Horvat Midras

Ḥorvat Midras or Horbat Midras (Hebrew: חורבת מדרס), also Khirbet ed-Druseh or Khirbet Durusya (in Arabic) is an archaeological site located in the central Judaean Lowlands, in modern-day Israel. It contains the remains of an ancient settlement situated on the slopes of a spur near an ancient road that once connected Jerusalem with the southern coastal plain. Today, the site lies within the Adullam Nature Reserve.

Continuous occupation at Horvat Midras is attested from the Hellenistic period until the Hasmonean conquest of Idumaea in the late 2nd century BCE, after which it was briefly abandoned. It was re-established in the 1st century BCE and grew to become one of the largest and most affluent rural settlements in the region during the Second Temple period. The site, home to a Jewish population, remained inhabited through the First Jewish Revolt (66–70 CE) and up to the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–136 CE). Later in the same century, a cultic complex was established at the site. During the Byzantine period, Horvat Midras was home to a small Christian village. Subsequent habitation occurred in the early Islamic, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and early Ottoman periods.

One of the most notable finds at Horvat Midras is a monumental family tomb from the late Second Temple period, consisting of a podium topped by a stepped pyramid. Unique in the rural landscape of ancient Judea, it represents a rare example of a rural "display tomb"—a status symbol likely commissioned by a wealthy family, possibly one whose influence rose through ties with the Herodian dynasty. Other major finds include hiding complexes, rock-cut tombs, columbaria, mikvehs (Jewish ritual baths), and an elaborate Byzantine church with well-preserved mosaics.