Sha'ar Hagai: The road leading to Jerusalem is lined with burnt-out skeletons of
trucks and armored vehicles used in attempts to reach the city and break
the siege. Although many trucks managed to get through, some failed, and
their remains are left today as a war memorial. The Tel-Aviv Jerusalem
road passes through Latrun, which was the site of a major battle during
Israel's War of Independence, as Latrun was essentially the "gateway" to
the Jerusalem hills.
The Biblical city of Gezer is located halfway between Jerusalem and
Jaffa. Pictured here is the Solomonic gate at Tel Gezer. There is a wide
entrance facing the valley and three guard rooms for added gate security.
This gate is almost an exact copy to the gates situated at Hazor and
Megiddo. The city of Gezer was destroyed by Assyria at the end of the 8th
Century CE.
A map of Roman roads: Three roads link Jaffa to Jerusalem. In Biblical
times the Philistines were a major threat to Jerusalem and the valley
protected the Jerusalem hills from attack. The scene with the most famous femme
fatale in the Bible, Delilah, Samson, and the Philistines is also set in the nearby valley
of Sorek (Judges 16:4). The Valley of Ayalon is also famous for one of Joshua's battles
in which he calls upon the sun to stop its progression in the sky until the battle is over:
"O sun, stand still upon Gibeon, and you, O moon, in the Valley of Ayalon" (Joshua 10:12).
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Sha'ar Hagai: The road leading to Jerusalem is lined with burnt-out skeletons of
trucks and armored vehicles used in attempts to reach the city and break
the siege. Although many trucks managed to get through, some failed, and
their remains are left today as a war memorial. The Tel-Aviv Jerusalem
road passes through Latrun, which was the site of a major battle during
Israel's War of Independence, as Latrun was essentially the "gateway" to
the Jerusalem hills. 
