Vertical tabsMonastery name, type, categorySite Name: Naḥal ItlahIdentification: Sabas cave of seclusion according to Yigal Tepper 1996.Monastery name: Sabas cave of seclusion?Monastery type: Hermitage/hermitagesMonastery category: Isolated in the countryside LocationCoordinates, ITM system: 154,360.001,137,172.00 Coordinates, ICS system: 204,371.00137,185.00 Geographical region: ShephelahProvincial affiliation: Palaestina IBishopric: NikopolisTopographical location: On the cliff of Naḥal Itlah, to the west of Ḥorvat Ḥoresh, next to Itlah ascent leading from Nicopolis to Jerusalem Source of knowledgeHideLiterary sources Text number Summary 1 In his second exile from his laura, Sabas lives as a solitary for many days under a single carob-tree before the epitropos of the place builds him a cell, which soon turns into a monastery, ca. AD 505. Archaeological remainsSurveyed siteSurveyors: NameDate Yigal Tepper1994 Bibliograpy: Tepper, Y(igal)., 1996 Abbreviation for Journals and Series General descriptionState of preservation/which parts were uncovered: Moastic cave in the cliff with rock-cut stairs leading up. A constructed road underneath. Huge water cistern near Ḥorvat Ḥoresh on the hill above, to the east. Yigal Tepper (1996, 48–49) suggested that Sabas’ place of seclusion and his ensuing monastery are to be located at Ḥorvat Ḥoresh and the adjacent cliff caves, near the ancient ascent from Emmaus to Jerusalem along and above Naḥal Yitlah – the Yitlah ascent. Namely, that the cave in the slope may have been inhabited by Sabas before a cell was built for him, and later his monastery. Illustrative material: Illustrative_material Photos General descriptionPaths: A cave of seclusion with rock-cut stairs and other remains along the cliff. Dwellings: Cave. Small finds Detailed descriptionComponents Architectural evolutionPhase 1 Abandonment General outline: Seemingly installed during Sabas second exile from the Great Laura (503-506). Dating material: Literary. Phase dateCentury: 6th c.Within century: Early Phase dateCentury: Unknown
