Rogem Hiri

Rogem Hiri sits on the open basaltic Golan Heights 16 kilometers east of the Sea of Galilee.

Also known as Rujm al-Hiri (stone heap of the wild cat) in Arabic and Gilgal Refaim (The Circle Of The Refaim) in Hebrew. Opened to archaeologists after Israel won the area over from the Syrians in the 6 Day War of 1967, the site is a megalithic complex consisting of uncut basaltic fieldstones arranged in multiple concentric circles surrounding a central cairn.

The only site of its kind in the Middle East, comparisons have been made between it and ruins on Malta, as well as the European stone circles.

Photo Source:Cornwell University.

• Around the site lie many (more than 8,500) dolmens.
• Dolmens are upright stones set apart from each other with a horizontal stone on top - think of the mathematical pi sign with 2 straight legs.
• Moshe Hartal, Chief Archaeologist of the Golan attributes their locations to an attraction to Rogem Hiri after it was built, so they might not be associated with the original site itself.
• The central cairn (which is, in fact, off center from the rest of the circles) is 20 meters wide and 4.5 meters high.
• Much of the site was built on flat stone paving.
• An estimated total of 42,000 tons of stone were used in its construction!

• The diameter of Rogum Hiri marked from the outermost circle reaches 156 meters.
• The outermost circle itself has a circumference of 500 meters and is 3.5 meters thick, 2.5 meters high.
• The inner circles have smaller dimensions with the innermost 2 being 1.5 meters thick.
• 36 radial walls randomly link the circles, creating a maze-like effect
• The only 2 entrances are located in the outermost circle facing the northeast and southeast.
• Smaller walls extend out of the outermost circle in the 4 cardinal directions.