Khirbet Irtah

Khirbet Irtah

One of Tulkarm's most important archaeological sites, located about 3 km south of the city. The village and the ruin took a privileged position at the end of a hill that directly overlooks agricultural plains, connected to the Palestinian coastal plain on the Mediterranean. What asserts the importance of the site, is the abundance of its groundwater, which appears at relatively small depths, as the groundwater used to appear at depths starting from 60 meters above the surface. This was a sufficient reason for expanding in the agricultural fields, and meeting the population's needs for drinking water, in addition to supplying the commercial caravans with the necessary water throughout the ages.

The name of the ruin and the village, indicates the importance of the commercial site since ancient times, where the closest meaning of the word Irtah (rest) is comfort or resting from the trouble of travel. This is related to the direct relationship of the ruin with the reception of commercial convoys heading to, and from the Mediterranean, and linking them to the occupied lands of Palestine (48), which confirms the relationship of the ruin with the commercial movement, and its central location between the coastal and the surrounding areas. 

Surface archaeological surveys and remains are spread around the village, including foundations of ancient buildings, tombs, caves, and archaeological pottery remnants. They all affirmed that the site had been inhabited since the Bronze Age, especially the Late Bronze Age. However, the site has not been subjected to sufficient archaeological excavations to identify the civilizations, and the different eras it passed through. The site likely witnessed a remarkable expansion during the Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic periods, and this is evident from the vast area on which the ruins were built, which is estimated at tens dunums.

The ruin consists of two sections, the northern section, which represents the place on which the old town is currently located, and it appears that this section included the buildings of the ruin throughout the ages. This is evidenced by the accumulation of archaeological layers, and the foundations of archaeological buildings in most parts of the old village flat. 

The southern section, which consists of rocky flats, has been used throughout the ages to bury the dead according to the rituals used for burial throughout the ages. This is evident from the presence of many ancient cemeteries and caves that include archaeological tombs in most of the sites of the southern slope, and this part consists of an Islamic cemetery, and the shrine of the daughters of Jacob. Parts of the south section of the ruin were used for agricultural purposes, alongside an ancient grape press was also discovered there, which is one of the most important archaeological finds at the site, as well as a traditional pottery factory, which still produces pottery pots to this day.

The integration and diversity of the archaeological elements of Khirbet Irtah, such as the shrine of the daughters of Jacob, the ancient grape presses, the existing pottery factory, the Roman bath, and other elements, made it a site worthy of attention and development for foreign tourism as a Palestinian cultural scene. 

The importance of the site grabbed the attention of many organizations and official parties. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the municipality of Tulkarm carried out several projects to develop the site as an archaeological park; among these projects were; Restoration and rehabilitation of the shrine of the daughters of Jacob and its surroundings, excavation work and exploration of the ancient grape press, development of the pottery factory. Currently, it is under the supervision of the municipality. 

The Roman Bathhouse

Archaeological evidence and building remains, show that the ruin of Irtah included a public bath building dating back to the Roman period. The bathhouse was subjected to a lot of interference and change during the subsequent eras, especially the Islamic eras, as a result of the addition of the construction of the shrine of the daughters of Jacob on the essential part of the bathhouse building. What is now left of it, is the double pool that used to supply the bathhouse with the necessary water.

The water was likely flowing from the pool to the bathhouse through underground clay pipes, relying on the force of gravity to flow. The pool was fed with water from one of the nearby springs, especially since the area of Irtah is famous for its abundance of water and springs throughout history, and up to the present time.

Other remnants of the bathhouse are the walls, which appear mainly below the floor level of the shrine. Roman public baths had a unified system of construction, and were an essential part of the urban fabric of Roman cities.

The general planning of these baths was based on three main sections: the first is the outer suite (the cold section), usually in the form of a spacious hall dedicated to welcoming the clients, and bathing them at moderate temperatures. The second is the area that mediates the building that includes the shower rooms, which is the thermal bath where the primary shower process takes place. The third section is the hottest (steam room).

The room temperature depends on how close or far it is to this boiler, where the process of heating the water, and its temperature relies on burning wood to heat the boiler located at the bottom of the bathhouse floor; a network of pottery pipes was distributed under the bathhouse floors, and inside its walls. 

The Pottery Factory, Irtah 

Pottery is considered one of the world's most influential and oldest industries. The industry has played an essential role in human civilization. What distinguishes it is that it is an environmentally friendly industry. Its primary raw materials are clay, rocks, and natural additives. In the beginning, ancient humans knew the formation of tools from clay dried by the sun, and it is believed that they noticed by chance that clay tools acquire additional properties in the event of exposure to fire, and high temperatures; therefore, the industry has developed through the years and with multiple experiences.

During the Stone Age, the pottery industry was discovered in Palestine. The pottery industry continued as a craft inherited in Palestinian society throughout the ages. Still, after the civilizational development and the entry of other materials in the manufacture of utensils, such as glass, metal, and plastic, this craft began to decline with the end of the Ottoman era. This industry is currently limited to artistic and decorative uses only, and the factory in Irtah is one of the rare traditional factories in Palestine. Mr. Abu Khalil Al-Fakhouri insists on continuing to work in this profession in the exact location he inherited from his ancestors. The roots of this factory may go back hundreds of years, and the pottery-making technique is still done by the traditional methods using the same wheel that the Palestinians used more than five thousand years ago.

Even the oven used in this factory is similar in technology to that used in the third millennium BC. Pottery played a pivotal role in archeology at the international and Palestinian levels. Archaeologists relied on the unique characteristics of pottery remains, in dating the successive layers of historical eras.

Each era had distinctive signs in the pottery industry and its characteristics, whether technical or decorative, attached to it, through which the period that each layer represents is defined.

The Grape Press

The archaeological evidence spread throughout the Palestinian sites, confirms the significant development witnessed by the Palestinian territories in cultivating vine trees during the end of the Roman and Byzantine eras.

This agricultural expansion coincided with a development in the manufacture and trade of wine, and its export abroad, including through the ports of the Mediterranean Sea to the regions of Europe. The discovery of this press comes in the context of additional evidence of the development of this industry during the Byzantine period.

The press was discovered during the early nineties of the last century, due to test excavations held by the Department of Antiquities. Additional excavations followed these excavations during subsequent periods, the latest of which was within the project of rehabilitation operations, carried out by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Irtah Ruin as an archaeological park. 

This press was one of the most significant and most essential grape presses discovered in the Palestinian territories during the Roman era and served as an industrial facility reflecting the widespread cultivation of vine trees in the surrounding area. However, there is a need for more excavation and rehabilitation works on this mill, to present it to visitors as one of the main features of Irtah Archaeological Park.