The mystery of 5 valleys in Israel solved!

Posted 17 Jul 2026

I have spent the last 2 days researching the 5 valleys that lead from the lowlands of Israel (called the coastal plain or Shephelah) into the highlands, were Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, etc are situated. Because these 5 valleys allowed easier access to the highlands, routes through them were used by traders, and invaders, who wanted to get to the highlands. The Philistine people (who lived in cities on the lowland coastline) where sworn enemies of the Hebrew people, and so much conflict and therefore Biblical history occurred in these 5 valleys.

The 5 valleys are called (from north to south):
Ayalon Valley: Located in the north, it provides access toward the upper ridges leading north of Jerusalem.

Sorek Valley: Positioned centrally, it offers a direct route up into the Jerusalem hill country.

Elah Valley: Famous historically as the site of David and Goliath’s battle, it leads up toward the area near Bethlehem.

Guvrin Valley: Situated further south, it cuts through the lower hills without providing a direct major pass into the high mountain spine.

Lachish Valley: The southernmost of the major transverse valleys, it connects the coastal lowlands up toward the region of Hebron.

So far so good…

I thought it would an easy enough task to find a map that showed where these 5 valleys are, but oh no! Try as I might, I could not find one, so, since I am drawing maps at the moment, I thought I would embark on a little research of my own… the last 2 days have provided a lot of raw material for me to use! I have even managed to trace out the major streams/rivers that have carved out these valleys… yet another difficult task, but one I have largely achieved.

It is fascinating using AI & the internet to help me piece together bits of information, and formulate a somewhat clearer picture of where these valleys are. At last I feel fairly confident that now I can create a map diagram to show where the valleys are…hurray!

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