Gezer National Park

Address: Tel Gezer National Park / Tel Gezer archaeological site, near Gezer / Modi’in area, Central District, Israel

Website: https://en.parks.org.il/reserve-park/tel-gezer/

Hours: Daily (seasonal hours; check parks authority)

Admission: Typical Israel National Parks admission (adult ~NIS 28; discounts for residents/children)

Gezer is an archaeological tell in central Israel that preserves multi-period urban remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages and later periods. The site was an important regional settlement and contains substantial fortifications and urban features.

Gezer was occupied in the Bronze Age and again in the Iron Age, with archaeological excavations in the 20th century revealing fortifications, public architecture and inscribed objects such as the Gezer Calendar. The sequence demonstrates long-term urban continuity and strategic importance in the central highlands and coastal plain interface.

The tell sits in the Shephelah region of central Israel near the modern settlement named for the site and is accessible from regional roads between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

• Archaeological significance: Excavations have produced material from Bronze Age and Iron Age occupations including defensive walls and public structures.
• Notable find: The Gezer Calendar was found at the site and is one of the notable inscriptions associated with its Iron Age levels; the artefact is displayed in national collections.

What to See#

• Tel mound and fortifications: The archaeological tell with multi-period remains including city walls, gate structures and domestic layers spanning the Bronze and Iron Ages.
• Ancient water works and installations: An ancient water system and rock-cut installations visible in the lower slopes of the tell reflecting organised urban settlement activity.
• Gezer Calendar (inscription): The Gezer Calendar inscription, an important inscribed artefact discovered at the site and linked to its Iron Age occupation.

• Visit Tel Gezer early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the midday heat and the busiest hours at the site; weekday mornings are the least crowded.
• Use the official entrance/parking and check opening hours with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority before you go-signage and a small visitor area provide the best orientation for the archaeological layers.
• Take a guided tour or audio guide to understand and access the Canaanite water system and the key architectural phases: independent visitors often miss the archaeology visible below the tell without interpretation.