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 Mansur-el-Akeb (Akev)  47 pictures
 2 minutes HQ video Identification and Investigation of the SiteMansur-el-Akeb is not mentioned in historical sources. The date and nature of the site can only be deciphered through archaeological research. The name was given to the site by the local Arab community, and it refers to the location of the site at the top of the ridge. The site was discovered in 1873 by an expedition of the British "Palestine Exploration Fund" (PEF), headed by Kitchener and Conder. Their report is of utmost importance, since it contains descriptions of the structure from a time when many of its parts were still standing. Among other things, the researchers saw four vaults of the structure in situ. When the explorer Von-Molinen visited the site in 1906 he spoke only of the Sheik's Grave in the western edge of the site and failed to mention any vaults. Other researchers, that arrived later, also did not note any vaults. The vaults were probably robbed and destroyed between the visit of the PEF expedition and the arrival of Von-Molinen. In an excavation that commenced in 1984, the Byzantine vaulted structure, described by Conder and Kitchener 111 years earlier, was located. The remains of a large Jewish mansion from the Second Temple period were revealed underneath. In Medieval times (10t - 14th centuries A.D.) transient settlers occupied the site, using its ruins as shelter. Second Temple Period Jewish Mansion The mansion was arranged as a small town surrounded by walls that included all that was needed for the livelihood of its inhabitants. The compound is L-shaped, according to the topography of the site. Its total area is 2800 sq. meters. The entrance gate in the eastern wall leads to a spacious yard surrounded by various buildings: dwellings, storehouses, a tower and agricultural facilities, such as a barn, a wine-press and an oil-press, which indicate the agricultural nature of the compound. The water supply system was probably based on rainwater cisterns. Two hewn cisterns were found here, dating from the Byzantine era but may even go further back to the Second Temple period. The walls of the mansion house itself were very poorly preserved, apparently because the builders of the Byzantine villa used the ancient blocks as building material.     View to the South-West
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