Group visit
Private Groups
We invite you to walk the paths of Ancient Shiloh, discover the Bible stories and the different periods among the stones and the fascinating archeological findings.
Every great story starts in a specific place…and ours starts here.
This is the place where, starting from the time when Joshua Ben Nun led the Jewish People, the Tabernacle stood for 369; the place where the tribal inheritances were divided among the tribes.
Here the Tu b’Av festival of love celebrations took place, and the tribes were reunited.
Here is where Elkana came, “to bow down and offer sacrifices to God in Shiloh,” and this is where Hannah prayed for a son. Her prayer was answered. Samuel was born and Hannah brought him here, where he grew up to be a prophet and a leader.
Shiloh was also the home of Ahiya the Shilonite, who prophesied to Jeroboam the son of Nebat, about the division of the kingdom of the House of David after King Solomon’s reign, and about the exile of the Ten Tribes of Israel.
Ancient Shiloh brings you an experience that connects the past with the future, heaven and earth, nation and individual, the Bible and the landscape all around.
A visit to Ancient Shiloh includes futuristic multi-media presentations that tell the fascinating and unique stories of ancient Shiloh and the Tabernacle.
At Ancient Shiloh we offer a wide range of fascinating and interesting activities and tours, to groups from Israel and around the world, with explanations in several languages, and with each tour geared to the interests of the participants.
Every group receives individual attention and a tour customized to the length, content, style and highlights sought by the group – archaeology, Bible, history, Christianity and more.
Phone our visitors center hotline for a unique tour proposal, tailored for you and your group!
What else?
Your Ancient Shiloh experience can be upgraded with any of the following activities:
- Coffee, tea, and delicious baked goods in the wooded picnic area beside the visitors center.
- Musical experience at the site of the Tabernacle – moving and uplifting experience concerning prayer from the past with our prayers in the present.
- Street actor to accompany the tour.
- “Raise a toast” – a wine-tasting tour of one of the boutique wineries near Ancient Shiloh.
- ATV or jeep tour in the beautiful landscape surrounding Ancient Shiloh, with visits to springs and observation points.
- A visit to one of the nearby restaurants.
- Integrated into a one- or two-day tour of the Binyamin Region, with visits to other nearby biblical, historical, heritage farm, settlement, nature, landscape and human development sites and points of interest.
Exhibits
Ancient Shiloh, which brings together the past, present and future, offers visitors three state-of-the-art multimedia exhibits.
HaRoeh Observation Tower
This one-of-a-kind visitors center stands prominently on the summit of Tel Shiloh, offers visitors to this site a unique audiovisual experience that will add to their knowledge of Shiloh throughout the generations.
The ground floor of the tower features the Shiloh Chronicles Museum, whose multimedia presentation includes a display of archaeological findings from the excavations and delightful video clips on each era of Shiloh’s ancient history.
The upper floor is an auditorium that seats 54 and has 12 huge windows that are also video screens. The advanced technology presentation merges the biblical stories of this site with the natural landscape in which they took place, as the windows become alternately clear and opaque.
The film brings visitors the fascinating story of Ancient Shiloh, with the biblical characters of Joshua, Eli the High Priest, Elkana, Hannah and Samuel the Prophet.
This film was produced in Shiloh, with the participation of 150 local actors, and is available in six languages.
HaRoeh Observation Tower also offers visitors a panoramic view of the entire region.
The tower was designed by architect Gad Politi and was built in 2013. The nine-meter-tall tower is composed of two interconnected cones, one with its base on the ground, and the other with its base facing the sky.
The architect explains that the design represents the Jewish People, planted firmly in the land of its traditions and history, while at the same time looking up, toward the heavens and the future.
HaRoeh Observation Tower was built with the generous assistance of the Falic family of Miami, in memory of Haim (Fima) Falic, o.b.m.
The Tabernacle Hologram
This advanced technology presentation brings to life the construction and dismantling of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, with three-dimensional images that hover in the air, and tells the story of the Tabernacle’s wanderings from the Sinai Desert to the First Temple in Jerusalem.
The Storehouses presentation
A reconstruction of the storehouses from the Tabernacle period, using augmented reality (AR) technology. The monitors show the houses being rebuilt on the hillside facing the visitors.
The excavation of these houses unearthed exciting jars and bowls that teach about life in Shiloh in the Tabernacle period. Using the monitors, visitors can locate the findings and, using their imagination, travel back to those far-off days.
Special Programs for Groups
Archaeology digs
Groups of hikers who want a little something extra? Land of Israel studies groups? Teenagers? Pre-army institute and midrasha groups?
