Columbarium Towers 13a , 13b – These two square towers in which pigeons were raised, also served as lookouts and guard towers. They were built at Herod’s time, before the construction of the perimeter wall. These structures could be accessed only via a ladder. The niches in the walls housed pigeons that were used as food, and whose droppings were used as fertilizer. The southern tower was also used during the Byzantine period. The Byzantine church 24 – The center of the Byzantine monastery was the church, which is well preserved. Pass through the narthex, with its white mosaic, and continue to the nave. The floor here was covered with mosaic and its walls were decorated with a design created from pottery sherds embedded in plaster. The room’s semicircular apse is preserved to its original height; glass from its window was found in the church courtyard. The floor contains a pit that may have served as a crypt or a reliquary. It was dug into the ground beneath the altar, which was originally sectioned off by a decorated marble chancel. The church was roofed with clay tiles, which were found by the dozens during excavation. Plastered stone gutters protruded from the roof of the church and were attached to its outer walls. The western room of the church contains a mosaic depicting floral designs and medallions encircling fruit and baskets of communion bread. A low stone wall surrounded the church courtyard, where a number of farming installations were discovered.
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