The walls are just six feet high; only the central mound is higher.
It was discovered by Israeli archeologists only after the territory was captured from Syria in 1967.
The Syrians called it Rujm el-Hiri, which means “stone heap of the wild cat” in Arabic.
The word Refaim in modern Hebrew also means “ghosts” or “spirits”.
The walls of the circles are connected by irregularly placed smaller stone walls perpendicular to the circles.
At the center is a heap of rocks, known as a cairn.
The cairn is about 5 meters tall, and is the tallest part of the entire structure.
It is estimated that Rujm el-Hiri contains more than 40,000 tons of basalt rocks.
Rujm el-Hiri is dated to about 3000 BC, which makes it contemporary to England’s Stonehenge.
This is why it is often referred to as the “Stonehenge of the Levant.”
As with most megalith sites, there is no record of who built Rujm el-Hiri or for what purpose.
One theory is that Rujm el-Hiri was an astronomical calendar.
Another theory is that the Rujm el-Hiri is a tomb even though no human remains have been found.
The obscure site lies close to Israeli military camps and is therefore accessible only on weekends and holidays.
Photo credit:Michael Homan/Flickr
Sources:Wikipedia/Reuters
