THE MONASTERIES OF THE DESERT OF THE JORDAN

O. Sion

The final stage of the 1993 archaeological survey of the Kalia region revealed the monastic remains in the Desert of the Jordan. The baptism
sites, the arid desert landscape, the friable layers of Lissan marl and the scattered springs drew the monks of the Byzantine period, turning the site into
a center of intense activity. The survey was conducted in 1992-1993 on behalf of the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria and the Antiquities
Authority. The survey was headed by O. Sion (who also photographed and
drew the plans), assisted by: D. Amar, L. Alon, Y. Golan, Y. Goldman, Y.
Tsionit, Z. Abeles, and S. Amami. In the ninety years that have passed since
it was last researched, the monasticism of the desert of the Jordan was almost forgotten; thus, the survey was almost a renewed discovery. Many
passed through the area without noticing the man-made remains, so well do
they blend into the landscape. It took stumbling on the remains of a cell and
collecting potsherds that were scattered around it, to realize that many other
remains were to be found in the site.
The name Desert of the Jordan refers to the plain to the east and to
the south of Jericho (Fig. 1). The area is mentioned in the literature of the
pilgrims who passed through it on their way from the baptism sites on the
Jordan to Jericho and Jerusalem. It also appears in the writings of the Judean
desert monks such as: Cyril of Scythopolis and John Moschus1. The landscape in this area is flat, except for a scarp following the line of the springs
(from north to south): Ein el-Beida, Ein Hajla, Ein Nargil and Ein Abu
Mahmud. At this scarp the plateau drops down to the reed bush on the Jordan bank, named ez-Zur. A network of small streams flows at the base of
the scarp. The soil consists of thin layers of clay, chalk, gypsum, sand and
huwar pebbles. The concentration of clay in the sediments formed hard layers that are evident in the landscape. These steps prevent drift and allow
the hewing of the rock for building purposes. Nahal Perat (Wadi Qelt), the
largest stream in the area, crosses the northern part of the desert. Its bed is
packed with limestone rocks and its side cliffs are steep. In certain points,
their height reaches twenty meters. This stream is the only one that pours

1. Hirschfeld 1992, 3-5, 76.

LA 46 (1996) 245-264; Pls. 1-4

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O. SION

Fig. 1 Map of the Jordan Desert and the sites of the monasteries.

into the Jordan river. The watercourses to the south of Nahal Perat, such as
Wadi Ghor el-Murrar, Wadi Muqtal Qattam and Wadi Murrar, do not reach
the Jordan river or the Dead Sea, but rather the large salt deposits north of
the Dead Sea. The only perennial water sources in this area are the Jordan
river and a number of springs, the largest of which is Ein Hajla (Phot. 1).
The aquifer is close to the surface and allows the growth of palm trees,
tamarisks, and poplars (Phot. 2).
The flat landscape and the scant vegetation allowed for free movement
and made road construction unnecessary, thus making the dating of the
paths a very difficult task. Two main roads crossed the Jordan desert
broadwise towards Jericho, one starting at the monastery of John the Baptist (Qasr el-Yahud) and the other at Deir Hajla (Phot. 3). The main lengthwise roads passed at the foot of the cliffs and close to the bank of the
Jordan river.
The monasticism of the desert of the Jordan was the object of attention
by many of the Judean desert researchers such as: Tobler, Gurin, Conder and
Kitchener, Chitty, Meinardus and others. The most important studies describ-

THE MONASTERIES OF THE DESERT OF THE JORDAN

247

ing the remains at the site are due to Fderlin2 and Augustinovi (1951).
Vailh (1898) and Schneider (1938) supplied a detailed historical survey.
Fderlins map3 was used for decades as the only detailed source of information about the remains of cells and monasteries. The level of detail is high and
the mapping shows a good degree of accuracy. In some cases this map is the only
evidence of those findings that were destroyed during the years, mostly as a result of agricultural activity in the area. A wave of Israeli research of the site began in the 70s. The first surveyor was P. Bar-Adon (1972) whose team documented sites in the Judean desert and in the Jericho valley. Y. Hirschfeld and J.
Patrich were next: the former surveyed cells in the surroundings of the monastery of Deir Hajla and the latter carried out an excavation and documented cells
in the area of Ein el-Mahmud4. With our survey we have tried to complete the
picture, using the written sources and the archaeological evidence.

