Extensive hillside olive groves stretching across the slopes between Tel Ashdod and Yavneh, where generations of farmers have built stone terraces to prevent erosion and maximize arable land. The terraces are the economic heart of the region's agricultural life.
The hillsides are transformed by human labor into stepped terraces, each retained by carefully built stone walls. Ancient olive trees, some hundreds of years old, march in lines across the terraces. Farmers have built small stone huts among the groves for storing tools and sheltering during harvest season.
Olive harvest is a major communal event in autumn, when entire families work the groves. Olives are picked by hand or beaten from the trees with sticks onto cloths spread below. The fruit is then taken to pressing facilities in Tel Ashdod, Yavneh, or Ashkelon.
The olive terraces represent generations of labor and are jealously guarded property. Most are owned by families in the nearby towns, though some belong to wealthy merchants. During harvest, the hillsides bustle with activity, but for much of the year they're quiet, tended by a few farmers pruning and maintaining trees.
Olive oil is a staple product, used for cooking, lighting, religious rituals, and trade. Quality oil from these terraces is known throughout the region and commands good prices in Ashkelon's markets.