Ayalon/Aijalon, valley of
The Ayalon Valley: The Northern Chokepoint
The Ayalon valley (also written Aijalon and Ajalon) is the northern most, widest and therefore the most accessible of the five east-west valleys, offering the easiest incline up to the central ridge. It rises steeply to the Beth-horon Pass, a narrow, rocky ascent crucial for military defence and trade. Because it bypassed Jerusalem’s main southern defences, it was the preferred route for many massive, imperial armies.Joshua used this wide terrain for chariot warfare (see “The Bible: Joshua’s battle” below), while later empires used it to try and outflank Jerusalem from the north. Joshua fought the Amorite kings to protect the Gibeonites in the Ayalon valley: when Joshua prayed the Lord God caused the sun and moon to stand still, give Israel time to win the battle (Recorded in Joshua chp 10).
Towns and cities associated with the Ayalon Valley
The ancient city of Ajalon (or Aijalon) is situated in the strategic Ayalon Valley, approximately 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Jerusalem and 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Ramla (roughly 20 miles (32.1 km west of Ramallah), and is traditionally identified with the site of the former Palestinian village of Yalu (or Yalo).In the Bible, Sha’alvim (also spelled Shaalabbin or Shaalbim) is an ancient town located in the foothills of Ephraim on the border of the Aijalon Valley. It is most prominently mentioned in the following passages:
Joshua 19:42: The town is listed as one of the cities allotted to the Tribe of Dan during the allocation of the Promised Land.
Judges 1:35: The tribe of Dan was initially unable to conquer Sha’alvim. The Amorites maintained control of the area and forced the Danites into the hill country.
1 Kings 4:9: Later in biblical history, the town is mentioned as part of the administrative district of King Solomon’s officer, Ben-deker.
The Ayalon Valley: Modern route 443 (“The Levites Way”)
The Ancient Trail, known as the Bethoron Ascent, this was the widest gateway used by large armies to bypass Jerusalem’s southern mountain defences and strike from the north.Today, Route 443 passes right through the Ayalon Valley. It serves as a major four-lane divided highway and the primary alternate route connecting Tel Aviv and Modi’in to northern Jerusalem.
The Ayalon River (Nahal Ayalon)
The (Nahal Ayalon) is a 50-kilometer-long seasonal stream in central Israel that originates in the Judean Hills, flows through the Ayalon Valley, and empties into the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv.Source and Upper Course
Origin:
The river begins in the Judean Hills/Samaria mountains (near Givat Ze’ev and south of Ramallah). The river flows westward out of the mountains, transitioning into a dry riverbed as it enters the Ayalon Valley in the Shephelah region.
Middle Course – Floodplain:
The river crosses through floodplain areas, including Ayalon Park, where winter rains fill the seasonal channel with water. The river passes near major infrastructure elements, including parts of Ben Gurion International Airport.Lower Course and Urban Integration
Tel Aviv Channel:
As it reaches the densely populated Gush Dan metropolitan area, the river’s course has been heavily channelized. Through Tel Aviv, the river runs directly alongside and down the center of the Ayalon Highway (Highway 20) and major railway tracks.
Mouth:
The river finally discharges into the Yarkon River inside Yarkon Park just before reaching the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in north Tel Aviv city.Principle Israelite fortifications defending the Ayalon valley.
Biblical fortifications in the Ayalon Valley primarily centered around the strategic mound of Tel Gezer. Originally a major Canaanite stronghold, the site was refortified during the Israelite period in the 10th century B.C. featuring a massive six-chambered gate and casemate wall systems commonly associated with the reign of King Solomon.Biblical history also highlights fortifications at the city of Ajalon, located near modern-day Latrun. Following the division of the United Kingdom, Ajalon became a strategic border town between the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel. King Rehoboam of Judah heavily fortified Ayalon, equipping the city with defenses, weapons, and food provisions. Today, remains at the adjacent Tel Ayalon also feature a later Crusader fortress known as Castellum Arnoldi.
A note about the trade route through the Ayalon valley.
