Tels are hills or mounds created over centuries by communities building over the ruins and refuse of the previous structures. Archaeologists often liken tels to a layer cake with each layer being a different period of time. As the mounds grow, they usually become narrower, which eventually leads to a shrinking of the population, and eventual abandonment of the tel. This process, however, can take centuries.

This world heritage site consists of three different tels in different parts of Israel. While there are many archaeological tels in Israel, these three were chosen for World Heritage status because, 1) they all have at least a brief mention in the Old Testament, and 2) they all have extensive human-built water systems. The water systems for all three tels are quite impressive and not obvious when you first arrive at the site as they are underground.

I visited all 3 of the Biblical Tells during my 2016 trip to Israel. By far the most heavily excavated and visited is Meggido. Given its association with the Book of Revelations, it gets many religious tours who stop here on the way to Galilee. Ber Sheeba is very close to the city of the same name and gets many school groups. Hazor is the furthest away from anything and gets the least number of visitors.