Military Activity In the Shiloh Bloc

Perhaps three kilometers or less to the west of Shiloh, and just a bit north, is the community of Maaleh Levona which is located on a hill.  Under the hill is the Arab village of Luban A-Sharakia.

 

The old highway from Jerusalem to Shchem passed that way and included a very sharp drop of over 300 meters along a three-turn S-curved road (Highway #60 has replaced it for all major traffic):

 

 

 
(and in 1913):-

In 1938, due to Arab brigandage and terror, the British seem to have set up an outpost to protect travelers at the very critically dangerous location.

 

The soldiers in these pictures - taken from the Matson Collection - were from the Black Watch:



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That stretch of road is also where a Hasmonean force struck from ambush and eliminated the Greek-Syrian army units sent toward Jerusalem.

 

And Happy Chanukah to us all.

 

^