Tel Ofek and Mekorot HaYarkon parks in Yarkon National Park

Tel Afek and the Rosh Ha’ayin Springs

The fortress you see on the tel is Ottoman. However, there have been fortresses on Tel Afek since the Canaanite period, since the tel is very strategically located. These fortresses were within and controlled the Afek Pass, a 2-Km wide pass between the mountains of Samaria on the east and the Rosh Ha’ayin Springs on the west, and through which passed the Via Maris, an important trade route that ran along the Mediterranean coast and connected Egypt to the northern regions of the ancient Near East, including the Levant and parts of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). The Afek Pass circumvented the mouth of the Yarkon Stream and its swamps which would otherwise be an obstacle for armies.

Afek first became a walled city during the Canaanite period in the Early Bronze Age, in about 3,00 BCE. It came under Egyptian control during the Middle Bronze Age, but the Canaanites reestablished their autonomy during the Late Bronze Age (around 1500 to 1200 BCE). Within the courtyard of the Ottoman fortress are ruins of a Canaanite palace from the 17th century Middle Canaanite period and also the partially reconstructed ruins of an Egyptian governor’s house from the 13th century BCE late Canaanite period.

Afek is mentioned in the book of Joshua as being captured by the Israelites (Joshua 12:18). During the Iron Age, Afek came under the control of the Philistines. The Bible describes the Battle of Afek during which the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines and the Ark of the Covenant was captured (I Samuel 4:1). The city subsequently became an Israelite settlement. A Greek city was established during the Hellenistic period. Herod the Great expanded the city in the early Roman period and named it after his father Antipatris. The city flourished during the Late Roman period (132 to 324 CE) and the remains of the Cardo from this period can be seen outside the fortress as well as the remains of a small theater.

The Crusaders built a fortress at Migdal Tsedek on the other side of the Migdal Pass and this fortress can be viewed from the tower within the fortress. A telescope (without glass) is even provided to appreciate its location.

The fortress now on the tel is Ottoman and was built between 1572 and 1574 CE. Its name Antipatris Fortress is in error in that this is the name of Herod’s palace.

The Rosh Ha’ayin Springs is the where a major aquifer emerges at the foot of Tel Afek. This aquifer is from rainwater from Judea and Samaria and it emerges here because the mountains have a westward incline. It was once a major source of water for the Yarkon River. This river is 27 Km long and is joined by other tributaries before it reaches the Mediterranean in Tel Aviv. The springs also created swamps around both banks of the river.

The Rosh Ha’ayin Springs were the main source of water for Jerusalem during the British Mandate. In 1936, water pumps in the springs began pumping water to Sha’ar HaGai and then via additional pumps into the city of Jerusalem. The British-built buildings in the park once contained a pump, filtration and settling pools and a chlorination structure. There are also buildings for the British soldiers who guarded this system.

In the 1950s, Ben Gurion ordered the establishment of Yarkon-Negev water pipelines from the Rosh Ha’ayin Springs to provide water to the Negev region, and in 1964 this water was linked into the national water carrier. The net result of this was that only a small fraction of its water now entered the Yarkon River. Furthermore, as a result of a fall in the water level of the aquifer the swamps around the springs dried up. However, the Einat Channel within the park, which is where you will be hiking, has been rehabilitated and the swamps have been recreated by pumping water from the aquifer.