Image Details

Duby Tal/Albatross

The north face of Hyrcania looms up from two tunnels cut into the mountain at its base. A trail winds up toward the ruins above. John Allegro’s excavation at the bottom of the mountain came to naught but sparked the imagination of American airline pilot Bob Morgan, who began to excavate one of the tunnels illegally and under cover of darkness. Realizing that he needed legitimate help, he approached Hebrew University professor Amihai Mazar who, in turn, passed Morgan off to his graduate student—author Oren Gutfeld.