Category: Sharon

April 27, 2014

Caesarea

Caesarea is perhaps one of Israel’s most famous attractions. The remains of what was once the grandest port in the Roman empire, the Christian connections with stories of Peter and Paul, the Jewish associations of the deaths of the 10 martyrs, the beautiful coastal location. There are many reasons for its popularity and this helps explain the huge numbers of tourists who visit every year.

Unfortunately I missed our trip to Caesarea due to my glandular fever last year, and although I have managed to catch up every other trip from the 3 months I was bed-ridden, Caesarea was frustratingly impossible to arrange. Given the importance of the site, and the approaching exams, a friend from the course kindly agreed to accompany me on a visit as we explored the site together and he was able to recount to me the highlights of the trip that I had missed.

Restored Byzantine flour mill at Nachal Taninim

We began our day north of Caesarea, at the national park of Nachal Taninim (Crocodiles’ River). One of the most impressive things about the establishment of Caesarea is that there were no local water sources. This eventually required the construction of impressive aqueducts bringing water to the city, one of which originated in the area of Nachal Taninim, although this was later, in the Byzantine period. We wandered around the aqueduct and noted the restored flour mills dating to the Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

Hadrian inscription & insignia of the 10th legion at Beit Hanania

We then drove a short distance to the moshav of Beit Hanania. Right at the entrance of the moshav it is possible to see part of the grand aqueducts that led to Caesarea from the plentiful springs not far from Zichron Yaakov. There is evidence of three separate aqueducts; the dates of their construction and the exact springs from which they sourced water are subject to great dispute among archaeologists, still at this site there is a clear piece of evidence about the provenance of one of the aqueducts – an inscription dating it to the reign of Hadrian.

Finally, it was time to head to the Caesarea national park. After a most pleasant brunch by the remains of the port, and taking in an introductory film, it was time to begin our visit in earnest.

Caesarea Harbour

It is not really possible to see the remains of Herod’s port today, but it really must have been quite impressive, based on the ruins that have been discovered underwater. Still, it is possible to explore many of the public and private buildings that were located around it.

Caesarea Hippodrome

Herod realised that providing entertainment would give him an advantage in pulling in trade, and as we walked through the grand hippodrome which would have hosted violent chariot races (think Ben Hur). It was later converted into an ampitheatre, the location of even more violent gladiatorial contests. It is possible to see the entrance from which the gladiators would have come into the arena, in most cases to meet their end.

Pontius Pilate inscription at Caesarea

Herod needed to look after himself, of course, and to this end built a grand palace stretching out to sea. Here was discovered an inscription about the governor Pontius Pilate who would have inherited the palace; from here he would have travelled to Jerusalem to pass judgement on Jesus.

Roman theatre at Caesarea

In the northernmost part of the site is the famous theatre. Now largely reconstructed, it is seen as one of Israel’s most prestigious concert venues. I’m not sure what the ancient Romans would have made of Shlomo Artzi & Sarit Hadad, but there is something remarkable in the idea that 2000 years apart it is possible to sit with the same beautiful Mediterranean as a backdrop, enjoying the greatest entertainments in the region.

Grandiose bathhouse at Caesarea

After a quick stop in the grand bathhouse, resplendent with expensively imported marble, we concluded our visit in the area of the town that was settled by the Crusaders. Here, in the area of the port, was the imposing temple to Augustus that would have greeted all new arrivals. As the years passed it was converted into an impressive Byzantine church, and then later into a mosque once the Ummayids conquered the area.

The ‘birds’ mosaic at Caesarea

We left the national park, but our visit to Caesarea was not yet complete. A short drive north lies the ‘birds mosaic’, ruins of an impressive Byzantine villa with a beautiful mosaic floor decorated with a plethora of different birds.

Remains of the Caesarea aqueducts

Now part of a pretty little park, it is possible to wander down from the mosaic to the beach, where one is greeted with the final sections of the aqueducts that brought water to the city. A beautiful setting, and a lovely piece of symmetry with which to conclude the day.

April 3, 2014

The Sea Peoples

The Sea Peoples are the term now used to refer to a grouping of peoples which the Bible seems to refer to collectively as the Philistines. Based largely around the southern coastal plain, these people, whose origins seem to be somewhere in the Aegean, were the perennial enemies of the Israelites in the biblical narrative.

Philistine ruins at Tel Qasile

Evidence of their presence exists around the country and today’s trip was largely based on following their footsteps. We began close to home in Tel Aviv, inside the grounds of the Land of Israel museum, on what is known as Tel Qasile. Situated along the Yarkon river, this seems to have been a Philistine city dating back to the 12th century BCE. Of even more interest, next to the Philistine settlement are a set of buildings with clear characteristics of the Israelite culture. It seems that these two cultures lived in very close proximity, if not together, for a brief period of time although the reasons for this remain a mystery.

View from Izbet Sartah

We drove north east to the area of Rosh Haayin, and the archaeological ruins of Izbet Sartah. There is not a huge amount to see at the site, but here was found a piece of pottery containing an ancient Hebrew writing exercise – some of the earliest Hebrew script ever found. It is now in the Israeli museum. Izbet Zarta is identified as maybe being the site of biblical Even Haezer, site of a fateful battle between the Israelites and the Philistines as described in the book of Samuel. On defeating the Israelites, the Philistines capture the sacred Ark of the Covenant, causing a major existential crisis on the losing side. The location of the settlement near Tel Afek would seem to fit with the biblical description.

