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Duby Tal/Albatross

Taking advantage of temporary stability in his kingdom, Israelite king Omri relocated the capital of Israel to the hill of Samaria in the early ninth century B.C.E. and built himself a palace there that was expanded by later kings. Author Norma Franklin has identified the tombs of Omri and probably his son Ahab beneath the Iron Age palace. Entrance tunnels to the tombs were dug into the rock scarp on the side of the podium.