Historical review
The historical sources attest the existence of hermits in the desert of the Jordan as early as the 4th century. They apparently were the first monks in the
area5. Geographically, the desert of the Jordan belongs to a landscape unit
separate from the Judean desert, but the monastic movement there is an integral part of the Judean desert monasticism. The first communal monastery of
the area was founded in the 5th century by the monk Gerasimus, who is considered the father of the local monasticism, and was named after him. This
period marked the beginning of a time of bloom for the Judean desert monasteries, and especially for the monasticism of the desert of the Jordan. The
monastery of Gerasimus included a church, a kitchen, a refectory, storage areas and a dwelling wing. Gerasimus set strict rules according to which, every
monk was to stay in solitude in his cell for five days a week. The clothing was
plain and needs were reduced to a minimum. Personal belongings were limited to a rush mat and a bowl for drinking which also served for wetting the
palm leaves. The monks diet was based mainly on bread, dates and water.
The monks work mostly consisted of making baskets and ropes out of
palm leaves. On Saturdays and Sundays the monks gathered in the core of the
laura, ate cooked food, drank wine and prayed together. In the cells they were
2. Full references in Hirschfeld 1992, 289.
3. Fderlin 1903, 120.
4. Hirschfeld 1991; Patrich - Arubas - Agur 1993.
5. Vita Charitonis 1941, 13,26.

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O. SION

not allowed to light candles or prepare a warm drink. The cells were constantly left open6. In Gerasimus time, the number of monasteries in the area
increased to four. After his death, and particularly during the 6th century, the
pilgrimage movement to Palestine increased, encouraged by the emperors
Anastasius and Justinian. The former built the monastery of John the Baptist
near the Jordan, to which two hostels were added with the help of the latter7.
In this period about ten new monasteries were established in the area.
The end of the monastic movement, both in the desert of the Jordan and
in the Judean desert, was brought about by the Arab conquest, although the
Muslim occupation was apparently not more violent than the earlier Persian
conquest.
Our survey of the monasteries follows the presumed order of their foundation, based mostly on the historical sources. An attempt has been made to
combine the historical with the archaeological data as reported by the various scholars, with reference also to the current state of the sites.
The Laura of Calamon, or Laura of the Reed Bush (Site K), was established approximately in 450 A.D. The opinions about the location of the core of
the laura vary. Some scholars identified it at Deir Hajla (Marti, Vailh,
Schneider and Augustinovi), while others located it east of the spring. Later in
this article we will discuss the problematic nature of the remains found at Deir
Hajla. About the other site, Fderlins report is helpful: The remains of the
monastery were discovered at a distance of approximately 200 meters from the
spring. The remains, among which walls and mosaic tesserae, were found by
the monks of the monastery of John the Baptist in the process of preparing the
ground for planting. Among the remains the central building of the Laura, 30
48 m, is prominent. In the center of the building there was an inner courtyard
where a round water cistern, 7.5 m in diameter, is still preserved. The courtyard
is surrounded by dwelling cells8. The only remains that have survived todays
agricultural works are a cistern and potsherds of the Byzantine period.
The monastery of Gerasimus Deir Hajla or Qasr Hajla (Site M) was
established ca. 455 A.D. Gurin, who visited the place 120 years ago, describes a decayed monastery and a ruined church within. Remains of paintings and inscriptions were found among the ruins. Gurin dated the monastery
to the Crusader period on the basis of its pointed arches9. Others, such as

