Khan el-Ahmar - EUTHYMIUS

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Monastery name, type, category
Site Name: 
Khan el-Ahmar
Identification: 
The site was first identified with the monastery of Euthymius by Furrer in the late nineteenth century. This identification has been accepted by scholars, especially after the identity was confirmed by excavation.
Monastery name: 
EUTHYMIUS
Monastery type: 
Cenobium
Monastery category: 
Desert
Pilgrims
Source of sacredness: 
Founder's Tomb
Location
Coordinates, ITM system: 
231,924.00
633,306.00
Coordinates, ICS system: 
181,920.00
133,305.00
Geographical region: 
Judean Desert
Provincial affiliation: 
Palaestina I
Bishopric: 
Jerusalem
Topographical location: 
Level ground
Distance from nearest bishop-seat: 
10 km (Jerusalem)
Distance from Roman roads: 
1 km south of the road connecting Jerusalem with Jericho
Source of knowledge
Hide Archaeological remains
Surveyed site
Surveyors: 
NameDate
Conder and Kitchener
1871-1877
Excavated site
Excavators: 
NameDate
Chitty and Jones
1928-1930
Meimaris
1970's
Birger and Hirschfeld
1987-1989
Tal
1990's (not published)
Tal and Ben-Ziony
1990's (not published)
Fogel
2000's (not published)
Har-Even and Yuzefovsky
2000's (not published)
History: 
The monastery was founded by Euthymius in 428 CE. It was his third foundation, after the monastery of Theoctistus and the monastery at Caparbaricha. According to Cyril of Scythopolis, who described the foundation in detail, Euthymius settled in a cave in the plain now known in Hebrew as Mishor Adumim. With time he was joined by 12 desciples and the laura was constructed with the help of Euthymius' Saracen followers. After the death of Euthymius in 478, the laura was converted in 482 into a communal monastery, in accordance with his will. The monastery continued to function into the 7th century and was badly damaged in an earthquake in 659 CE after which it was restored and continued to function. The monastery was abandoned sometime before the beginning of the 12th century as reported by the Russian Abbot Daniel who found it in ruins. The monastery was restored by the Crusaders in the twelfth century and abandoned once more when their kingdom fell. The site was surveyed several times and was excavated initially in the first half of the twentieth century by Chitty, later in the same century by Meimaris and later still by Hirschfeld and others.
Bibliograpy: 
Chitty, D. J. and Jones, A. H. M., 1928
175-78
Hankin, E. H. and Myers, J. L. , 1929
98-103
Chitty, D. J., 1930
43-47
Chitty, D. J., 1930
150-53
Chitty, D. J., 1932
188-203
Schneider, A. M., 1938
104
Ovadiah, A., 1970
103-4
Hirschfeld, Y., 1984
42-44
Birger, R. and Hirschfeld, Y., 1988
34
Birger, R. and Hirschfeld, Y., 1988/89
110
Meimaris, Y. E., 1989
Hirschfeld, Y., 1990
Hirschfeld, Y., 1993
339-71
Hirschfeld, Y., 1993
428-430
Hershkovitz, I. , Yakar, R., Taitz, C. , Wish-Baratz, S. , Pinhasov, A. and Ring, B. , 1993
373-85
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994
167
Schick, R., 1995
Di Segni, L., 2001
31-36
Patrich, J., 2011
205-18
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012
58-60
Abbreviation for Journals and Series
State of certainty: 
Archaeologically and Literarily definitive
General description
State of preservation/which parts were uncovered: 

The monastery of Euthymius has been extensively excavated in several excavations starting in the 1920's. Its good state of preservation has enabled a reconstruction of the site. According to Hirschfeld, only the crypt can be attributed to the Byzantine period and the original monastery. The other remains are attributed to the Early Islamic period (post the 659 earthquake), and the Middle Ages.

Illustrative material: 
Hide General description
Enclosing walls: 

The monastery was enclosed with a well constructed wall (65 x 54 m, encompassing an area of 3,510 sq. m). The wall is constructed of ashlars and was preserved in its entirty (2.1 m wide, 3.2 m high). The wall belongs to the last phase of construction (Middle Ages) but apparently follows the contour of the original Byzantine wall.

Gate/s: 

The main gate to the complex is located in its northern wall. Today, a medieval arch remains over the gateway. two smaller entryways are located in the walls, one in the western part of the southern wall, facing the remains of the hostel and another in the southern part of the western wall.

Courtyards: 

A central courtyard is located in the center of the structure, paved in well fitting stone slabs. A second, smaller courtyard was located between the church and the crypt. A cistern was located beneath its western part.

Tower/s: 

A tower (6.5 x 5.4 m) is located in the southwest of the complex. Entrance to the tower was apparently from the east. The ground floor consisted of two long halls in an east-west orientation. The northern hall was vaulted and the southern hall's roof rested on a series of arches. Both halls were paved in a white mosaic. The pottery found in the halls was medieval. The tower was originally constructed in the Byzantine period and continued in use in the Middle Ages.

