Election Day Recommendation: Dip in Rare Underground Spring Ein E-Sheikh/Ein Tura
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Israelis are encouraged to visit the Ein E-Sheikh/Ein Tura underground spring on Election Day, November 8. Historian Israel Shapira recommends the natural site, which was a historical water source for the village of Deir E-Sheikh. The spring's water flow is dependent on rainfall, and the author describes it as a shallow pool. A future article will detail a climb to the nearby Tor Shimon.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israelis are recommended to visit the Ein E-Sheikh/Ein Tura underground spring on Election Day, November 8.
- The spring, located in the Jerusalem Mountains, was a historical water source for the village of Deir E-Sheikh.
- Historian Israel Shapira led a tour group to the spring, describing it as a shallow pool.
- The spring's water flow is seasonal and dependent on rainfall.
- A future article will cover a climb to the nearby Tor Shimon mountain.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 8, Israelis are encouraged to visit the rare underground spring Ein E-Sheikh, also known as Ein Tura, located in the Jerusalem Mountains. The author, Israel Shapira, a historian and tour guide, recommends this natural site as an alternative to political engagement, especially for those who have a day off work.
Shapira recently visited the spring with students from a tour guide course he leads. The excursion began at Har Ya'aleh, offering views of the Sorek Valley and the Jerusalem Mountains, before proceeding to Samson's Cave, Samson's Tomb, and a sacrificial altar. The group then descended a steep, narrow, shaded path through a grove to reach Ein E-Sheikh.
Ein E-Sheikh was the primary water source for the inhabitants of the now-ruined village of Deir E-Sheikh, located southwest of the village. Along with a well and rock-hewn cisterns, it sustained the villagers who cultivated grains, vegetables, and fruit trees. The spring emerges from a small, vertical cave about three meters below the marked trail, accessible via a difficult-to-find path.
The spring's alternative name, Ein Tura, appears on pre-1948 maps and refers to the nearby mountain ruin, Khirbat Tura, also known as Tor Shimon. Like most springs in the Jerusalem Mountains, Ein E-Sheikh is a "layer spring," where rainwater percolates through limestone, is halted by an impermeable marl layer, and emerges on the slope. Its water flow varies seasonally, depending on rainfall.
Shapira and his students experienced the spring as a shallow, bath-like pool. The article concludes by mentioning a steep climb from the spring to the mountain's summit and promises a future article about Tor Shimon, which was reached after the spring visit.