Abu Ghosh, Israel Tourism

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about 1800 and was granted the right to protect the pilgrim route from the coast to Jerusalem. In return for his services he levied a toll which was the foundation of his fortune. The present inhabitants of the village regard themselves as his descendants.

History

The site was inhabited before the coming of the Bedouin, for there was a spring here with an abundant flow of water. In the first century the Romans established a fort here for units of the 10th Legion (Fretensis), which is believed to have been involved in the crucifixion of Christ. In the Islamic period a caravanserai was built, and in 1099 the Crusaders passed through the village on their way to Jerusalem. The spring led them to believe that this was ancient Emmaus. They built the castle of Fontenoide and a church (1142), which was abandoned in 1187 after the battle at the Horns of Hittim.