The ancient trade route running through the Ayalon valley in Israel is a crucial branch of the ancient international Via Maris. This vital, low-elevation corridor connected the Mediterranean coastal plains to the central Judean hill country and Jerusalem.Key hubs and features along this specific ancient trade corridor include:
Tel Gezer:
A prominent Canaanite and Israelite city-state strategically situated on an isolated hill in the middle of the Ayalon Valley. It served as a major stronghold that commanded the trade caravans passing from the coast toward the interior mountains.The Ascent of Beth Horon:
From the Ayalon Valley, the ancient road ascended sharply into the Judean Hills, passing near biblical sites like Gibeon to reach Jerusalem. Beth-horon consists of two historical sites, Lower Beth-horon (Beit Ur al-Tahta) and Upper Beth-horon (Beit Ur al-Fauqa), separated by a steep, rocky incline rising roughly 800 feet (244 metres) over a narrow two-mile (3.21 km) ridge.Jisr Jindas:
A historic Mamluk bridge in nearby Lod marking an inland junction used by merchants, spice caravans, and travelers passing through the valley from Jaffa (on the Mediterranean coast) toward Jerusalem.Wikipedia notes about the Ayalon valley
“The Ayalon Valley has been an important route connecting the coastal plain and Jerusalem for generations. Due to its location, several battles were fought in its vicinity. The Hebrew Bible gives the valley its name from Ayalon, a city that the Tribe of Dan possessed before their migration to the north. In the modern period, ancient Ayalon was identified with the former village of Yalo at the base of the Bethoron pass, which preserved the ancient, biblical name.History
Late Bronze Age
Egyptian period
In the Tell el-Amarna letters, written during the last twelve years of Pharaoh Akhenaten and the first regnal year of Tutankhamun (14th century B.C.), Abdi-Heba speaks of the destruction of the “city of Ajalon” by the invaders, and describes himself as “afflicted, greatly afflicted” by the calamities that had come on the land, urging the king of Egypt to hasten to his help. This event may have been connected to an attack of the Amorites, before the arrival of the Israelites under Joshua. But since the valley stretches as far to the west as to a point halfway between Sha’alvim and Latrun, the city referenced in these letters may have been any settlement in the valley.
Iron Age
In the 10th century B.C. Ajalon is mentioned in the accounts of an invasion of Canaan by the Egyptian king Sheshonk I.
Kingdom of Judah
After the kingdom divided, Ajalon became the boundary between the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Rehoboam, the first king of Judah, fortified the city of Aijalon, supplying officers, weapons and food provisions (see 2 Chronicles 11:5-12).
The Bible
Joshua’s battle
The Valley of Ayalon was first mentioned in the Book of Joshua as where Joshua defeated five Amorite kings. Following his midnight march to rescue the city of Gibeon from the coalition led by the King of Jebus (Jerusalem), Joshua pursued the coalition eastward, down through the descent of Beth-horon, and then southward across the Valley of Ajalon. To allow the Israelites to complete the rout before nightfall, Joshua asked the Lord to lengthen the day by uttering the command: “Sun, stand thou still on Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon”. Joshua 10:11–14 records that God cooperated with Joshua’s request.
Tribe of Dan
Following the conquest, the city of Ajalon was apportioned to the Tribe of Dan (Joshua 19:42) and was designated as one of the Levitical cities given to the Kohathites (Joshua 21:24 and 1 Chronicles 6:69). In spite of Joshua’s initial victory in the Valley of Ajalon, the Amorites continued to live in the city of Ajalon (Judges 1:34–35). Constant Philistine pressure to control the valleys of the Shephelah forced the tribe of Dan to retreat westward, reducing the extent of their territory. Eventually, the Danites abandoned their initial inheritance in the Aijalon area and moved to the extreme northern part of Israel, settling in the city of Laish, which they renamed Dan (Judges 18).
The location was also the site of a great victory over the Philistines by King Saul and his son Jonathan. After a daring attack by Jonathan on the Philistine garrison at Michmash, they pursued the Philistines to Aijalon, a distance of fifteen miles (1 Samuel 14:31). In later years, Aijalon was inhabited by Ephraimites and Benjamites (1 Chronicles 6:69 and 1 Chronicles 8:13).
Identification
Ajalon’s identification with Yalo was made by Edward Robinson during his travels in Palestine in 1838. Using the works of Jerome and Eusebius of Caesarea, who describe Aijalon as being two Roman miles from Nicopolis, while also drawing upon descriptions of Aijalon in the Old Testament and noting the philological similarities between the Arabic name and its Hebrew root, Robinson concluded that the Yalo was indeed Aijalon.”
[Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayalon_Valley]
Follow this link to see the BC Encyclopaedia article about “Valleys: The Five Key valleys of the Shephelah in Israel”:
Valleys: The Five Key valleys of the Shephelah in Israel
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