6. Hirschfeld 1991, 419-423.

7. See references in Hirschfeld 1992, 62.
8. Fderlin 1903, 120.
9. Gurin 1874, 53-56.

THE MONASTERIES OF THE DESERT OF THE JORDAN

249

Conder, Kitchener and Schneider viewed this building as the continuation of

the original Byzantine monastery. A detailed description of the medieval remains can be found in the works of Gurin and Conder and Kitchener10.
Fderlin suggested to locate the Byzantine building 350 m east of the current
location of the monastery11, since the earliest remains found on the site and in
its immediate surroundings are from the Middle Ages, and the area closest to
the monastery does not contain Byzantine material. It is therefore unlikely
that there may have been a Byzantine monastery on the spot. At the site suggested by Fderlin a ruin was found, dating from the Byzantine period, the
size of a large monastic cell.
The monasteries of Elias one of them known as Monastery of the Eunuchs at Khirbet Mafjar and Tell Mafjar (Sites C and D) were built by Elias
in 465 A.D. They are located near the main road between Deir Hajla and Jericho. The sites were extensively surveyed by various scholars and a summary
of their findings is brought by Y. Hirschfeld12. Besides the sites themselves,
two Byzantine cells also survived: one approximately 80 m east of Khirbet
Mafjar (Fig. 2) and the other about 60 m to the north-east. In his map, Fderlin
marks five cells.
The monastery of John the Baptist Qasr el-Yahud or Castle of the Jew
(Site N; Phot. 4) was built at the end of the 5th century or the beginning of

Fig. 2 The remains of a monastic cell east of Khirbet Mafjar.

10. Gurin 1874; Conder - Kitchener 1883, 53-56.
11. Fderlin 1903, 134-148.
12. Hirschfeld 1990, 22-23.

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O. SION

the 6th, in the place where, according to the Christian tradition, Jesus was
baptized. The site was extensively studied by Gurin, Clermont-Ganneau,
Conder and Kitchener from the archaeological point of view, and by Marti,
Vailh, Augustinovi and Meinardus on the historical aspects13. Gurin described a ruined monastery, surrounded by a wall; among the ruins he identified fallen arches and a chapel with an apsis to the east. Gurin believed that
above the chapel a church had been built of zhich the bases of a few pillars
and portions of walls survived. An ancient reservoir was surveyed in the western fringes of the ruins. Many pilgrims had visited the site and left their mark,
mainly in the form of crosses engraved on the walls. Since the 12th century
the monastery was rebuilt on the remains of the original building. A survey
of the area revealed an abundance of Byzantine sherds in the debris around
the monastery. Near it, there is a Byzantine aqueduct (Phot. 4) in a west to east
direction coming from an unknown source.
Another monastery was discovered near the church of Galgala, en-Nitle
or Tell Jaljul (Site E). The land at the site is plowed and thus nothing has
survived but a few stones, sherds, a small artificial cavity, and perhaps a
reservoir. When the monastery was surveyed about 90 years ago14, it was
surrounded by a wall, sections of which were preserved to a height of 9 m.
Seventeen monastic cells were scattered around. The excavations conducted
during the years 1949-1951 by Baramki15 could not ascertain whether the
remains belonged to a church. The period of activity at the site was dated from
the 4th to the 9th century. Hirschfeld concluded from the excavation findings
that there had been a monastery attached to a church of the Byzantine
Period16.
These are six of the best known and most important monasteries of the
desert of the Jordan. Fderlin added to them a list of seven monasteries that
were not previously known, which he also identified. All are dated to the 6th
century. They are the monastery of the Towers, the monastery of Peter, the
monastery of the Aeliotes, Soubiba of the Syrians, Soubiba of the Bessians,
Penthucla and Chorembe. The monastery of the Towers was surveyed by P.
Bar-Adon, but all the rest were forgotten. The impression we formed from the
survey is that the first five were indeed monasteries, while the remaining two,
Chorembe and Penthucla, are only ruined monastic cells.

13. See references in Hirschfeld 1992, 293-294.

14. Fderlin 1903, 309-310.
15. Baramki 1949-1951.
16. Hirschfeld 1990, 50-51.

THE MONASTERIES OF THE DESERT OF THE JORDAN

251

The monastery of the Towers (Site L in Fig. 1; Phot. 5)

The monastery was extensively surveyed by Fderlin17 and Augustinovi18,
and its ground plan was supplied by P. Bar-Adon19. The survey revealed remains scattered on an area of three dunam. Near the northern wall there is a
large water cistern. The size and the central location of this monastery among
the laurae and the hermit cells in the desert of the Jordan are indications of its
importance.

