Khirbet Akeed and Ayalon Valley

Ayalon Valley is a strategic crossroads, dominating the roads from the lowlands and from the coastal plain to Jerusalem and Beit Horon, and due to its strategic location, many battles were fought for control of the valley.
One of the most famous battels is Joshua's against the five kings of the Amorites, which ended with the famous call as it appears in the book of Joshua "'Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ayalon”. Joshua called the sun to stop above Gibeon while the moon stops over the Ayalon Valley to allow the pursuit of the armies of the five kings.
Khirbet Akeed was built by Bacchides, a governor and senior commander of the Seleucid kingdom, who came here in 161 BC, 4 years after the Battle of Emmaus for one main reason - to suppress the Hasmoneans revolt. Bacchides conducted a number of battles in Judea, the most successful for him was the Battle of Elasha, the 8th battle between the Hasmoneans and the Seleucids in 160 BC in which Judah Maccabee was killed.
The site was built again and was used as a base for Bar Kochba's warriors, while they also prepared at the bottom of the hill between the years 132-136 underground caves that are connected to water pits, burial caves and other existing quarries. They did it also in other places throughout Judea, the Galilee, and the Judean Desert in preparing hiding caves.

Yehuda Holtzman

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This is such a good and excellent channel. I learn a lot here.