Tel A-Nasbeh
It is 3 km south of Al-Bireh, and 12 km north of Jerusalem. The site is at a low-altitude hill with a flat top, and it links Jerusalem to Nablus by the main road.
The first evidence of human activities are cemeteries dating back to the Chalcolithic period. As for the proof of the early Bronze Age, which represents the Canaanite period, it appeared in a group of caves and graves. At the end of the Early Bronze Age, the site was deserted. However, it was inhabited again at the beginning of the Iron Age I, as evidence showed Philistine pottery.
The excavations showed architectural evidence of the second Iron Age, including the remains of houses and walls, towers, and a 660 massive wall was added at a late stage; its height ranged from 12-16 m, with a width of 4 m. The wall consisted of 11 defensive towers; it was built of uncut agricultural stones, and they were reinforced with a slanting terrasse made of rocks.
The city's large gate was considered the site's prominent landmark, consisting of two entrances; the external and the internal. The archaeological excavations revealed evidence of habitation, agricultural facilities, graves on the city slopes, and remains from the Babylonian period, represented by dwelling houses, storage places, and farming facilities. The site continued to be inhabited during the Persian period (fifth and fourth centuries BC), in addition to the remains of a tower from the Roman period, a church floor from the Byzantine period near the western cemetery, and a group of Roman and Byzantine graves.