Monastery north of Wadi Mughar (Site B)

The site is located north of Wadi Mughar and of the ancient road leading
from Deir Hajla to the southern outskirts of the city of Jericho. The remains
were surveyed in the 50s by Augustinovi who tentatively identified the
site as a monastery20. The ruins extend on an area of 2.4 dunam and were
preserved to a height of 1.5 m. Heads of walls, mosaic tesserae and a large
quantity of sherds were found scattered on surface. In the western part of
the site there is a reservoir 5.5 m in diameter and 5.6 m deep at least (Phot.
6). It is carefully built with stones and sherds and coated with several layers of plaster in the fashion of the cisterns in the Judean desert monasteries. Similar cisterns were surveyed in the monastery of Jabel Muntar and
in Khirbet Handoma21. Another reservoir, 8.5 m in diameter (outer measure)
and at least 2.2 m deep, was discovered approximately 200 m north of the
site. The latter may have been covered with a roof leaning on three pairs of
arches. The remains of an aqueduct made of pebbles coated with plaster
connect the reservoir to the ruins of the monastery. Beside this, many
sherds, fragments of glass, a disjoined mosaic pavements and a sundial (?)
were also discovered on the site. Approximately 150 m south, in the bed of
Wadi Mughar, three artificial mounds containing pebbles and many potsherds were observed possibly the remains of three cells that served the
hermits of the monastery.

17. Fderlin 1903, 180-182.

18. Augustinovi 1951, 112.
19. Bar-Adon 1972, 116-117, site number 74 B, fig. 7.
20. Augustinovi 1951, 182-183.
21. Sion 1992, 282-283.

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O. SION

Soubiba of the Syrians (Site F in Fig. 1)

This monastery is located on the northern bank of Nahal Perat. It was identified by Fderlin22 with Soubiba of the Syrians, a monastery mentioned by
John Moschus23. The site spreads on a flat area of 1.8 dunam. Remains of
walls, architectural elements and mosaic tesserae are scattered about the site.
To the west, a water cistern with an adjoining mosaic floor was identified. The
ruins of two buildings, made of local materials, were found on the southern
bank of Nahal Perat, 250 and 500 m from the site. Presumably they were
dwellings of hermits.

The laura of the Aeliotes (Site G in Fig. 1)

This site is located north of Nahal Perat, in an area rich in ruins, whose function cannot easily be ascertained owing to their deteriorated state. Fderlin described a laura with seven cells, a core and a hostel24. In his opinion, the
enclosure located 250 m to the north-east of the monastery is nothing but a
khan. In addition to these findings, he mentions a large agricultural estate
measuring 130 60 m, and an aqueduct, which is marked on the maps as remains of a Roman road. A notable contribution to the survey of the Judean
desert and valley of Jericho was made by P. Bar-Adon with a description of
the finds and the drawing of plans. According to him, the aqueduct is a road
and the khan a Roman fort25. The estate and the water cistern were not described by Bar-Adon and possibly at the time of his survey they no longer
existed. On the other hand, Bar-Adon noticed another fort, located south of
the road26.
When the expedition led by the writer documented the findings on the
site, the remains of the monastery were prominent in sight. Ruins of walls,
segments of a surrounding enclosure and a tower (?) were identified along the
southern and the eastern edges of the site. Drafted stones, mosaic tesserae,
fragments of plaster and many sherds were found in the place. The foundations of a few buildings were identified 15 m to the south-east. Remains of

22. Fderlin 1903, 299.

23. Johannes Moschus, 87, 3.
24. Fderlin 1903, 328.
25. Bar-Adon 1972, 115 c.
26. Bar-Adon 1972, 115 d.

THE MONASTERIES OF THE DESERT OF THE JORDAN

253

buildings and sherds of the Byzantine Period were also found in two additional locations: one, a 10 10 m ruin, is approximately 300 m to the west of
the site and it seems to be one of the cells mentioned by Fderlin. The other,
in a state of total deterioration, is located approximately 350 m east of the
monastery, just near the road.

Soubiba of the Bessians (Site H in Fig. 1)

This site is located approximately 150 m north of Nahal Perat. It extends over
2.5 dunam and its walls are preserved to an height of 2 m. It is difficult to
follow any contours of walls on the ground, but the excavation of an artificial
canal along the western edge of the site exposed mosaic pavements, walls and
rooms. The abundant yield of finds includes a large variety of Byzantine pottery, glass and roof tiles. South of the site, in an area stretching down to Nahal
Perat, two cells were uncovered.

