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Courtesy Yizhar Hirschfeld

One of ‘Aqav’s distinguishing features is a Jewish ritual bath (miqveh). In contrast, Horvat ‘Eleq has no formal miqveh, although the natural spring located on the site would have met the same religious requirements. Another remarkable find is a stone window grill. The only other known example is from Herod’s palace at Herodium. These and other details place the estate at Ramat Hanadiv at the same rank as Jericho, Masada and Macherus in Jordan, sites of other royal estates. Whoever lived at Ramat Hanadiv was no country bumpkin.