Remains of an external tower were found some 180 m northwest of the monastery, identified by Hirschfeld as the tower mentioned by Cyril of Scythopolis (V. Euth. 43, 65.3; V. Cyr. 7, 226.14).

Churche/s: 

The remains of the church visible today were dated to the Early Islamic period, built after the damage of the earthquake in 659 CE. The church stands on the second story, over three barrel vaults. It was extensively renovated in the Crusader period. The church is a basilica (13.8 x 25.4 m), with a nave and two aisles separated by two rows of three stone pillars each. The southern aisle is paved with a polychrome mosaic featuring geometric patterns and animal representations, dated to the Ummayad period. The nave is paved in opus sectile, dated to the Crusader period. The early excavation revealed remains of frescoes, fragments of an altar table, chancel screen, windows and window panes.

Dwellings: 

 A row of rooms was unearthed south of the tower. The eastern room had a plastered floor and two constructed beds with stone "pillows" which were also plastered. A second room, to its west, was vaulted and paved with a white mosaic. Other cell were uncovered in other parts of the complex, some with the same constructed beds.

Refectory: 

According to Cyril of Scythopolis, when the laura of Euthymius was transformed into a coenobium after his death, the old church was turned into a refectory over which the new church was built (V. Euthy. 43, 64). Three parallel barrel vaults support the second story church. The space formed by these vaults served as  the refectory of the monastery.

 

Burials: 

The sources recount how Euthymius' remains were buried in a vault built over the seclusion cave in which he dwelled (V. Euthy. 42). The crypt, first excavated by Chitty, revealed a burial complex accessed via a stone staircase, containing tombs covered with stone slabs. The main chamber (4.7 x 5.8 m), was constructed of ashlars and vaulted. The stone slabs paving the floor were mostly missing. Nine trough tombes were located beneath the pavement (average 2 x 0.5-0.7 m). Some contained human remains, stacked over each other with funerary offerings, mainly oil lamps.

 A second, smaller chamber (2.4 x 8.5 m) adjoined to the west. This chamber was reached via a short passage and was constructed in an identical manner to the main chamber. The chamber contained two large burial troughs, cut ino the rock, for multiple burials. They were separated by a narrow passage as wide as the door. The troughs were plastered and contained the skeletons of over 100 human males.

 

Storage facilities: 

Various storerooms were uncovered in the excavations in the 1970's.

Cave/s: 

According to Cyril of Scythopolis, Euthymius' tomb was constructed over the cave in which he lived.

Hostelry: 

A large structure was located south of the main complex. This was apparently a hospice for pilgrims. The remains visible today were dated to the Crusader period but it is probable that the builders made use of the remains of the earlier periods.

Water installations: 

Four cisterns were found in the environs of the complex. The largest and most sophisticated is a cistern located east of the main structure. This cistern is rectangular (23 x 12 x 15 m, with a capacity of 4,140 m3). The cistern is roofed with two parallel barrel vaults and plastered with typical reddish plaster. A sophisticated system of channels brought the water to the cistern and a sink tank on the outside filtered out sand and other impurities before allowing the water into the cistern. To retrieve the water, a mechanism worked by a draught animal was used. Many fragments of the small juglets that were attached to the mechanism were found in the excavation. This cistern is identical to the one found at the monastery of Martyrius and very similar to the one found at the monastery of Chariton (the Old Laura).

Garden: 

An area to the south of the main structure apparently served as the monastery's garden. Along the slope to the southeast, terraces were also found.

Hide Small finds
Small finds: 
CategoryDescription
Pottery
Mainly Medieval.
Bones
Remains of an estimated 150 adults and 30 children (all male)
Oil lamps
In the tombs
Detailed description
Dimensions: 
Total area (sqm)Size class
3,510
Large
Hide Structure
Materials applied (walls): 
Limestone
Materials applied (roofing): 
tiles
Hide Components
Enclosing wall
Gate/s: 
3
Tower/s
Courtyard/s
Monastery church: 
Church typeDiakonikonLink to church sectionChurch location
basilical
Upper floor
Refectory
Dwelling type: 
cells
Number of stories: 
2
Storage facilities – warehouses
Hostelry
Tombs type: 
Burial chamber
Garden
Agricultural installations: 
Terraces [=t]
Water installations: 
Cisterns
Channels
Water capacity (minimal) (cubic m): 
4.140
Architectural evolution
General outline: 
A laura was established by Euthymius, its church consecrated in 428 CE.
Dating material: 

Few remains of the original cells were found in the vicinity, they had probably been demolished when the laura became a coenobium.

Hide Phase date
Century: 
5th c.
Within century: 
First half
Post Arab conquest history: 
Built anew
Post conquest history comments: 
Following the damage of the 659 CE earthquake, the monastery was restored. It was abandoned sometime before 1107 CE when the Russian Abbot Daniel visited the site. The monastery was restored in the Middle Ages by the Crusaders and once more abandoned with the destruction of the Crusader Kingdom.