Valley of Elah

The Valley of Elah, Ella Valley ("Valley of the terebinth"; from the Hebrew: עמק האלה, romanized: Emeq HaElah), or Wadi es-Sunt (Arabic: وادي السنط), is a long, shallow valley in the Shephelah area of Israel. It is best-known from the Hebrew Bible incident where David defeated Goliath (1 Samuel 17:2 and 19). It is home to several important archaeological sites, including those identified as the ancient towns of Azekah and Sokho (1 Samuel 17:1). Rising from the valley on its extreme southeast end lies the hilltop ruin Adullam, and on its north lie the ruins of the ancient fortress city of Khirbet Qeiyafa, which is identified with the ancient town of Shaaraim mentioned in 1 Samuel 17:52.

The valley is named after its indigenous trees: in Hebrew after the large and shady terebinth trees (Pistacia terebinthus and P. palaestina), and in Arabic for the white acacia trees (Faidherbia). On the west side of the valley, near Socho, there is a huge and ancient terebinth, 55 feet (17 m) in height with a trunk 17 feet (5.2 m) in circumference and a canopy at least 75 feet (23 m) in diameter. This tree is notable for being one of the largest terebinths in the area, and marks the valley's upper end.

Since the early 1970s, the valley has also contained a large satellite relay station, with an antenna farm containing some 120 satellite dishes of various sizes. From 2010 to 2014, the region around the valley was believed to be threatened by shale oil extraction through the CCR ground-heating process, with the Green Zionist Alliance (now Aytzim) and the grassroots group Save Adullam, among others, working to stop exploitation of the region. The plan was ultimately blocked in 2014 by a zoning committee decision. In July 2019, the Elah Valley came under the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, owing mainly to its historical importance and the desire to curtail the encroaching city limits of Beit Shemesh to its north.