The laura of Peter (Site I in Fig. 1)

The laura is located approximately 300 m to the south of Nahal Perat and its
identification as the Laura of Peter, mentioned in John Moschus Pratum, is
due to Fderlin. The laura (Fig. 3 and Phot. 7) is rectangular in shape, measuring 26.2 24.7 m, with an opening 1.6 m wide in the eastern wall. The
entrance leads into a courtyard, which is surrounded by at least 15 rooms,
each measuring 3.3 3.5 to 4 m on average. The north-western and northeastern corners are particularly prominent, reaching a height of up to two
meters from the ground level, and it can be assumed that a pair of watchtowers rose here. Near the entrance there is a room measuring 1.5 2.8 m (inner
measures) that was presumably used by the gatekeeper. Five meters east of
the eastern wall of the complex there are the foundations of a building measuring 7.5 4.65 m. Fderlin believed that this structure served as a chapel27.
Out of four monastic cells noticed by Fderlin in the proximity of the complex, our expedition identified two: one is 40 m north-east of the central structure and the second, whose foundation (6.4 4.9 m) is well preserved, is
approximately 30 m to the south.

27. Fderlin 1903, 133,197.

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O. SION

Fig. 3 The plan of the Monastery of Petros.

Unidentified site (Site J in Fig. 1)

This site is described by Fderlin as an enclosure near the monastery of
Soubiba of the Bessians28. It is situated north of Nahal Perat, near to the
modern aqueduct leading south from Ein el-Beida. The site is hidden because it is located east of and close to the local mountain ridge. At the center
of the site there is a rectangular building measuring 75 50 m, whose walls
are preserved to a height of only 0.2-0.3 m, as a result of intensive looting of
stone for the purpose of house building in Jericho.
The structure has two distinct parts (Fig. 4). The northern section measures 60 50 m. Ten rooms measuring 5 3.5 to 5 m are attached to the eastern wall of the building. Next to the northern wall of the structure is a room
paved in mosaic, measuring 15 7 m. In the middle there are three structures
of similar sizes (13 7 m), oriented to the east. Possibly one of them served
as a church. Four rooms were surveyed in the western side and three more in
the southern side. A building measuring 13 8.5 m is attached to the middle
of the southern wall. The second section of the complex looks like a courtyard and no remains of building were found in it. Another site, measuring 15
15 m probably a small industrial site was found approximately 100 m to
the south-west. Abundant refuses of metal slags were found in the debris.

28. Fderlin 1903, 300.

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255

Fig. 4 The Soubiba of the Bessians plan.

Hermit cells in the desert of the Jordan

From the description in the Life of Gerasimus29 the laura of Gerasimus counted
about 70 monastic cells. It can be assumed that by the term Laura of
Gerasimus the writer referred to all the cells in the area of the monastery, since
the sources tell us of additional lauras. The survey revealed approximately seventy cells, to which we must add twenty more cells discovered by Fderlin
which do not exist any more. Seventeen cells are scattered around Tell Jajula
(E) and others east of Khirbet Mafjar (C). A full picture points at a total of approximately 90 cells. The central group includes 44 cells (Fig. 5), which are
scattered on a stretch of approximately 2 km on the south of Nahal Perat (except for two) and north of Deir Hajla on a one kilometer wide strip.
The cells are spread along the local water sheds at distances of 50-150 m
from each other. A network of paths connects the cells together, and the moderate topography and sparse vegetation allow free access from one place to the
other. The cells were built on a foundation of hard rock the gypsum steps.
Except for three which are hewn in the rock, most of the cells are built of local stones that were quarried from the same natural layers of gypsum. The

29. Full references in Patrich - Arubas - Agur 1993, 277.

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O. SION

Fig. 5 The map of the central group of cells in the Jordan Desert.

quarrying sites from which the stones had been taken were found almost beside every single cell. A physical connection between the monasteries and the
cells was not found, even though the location of the monasteries at the fringe

THE MONASTERIES OF THE DESERT OF THE JORDAN

257

of the cells is prominent. It is interesting to note that there were no monastic

cells in the palm grove either in the Byzantine Period or at the time of the new
laura (see below).