Come and join us in discovering the past in Ancient Shiloh!
In the summer months there are archeological excavations at Ancient Shiloh.
Who has already excavated here?
Starting in the 19th century, Shiloh piqued the interest of many Land of Israel visitors and researchers, and in the early 20th century a Danish expedition came here to conduct the first archeological excavation.
During the Six Day War, the Binyamin and Shomron regions came under Israeli rule, and in 1978 the renewed Jewish community of Shiloh was established, on the hillside above the site of Ancient Shiloh.
After the renewal of Jewish settlement in Shiloh, the excavations also resumed, in the early 1980s, under the direction of Israel Finkelstein and the Staff Officer of Archeology at the time – the late Dr. Ze’ev Yeivin.
In the early 2000s the excavations were resumed again, directed by Staff Officer of Archeology – Yitzhak Magen, and then by Hananya Hizmi, and these excavations continue to this day, headed by archaeologist Reut Livyatan Ben Arie (who lives in Shiloh) and other archaeologists.
More remains hidden than has been revealed, and most of the area of the tel has yet to be excavated.
A few years ago, following the expansion of the excavations and the exciting discoveries, the State of Israel declared Ancient Shiloh a National Heritage site.
Throughout the year we host groups of young people who are interested in connecting with Land of Israel and experiencing it hands-on, and to be partners in discovering its past.
Are you interested in joining us too?
We invite you to be in touch with our archaeologists: Eitan – 050-2660609 / Ancient Shiloh reservations center – 02-5789111
Musical experience
At the site where Hannah stood and prayed, and her prayer was accepted, we will all sing songs of prayer from the soul.
A moving and uplifting experience concerning prayer from the past with our prayers in the present.
Duration of this activity: About half an hour
Target audience: Suitable for all groups (available in English).
Street actors
From among the ancient stones and the biblical landscape, figures from the past spring to life!
A professional street actor accompanies the tour, turning it into a full theatrical experience with vivid content and a sense of humor.
Throughout the entire duration of the tour the stories of Ancient Shiloh will come alive with sounds and colors that will enrich any visit to the site and connect the past to the present in a charming and dynamic fashion.
Duration of this activity: Integrated into the tour
Target audience: Suitable for all groups
Ancient crafts
Learn about the Israelites’ daily life in biblical times!
Gain hands-on experience with ancient techniques, materials and crafts, at a variety of unique workshops that will enrich any visit and complement the tour of Ancient Shiloh.
For groups of 30 or more participants.
Mosaics workshop
Ancient Shiloh has several buildings with magnificent mosaic floors. One of these buildings had a mosaic inscription the included the words, “God bless the residents of Shiloh” (in Greek).
Participants in this workshop will learn about how mosaics were designed and made, and their uses in ancient times.
Using broken pieces of modern pottery, and modern techniques, participants will make a mosaic plaque to take home.
Duration of this workshop: About an hour to an hour and a half.
Suitable for age: 9 and up.
Incense workshop
The Tabernacle stood in Shiloh for 369 years. Twice a day, incense was burned on the gold altar in the sanctuary, in accordance with the biblical commandment:
“Aaron will burn incense of sweet spices on it; every morning, when he adjusts the wicks in the menorah, he shall burn it; and when Aaron lights the lamps at dusk, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.” (Exodus 30: 7-8)
During this workshop the participants will learn about the ingredients and the special significance of the incense, will smell them, have the experience of burning the incense and take home a small jar of the incense they prepared (this incense is not identical to that used in the Temple, so the workshop is halachically permissible).
Duration of this workshop: About half an hour
Suitable for age: 3 and up.
Pottery restoration
Dozens of collar rim jars were found in Ancient Shiloh. These large storage jars were unique to Israelite settlements in the period of Joshua and the Judges.
In this workshop participants will learn about the jars and the fascinating work of pottery restoration. Each child will receive a small broken jug and will glue the pieces together to make it whole again. At the end of the workshop participants will paint and decorate their jugs.
Duration of this workshop: About half an hour to an hour.
Suitable for age: 6 and up.
Ostracon workshop
Many thousands of pieces of broken pottery were found all over Ancient Shiloh, far more than at other ancient sites, and this tremendous quantity surprised the diggers and the archaeologists here.
In this workshop participants will learn about the reason broken pottery is found at archaeological sites, what the pottery was used for, and why so much was found here. They will also learn the meaning of the word ostracon (potsherd with writing on it)
During the workshop, participants will write on pieces of broken pottery in ancient Hebrew script and will glue a magnet onto the back of it, to take home as a souvenir.
Suitable for age: 6 and up.