Wender·Vista
Tel Hazor
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIsrael
in Upper Galilee, north of the Sea of Galilee

Tel Hazor

— — the largest mound the Bronze Age left behind.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A flat-topped mound above the Hula Valley, the largest biblical-era tel in the country. Hazor was a Canaanite city of perhaps 20,000 people, a hub of Bronze Age trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia, and the city the Book of Joshua names as the head of all those kingdoms. A violent destruction layer around 1230 BCE seals it. Walk the upper city today and the basalt orthostats of the palace gate still hold their line. From the studio.

from the studio
Tel Hazor
— bring it home

Tel Hazor, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Tel Hazor

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Tel Hazor is an archaeological mound in Upper Galilee, about 9 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, set above the western edge of the Hula Valley. The tel covers roughly 200 acres across an upper city of about 30 acres and a lower city of about 170 acres, making it the largest biblical-era site in modern Israel. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Biblical Tels of Megiddo, Hazor, and Beer Sheba, inscribed in 2005, and is protected as Tel Hazor National Park.

— the stone

The upper city holds the remains of a Middle Bronze Age palace, a six-chambered Solomonic gate of the type also found at Megiddo and Gezer, and a deep Iron Age water system cut through bedrock to reach the water table. Excavations led by Yigael Yadin in the 1950s and by Amnon Ben-Tor from 1990 onward have recovered cuneiform tablets, basalt orthostats, and a thick destruction layer dated to the late 13th century BCE, around 1230, when the city was burned and the upper buildings collapsed.

— the visit

Tel Hazor National Park is operated by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The entrance is just west of Route 90, near the moshav of Ayelet HaShahar, about a 90-minute drive from Tel Aviv and 40 minutes from Tiberias. A small site museum at Ayelet HaShahar holds finds from the excavations. The walk across the upper city takes about an hour. Summer is hot and exposed; spring and autumn are easier, with early morning the best light.

— where
Israel · Upper Galilee, Northern District
— within
Tel Hazor National Park
— position
33.0175° N · 35.5689° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km E
Ayelet HaShahar
moshav
6 km E
Hula Valley
wetland
8 km S
Rosh Pina
town
22 km S
Sea of Galilee
lake
N
Tel Hazor
Ayelet HaShahar
Hula Valley
Rosh Pina
Sea of Galilee
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Tel Hazor — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In Upper Galilee, northern Israel, about 9 miles north of the Sea of Galilee and just west of Route 90 near the moshav of Ayelet HaShahar. The site sits above the western edge of the Hula Valley.

It is the largest biblical-era archaeological site in Israel, a Canaanite city named in the Book of Joshua as the head of all those kingdoms, and one of three sites in the UNESCO Biblical Tels listing inscribed in 2005.

About 200 acres in total, divided between an upper city of roughly 30 acres and a lower city of roughly 170 acres. At its Bronze Age peak the population is estimated at around 20,000, exceptional for the region at that time.

The major destruction layer in the upper city is dated to the late 13th century BCE, around 1230. The cause is debated. Excavator Amnon Ben-Tor has argued for an internal Israelite destruction; other scholars propose Sea Peoples or rival Canaanite cities.

Yigael Yadin led the first major excavations from 1955 to 1958 and again in 1968. Amnon Ben-Tor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has directed renewed excavations on the upper city since 1990, in what is called the Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations.

Yes. It is run as Tel Hazor National Park by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and is open daily. The walk across the upper city takes about an hour. A site museum at Ayelet HaShahar holds finds from the digs.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. For anyone who has spent time in the Hula Valley or worked on a dig in Israel, the line of the tel is immediately recognizable. The Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

Earth-toned and Mediterranean interiors, Jerusalem-stone palettes, and rooms with linen, brass, and warm wood. The mound's umbers and basalt grays also sit comfortably in a more minimalist study or library.

Earth-toned design favors landscape imagery with archaeological or historical depth rather than generic vistas. A named tel reads as a real place with a story, which is what biophilic styling tends to reward right now.

Above a standard sofa the single Large carries the horizon line. For a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural lets the mound and valley breathe. Above a console or entry table, the Medium is the easier fit.

Yes. Order it in Dura Satin or Matte for any room with humidity or splash, including kitchens, bathrooms, and covered patios. The colour is held inside the ceramic surface, not on top of it.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water is enough for routine cleaning. For anything stuck, a drop of mild dish soap. No abrasives, no ammonia-based cleaners.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. We do not license artwork from other artists, and we do not reproduce other studios' work.

— if this one stayed with you

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