The laura of Gerasimus

The laura of Gerasimus is located around the monastery of Deir Hajla and to
the east of it. The laura cells were surveyed and described by Hirschfeld30. In
our survey five additional cells were added (Fig. 6, cells 2, 5, 8, 10 and 11).
Pottery of the Byzantine Period was found in all cells. Except for cell 2 that
was built, all cells were hewn in the soft rock.
Cell 2: The cell measures 4 4 m and is located on the bank of Wadi
Nukheil. Potsherds are scattered in a radius of ten meters from its center.
Cell 5: A rock-hewn cell that was partially preserved due to the collapsing of rocks. The surviving internal space measures 2.5 2 m. Two niches
were carved in the southern wall of the cell.
Cell 8: The cell is located in the northern side of the wadi, next to a local
waterfall. It measures 6.4 3.2 m and it is divided into two rooms. A narrow
corridor leads from the inner room to an exit opening into the river bed.
Niches are carved in all the walls (Phot. 8).
Cells 10-11: These cells have collapsed, but the signs of the hewing, the
hollows in the debris and the sherds testify that these were indeed cells.

Additional monastic cells

A group of four collapsed cells was discovered approximately 2 km to the
north of the Dead Sea (map reference 18320 13310). The cells are carved in
the huwar formation, underneath the gypsum layers which create a typical
plateau landscape. The cells are in ruins and all that can be seen is carved
walls and scattered sherds.
On the western side of the road leading to the Dead Sea, Patrich31 found
and excavated a group of four rock-hewn cells and a reservoir (at Ein Abu
Mahmud). Possibly the two groups of cells were connected to form a single
laura.

30. Hirschfeld 1991.

31. Patrich - Arubas - Agur 1993.

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Fig. 6 Deir Hajla - monastic cells.

From a concentration of 44 cells, approximately 19 could be measured

and divided into three groups of different sizes (table 1 and Fig. 7). The first
group includes ten cells that can be divided according to their size into two
sub-groups: up to 36 m2 (A1) and between 40 and 65 m2 (A2). The second
group includes five cells measuring 90-120 m2 (B). The third group includes
four large cells measuring 140 m2 and more.
Forty of the 44 cells were built, three hewn in the rock, while the building
of one is unclear. The number of rooms was usually more than one. In some
of the cells an enclosed courtyard can be noticed. The commonest lengths of
the courtyards were 6.5 m, 12.5 m and 16.5 m. The commonest widths range
between 6 4.5 and between 9.5 10.5 m.

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259

Fig. 7 Monastic cells in the Jordan Desert plan.

The New laura in Ein Hajla

The end of the 19th century brought a revival to some of the monasteries in
the Judean desert and in the desert of the Jordan, such as the monasteries of
Sabas, St. George, Qarantal, Deir Hajla and Qasr el-Yahud32. This lead to the
refoundation of the laura in the Ein Hajla area. The research of the modern
cells may contribute to the study of the lauras of the Byzantine Period.
The survey of the buildings located in the palm grove east of Ein Hajla
and around it, revealed two major groups. One (Fig. 8: 1-5 and 9) includes
32. Hirschfeld 1992, 237.

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O. SION

Fig. 8 The New Laura cells.

modern structures of three rooms or more whose walls were whitewashed

inside and outside. Most of them had a tabun abutting to a structure 2 m wide
and 2.5 m high. The second group included buildings with only one or two
rooms. These buildings are usually not whitewashed, they do not have tabuns
and they are located around the palm grove. Not a single one was found
within the grove (Fig. 2: 6-8, 11).
From the testimony of local monks and of the inhabitants of the area
we learn that the buildings of the first group were used by farmers who
lived there with their families and farmed the land surrounding the springs,
while the buildings of the second group were used by hermits. The distance
between the cells ranges between 50 and 150 m and the size of an average
cell is 23.9 m2 (table 2 and Fig. 9). The cells were built of blocks cut from
the gypsum layers in the area. The walls, whose width varies between 0.5
and 0.3 m, were bound together with locally made mortar and were rarely
whitewashed. The frames of windows and doors were strengthened with

THE MONASTERIES OF THE DESERT OF THE JORDAN

Fig. 9 The New Laura cells plan.

