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by K. Kris Hirst
Updated April 08, 2016
SixteenkilometerseastoftheSeaofGalileeinthewesternpartofthehistoricBashanplain
oftheGolanHeights(acontestedareaclaimedbybothSyriaandIsrael)aretheruinsofa
mostunusualstructure,whichscholarsbelievewasbuiltatleastinpartfor
archaeoastronomicalpurposes.Locatedat515metersabovesealevel,RujmelHiriconsists
ofacentralcairnwithasetofconcentricringsencirclingit.
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https://www.thoughtco.com/rujmelhirigolanheights169608 1/6
3/4/2017 RujmelHiri(GolanHeights)AncientObservatory
BuiltduringthelateChalcolithicorEarlyBronzeAgeabout5000yearsago,RujmelHiri
(alsocalledRogemHiriorGilgalRephaim)ismadeofanestimated40,000tonsofuncut
https://www.thoughtco.com/rujmelhirigolanheights169608 2/6
3/4/2017 RujmelHiri(GolanHeights)AncientObservatory
blackvolcanicbasaltfieldstonespiledandwedgedintobetweenfiveandnineconcentric
rings(dependingonhowyoucountthem),withheightsreachingto1to2.5meters(38feet)
high.
NotalloftheinternalringsarecompletesomeofthemaremoreovalthanWall1,andin
particularly,Wall3hasapronouncedbulgetothesouth.
Someoftheringsareconnectedbyaseriesof36spokelikewalls,whichmakeupchambers,
andseemtoberandomlyspaced.Atthecenteroftheinnermostringisacairnprotectinga
burialthecairnandburialcomeaftertheinitialconstructionoftheringsbyperhapsaslong
as1500years.Thecairnisanirregularstoneheapmeasuringsome2025m(6580ft)in
diameterand4.55m(1516ft)inheight.
https://www.thoughtco.com/rujmelhirigolanheights169608 3/6
3/4/2017 RujmelHiri(GolanHeights)AncientObservatory
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Thehugestructure(andaseriesofdolmensnearby)maybetheoriginofthemythsofthe
ancientraceofgiants,mentionedintheOldTestamentoftheJudeoChristianbibleasledby
Og,KingoftheBashan.ArchaeologistsYonathanMizrachiandAnthonyAveni,studyingthe
structuresincethelate1980s,haveanotherpossibleinterpretation:acelestialobservatory.
https://www.thoughtco.com/rujmelhirigolanheights169608 4/6
3/4/2017 RujmelHiri(GolanHeights)AncientObservatory
roomswereeverusedeitherforstorageorresidence.Calculationsofwhentheastronomical
alignmentswouldhavematchedstarssupportsthedatingoftheringsathavingbeenbuiltat
about3000BC+/250years.
ThewallsatRujmelHiriseemtohavepointedtostarrisingsfortheperiod,andmayhave
beenpredictorsoftherainyseason,acrucialbitofinformationforthesheepherdersofthe
Bashanplainin3000BC.
SOURCES
ThisglossaryentryisapartoftheAbout.comguidetoAstronomicalObservatories,andthe
DictionaryofArchaeology.
Aveni,AnthonyandYonathanMizrachi1998TheGeometryandAstronomyofRujmelHiri,
aMegalithicSiteintheSouthernLevant.JournalofFieldArchaeology25(4):475496.
PolcaroA,andPolcaroVF.2009.Manandsky:problemsandmethodsof
Archaeoastronomy.ArcheologiaeCalcolatori20:223245.
NeumannF,SchlzelC,LittT,HenseA,andSteinM.2007.Holocenevegetationand
climatehistoryofthenorthernGolanheights(NearEast).VegetationHistoryand
Archaeobotany16(4):329346.
https://www.thoughtco.com/rujmelhirigolanheights169608 5/6
3/4/2017 RujmelHiri(GolanHeights)AncientObservatory
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https://www.thoughtco.com/rujmelhirigolanheights169608 6/6