In 2007, on Israel Memorial Day, he was commemorated at the bridge that bears his name.
A short drive along the scenic route brings us to the Prosopis recreation area. In Hebrew the Prosopis is called yanbut sihani, and it is not good for the fields. In America, the Prosopis is similar to the assorted acacia trees we have in Israel, and it grows like a tree in every way. Prosopis trees originating in America were planted in the Yatir forest and did so well that KKL-JNF installed picnic tables in the shade of the Prosopis trees, and the site became a favorite of Meitar residents. This segment of the National Trail lies slightly south, by the riverbed recreation area, closer to the town of Meitar. It is equipped with faucets, and hikers are welcome to use it for overnight camping. Its proximity to the Meitar supermarket is helpful for stocking up before continuing on the trail.
The scenic route proceeds past Mount Hiran (Jabel Um el-Hiran). On the summit is the Hiran ruin, where there are remains from the Byzantine era. The route then crosses Nahal Eshtamoa, one of the tributaries of Nahal Hebron that descends to Nahal Beersheba and from there to Nahal Besor. During the winter, it is worth stopping here to walk down the slope of the ravine a bit and view the water pools.
The route crosses Nahal Eshtamoa (Wadi el-Halil), a ravine with a large drainage basin that originates in the vicinity of the town of Yatta, which is why a significant amount of water flows in it during the winter. The scenic route intersects the ravine right by the security fence and has therefore become a kind of new patrol route, which is why it was reinforced with boulders that prevent erosion of the road, and then paved with asphalt, so that passenger cars could also cross the streambed.
The route then climbs up the ridge overlapping the Israel National Trail and arrives at the Yatir ruins (623m). You can park at the foot of the ruins and go for a short walk. This site has been identified with the Levite town of Yatir, a place also marked on the 6th century Madaba map. In biblical times, Yatir was a city of refuge, a safe haven for people who had committed unintentional homicide. Most of the findings here are from the Byzantine and Ottoman eras, including two churches, domestic dwellings, cisterns, burial caves and presses. Two monuments were also constructed here, one of them for Sheikh Atir, a local saint, whose name sounds like the original name of the site. From the summit of the ruins there is a beautiful view of the Hebron mountain ridge.
A few more minutes of driving brings one back to the paved road that traverses Yatir forest. We recommend that you turn right and visit the Foresters Fortress.