261

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branches of poplar and tamarisk. The ceiling is made of wood beams, laid
lengthwise and topped with rush mats coated with chalky lime.

Discussion and conclusion

The crowding of the monasteries and hermitages in the desert of the Jordan
makes their identification difficult, since their exact location is not stated in
the historical sources and the excavators spade has not yet dug into them.
Of 14 sites that were identified as monasteries, only in four cases the identification seems a definite one: the monasteries of Elias in Khirbet Mafjar and
Tell Mafjar (C and D), the monastery near the church of St. John the Baptist
(N) and the church at Ein Nitle, i.e. the church of Galgala (E).
No convincing arguments were offered for the identification of site G as
the laura of the Aeliotes. This identification contrasts with the opinions of
Vailh and Chitty33. Another site, identified by Fderlin with the remains of the
monastery of Chorembe, should be found between the laura of the Aeliotes and
the monastery of Galgala, but it cannot be identified in this area that went
through a great many changes, mainly as a result of agricultural activity.
The core of the laura of Calamon can presumably be identified, as suggested by Fderlin, with the cistern and the decayed remains east of Ein Hajla
(Fig. 1, site K).
The lack of Byzantine finds in the area of the modern monastery of Ein
Hajla and around it (M) makes it difficult to accept the assumption that the
monastery of Gerasimus was located there. It also seems that Fderlins hypothesis about the core of the Laura of Gerasimus being located 350 m east
of the modern monastery cannot be true, for the finds in that area are identical to those from the other cells. Therefore, it appears that the monastery of
Gerasimus should be searched for in one of the sites north of the current monastery, perhaps in the closest one, site L. As for the monastery of the Towers,
if we should attempt to conclude which of the surveyed sites offers the most
suitable identification, we would choose site I, identified by Fderlin with the
Laura of Peter, because of the remains of towers which remind us of its name.
Twelve out of the fifteen sites were tentatively identified or at least associated to one of the known names of monasteries. The remaining three the
monastery of Zosimus, Neelkeraba of the Jordan and the laura of Kopratha
are only known from the hagiographical sources34.
33. Vailh 1898, 106-116; Chitty 1966, 149.
34. Hirschfeld 1990, 79.

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263

By the end of the survey of the area, we have achieved a full picture of
the status quaestionis in the issue of the developement of monasticism in the
desert of the Jordan. This picture is based upon the summary of a hundred
years of research in the area and opens the way for the next step in the
research.
Table 1 The measurements of the monastic cells of the central groups in the
Jordan Desert
Group
A1

A2

Cell Measurements Area

Number
(sqm)
(meters)
6
7
34
36
10
11
17
26
42
44
8
13
15
16
29
9
25
30
37

6.4
4.5
6.5
6.5
8.0
7.5
9.2
9.0
6.0
7.5
12.5
10.0
12.5
10.5
12.0
17.6
16.5
16.5
14.0

4.9
7.0
5.5
4.0
8.0
7.5
6.1
5.8
8.0
6.1
9.5
10.0
7.5
8.7
9.5
14.1
9.5
11.5
10.2

31.36
31.50
35.75
26.00
64.00
56.25
56.12
52.20
48.00
45.75
118.75
100.00
93.75
91.35
114.00
248.00
156.75
189.75
142.80

Number
of rooms
1
2
not clear
not clear
2 + yard
1
more than 1
not clear
not clear
not clear
3
more than 1
more than 1
more than 1
room + yard
7 + yard
room + yard
4 + yard
more than 1

Notes
Base of cell well preserved
The eastern wall is small
Base of cell well preserved

*
The cell is partially carved

Center of Laura, small

monastery?

* It is possible that there was a courtyard facing north, but it is not clear.

Table 2 The measurements of the monastic cells of the central groups in the
Jordan Desert
Group

Cell Measurements Area

Number
(sqm)
(meters)
6
7
8
10
11
12
13
14

4.1
4.8
5.8
7.5
4.9
7.5
4.5

4.1
4.2
4.6
5.5
4.0
3.8
3.2

16.81
20.16
25.30
41.25
19.60
28.50
14.40
?

Number
of rooms
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
?

Notes

264

O. SION

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Ofer Sion
Israel Antiquities Authority