Not every guide can take you “off the beaten track” but I can.

Hasmonean & Herod’s palaces, Wadi Qelt/Jericho

I like to drive to the palaces from the cutoff to Mitzpe Yericho on highway <1> on the ridge above Wadi Qelt, past the St. George monastery, past Herod’s fortress at Cypros to the western outskirts of Jericho. Definitely off the beaten track. The remains of the palaces spanning Wadi Qelt were in sorry condition but miraculously Israel Antiquities has been doing some new excavations and conservation work and things are looking a lot better.

Here are some photos of the site:

Column bases and column drums

General view of Hasmonean bathhouse built to west of large swimming pools

Pool complex in Hasmonean palace

Ritual bath/mikveh uncovered in the northeastern corner of the Hasmonean palace

King Herod’s third palace at Jericho was built on both sides of Wadi Qelt and is one of 3 sites where the remain of walls built of opus recticulatum and opus quadratum have been found, a typical Roman building technique.

Although the special King Herod exhibit is no longer on display at the Israel Museum there is an area in the archaelogical wing dedicated to artifacts from Herodium and other Herod sites that are fascinating to see. Ask your guide to combine sites like Jericho and Herodium with a visit to the museum – you get to see the artifacts in their context and the actual locations.

I’m looking forward to your next visit. I hope I’ll see you soon – I’ll be ready.