Abu Ghosh Attractions
Abu Ghosh is an Arab village 13km/8mi west of Jerusalem, just north of the expressway to Tel Aviv. Its main feature of interest is its Crusader church.
Abu Ghosh is named after a sheikh from the Hejaz who settled here with his four sons 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.
Abu Ghosh is named after a sheikh from the Hejaz who settled here with his four sons 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.
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Crusader Church
The Crusader Church was at one time a stable and later became the property of the Benedictine order. In 1956 it was taken over by the Lazarists.
Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant
On a hill above Abu Ghosh is the church of Notre Dame de l'Arche d'Alliance (Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant), conspicuous with its commandingly situated statue of the Virgin. Built in 1924 over the remains of a fifth century Byzantine church, it belongs to the French order of the Sisters of St Francis. The name of the church reflects the belief that this was the site of Kirjath-jearim, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept for a time.
Qiryat Anavim
Just outside Abu Ghosh on the Jerusalem road a side road goes off to Qiryat Anavim ("Village of Grapes"), beautifully situated above a valley. Founded in 1920, this was the first kibbutz in the Judaean uplands. The spacious guest-house, with a swimming pool set in carefully tended gardens, is a pleasant quiet place to stay before or after a visit to Jerusalem.
