Located in the mountains of the Judean Desert, west of the Dead Sea, Tekoa Canyon is a canyon near the ancient Jewish city of Tekoa.
The canyon, with its mountains and steep cliffs, rises above a narrow valley that meanders between its walls, creating a unique landscape between blue sky and rock formations. Visitors can also observe flocks of birds seeking refuge in the numerous caves that appear in the cliffs.
In biblical tradition, this was the home of the prophet Amos, and centuries later, in the 3rd century, the Christian monk Chariton chose this place to establish a cliff-top monastery. Saint Chariton the Confessor founded here the Souka Lavra, later called the Old Lavra, and today popularly known as the Chariton Monastery.
His cave, now known as Chariton's Cave, is one of the largest in the region. Furthermore, the existing karst caves in the limestone were enlarged and used as hermit dwellings by monks from the lavra of St. Chariton and a later monk and desert saint, Euthymius the Great.
To top off the spiritual history of the area, the son of the former chief rabbi of modern Tekoa, Menachem Froman, Tzuri, lived in a cave in the desert canyon behind the town.