Adullam

Adullam (Hebrew: עֲדֻלָּם) is an ancient ruin, built upon a hilltop overlooking the Elah Valley, south of Bet Shemesh in Israel. In the late 19th century, the town was still in ruins, and called by its Arabic corruption, `Eîd el Mieh. The hilltop ruin is also known by the name Khirbet el-Sheikh Madkour, named after Madkour, one of the sons of the Sultan Beder, for whom is built a shrine (wely) and formerly called by its inhabitants Wely Madkour. The hilltop is mostly flat, with cisterns carved into the rock. The remains of stone structures which once stood there can still be seen. Sedimentary layers of ruins from the old Canaanite and Israelite eras, mostly potsherds, are noticeable everywhere, although olive groves now grow atop of this hill, enclosed within stone hedges. The villages of Aderet, Neve Michael/Roglit, and Aviezer are located nearby. Access to the site may be obtained by passing through the cooperative small holder's agricultural villages (Moshavim) of Aderet or Neve Michael (known also as Roglit). The ruin lies at a distance of ca. 2 kilometers south of Moshav Neve Michael.