Hebrew name: Tel Hadid

Location: Ben Shemen Forest near Modiin

Description: The observation deck on top of Tel Hadid in Ben Shemen Forest overlooks the area between Petach Tikva, Lod, Ramle and Tel Aviv. Next to the observation deck is a KKL-JNF recreation area. In the area are excavations of ancient agricultural installations. In the time of the Mishna, there were sages who lived in Hadid, such as Rabbi Yakim of Hadid. In Hasmonean times, Hadid played an important role: Simeon the Hasmonean fortified the city in 143 BCE (Hasmoneans A, 12). At the bottom of the city, he fought the Seleucid general Tryphon. According to Josephus, a historian from Roman times, Vespasian built a fortress in Hadid, as part of his siege on Jerusalem. Vestiges of gardens, olive groves and cactus hedges have remained from Kfar Hadita, a village in the area abandoned by its residents during the War of Independence. The Israel National Trail passes by Tel Hadid.

Directions: From Route 444, at the entrance to the Quartermaster Corps Memorial, about 1.8 kilometers from the entrance to Beit Nehemiah.