Ancient fortress of Migdal Tzedek

We continued onwards to the nearby fortress known as Migdal Tzedek. A large amount of the ruins are from the Ottoman period but its foundations are from Crusader times when it was known as Mirabel. The fortress is currently closed for repairs but should be reopened in the future for visits; meanwhile we enjoyed the commanding views of the area.

Canaanite ruins at Tel Afek

From here, it was a short journey to Tel Afek, also known as Antipatris. This beautiful national park houses the remains of a settlement dating back to the Canaanite period, occupying a key strategic position on the ancient Sea Road. We explored the ruins through the different periods of history, including a very nice set of roman ruins from the time it was established as Antipatris by Herod (who named it after his father, Antipater). We also learned about the plethora of springs in the area, which the British harnessed to supply Jerusalem with water, and the Israelis later extended to provide the first piped water into the Negev desert.

Stunning Roman sarcophagus in Ashkelon

From Tel Afek, it was time to journey south along the route of the ancient Sea Road (pointing out various ancient settlements on the way) before arriving at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon. After a brief stop to visit some really rather impressive sarcophagi discovered from the Roman period, we ventured towards ancient Ashkelon, in the form of the tel.

The ancient archway at Tel Ashkelon

The bible names Ashkelon as one of the main Philistine towns, and the remains of the fortifications from this time are very impressive, including the second most ancient archway in the world (after Tel Dan)! The Ashkelon national park also contains impressive ruins from the Roman and Crusader periods; it seems there is still a great deal of excavating to be done and no doubt more exciting finds are to come in the coming years.

View over the Ashdod port at Givat Yonah

We concluded the day slightly further north on a hill known as ‘Jonah’s Hill’, due to a tradition that the prophet Jonah had been buried there. We had a nice view over the twinkling lights of the Ashdod port, and heard the story of the nearby Tel Mor which seems to have been an industrial centre for the manufacture of clothing dye in the Hellenist period. As always, with the sun setting, it was time to return reluctantly to Tel Aviv. Next week our adventures shall resume!

October 8, 2013

Zichron Yaakov and Surroundings

The festival period is over and the course is now back in full swing; our first field trip of the year (not including the campus in the Galilee) was to the area around Zichron Yaakov, located in the north of the centre of the country.

Zichron Yaakov is a lovely town in a beautiful location on the southern slopes of the Carmel Mountain with fantastic views west over the Mediterranean and the coastal plain. We began the day here, learning about the founders of one of the first settlements in what was later referred to as the period of the First Aliyah. Aliyah means moving to Israel, and although there were waves of Jewish immigration over the centuries to this country, the period from 1882-1903 was deemed to be the First Aliyah as it marked the first wave of immigration where there was some sort of sense of being at the beginning of a project to create a new Jewish homeland.

Children’s graves in the Zichron Yaakov cemetery

Zichron Yaakov was founded by a group of Romanian Jews who purchased the land from local Arabs and proceeded to make a very bad job of farming it; it was not something with which they had much experience. Many also died from poor sanitary conditions and malaria, and after stopping at the Founders’ Memorial we spent some time in the cemetery where one of the sad sites was the large amount of children’s graves – many did not make it in this harsh environment.

It was a similar story in other First Aliyah settlements but fortunately these pioneers found a saviour in the form of Baron Edmond de Rothschild. This French philanthropist bankrolled the new settlements and built a bureaucratic framework to help them develop their agricultural skills and manage themselves properly (these clerks were not always loved by the residents, but they were probably needed!). We continued down the main street of the old town, noting buildings of interest, hearing tales of the town’s establishment, and learning about the subversive Nili spy ring. This small group of people, based in Zichron Yaakov, spied for the British against the occupying Ottoman Empire, at great personal risk to themselves and indeed to the rest of the Jews living in the area at the time (the Ottomans believed in collective punishment). They no doubt played an important role in the British conquest of the area in WWI, but they were not popular or supported by the Jewish establishment at the time.

Rothschild coat of arms at Ramat Hanadiv Park

Having had an introduction to Baron de Rothschild’s largesse, we ventured to the nearby Ramat Hanadiv Park to visit his mausoleum. It is a beautiful, European style park (unusual in Israel) and the western side offers lovely views down to the coast. The mausoleum is hidden away and very grand. Apparently when the Baron was interred there with his wife, a representative brought a bag of earth from every settlement that he supported to help cover the coffin. A nice touch. It seems that it is impossible to overstate his contribution to supporting the beginnings of what would become the State of Israel.

Etzel Memorial at Shuni

We continued a little down the hill to the Jabotinsky Park. Here, we stopped at the Etzel Memorial and then visited the nearby Etzel museum, learning about the group of Zionist activists who rejected the pre-state self-defence policy of Ben Gurion in favour of offensive activities against the British. These included organising the daring break out from Akko Prison and the blowing up of the mandate headquarters in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The Etzel members used to train here (the noise of firing from the nearby British army base would help cover up their training activity) hence the site of the memorial.

Theatre at Shuni

Also in the park is the Shuni theatre, a remant of what used to be a grand Roman city. The theatre is still used for music concerts and it can be great to go there for an intimate event in an ancient setting. We looked behind the stage to see the remains of a grand pool; one theory is that here were held naumachiae – Roman gladiator water battles – although the evidence is inconclusive. From the spring at shuni ran a grand aqueduct transporting water to the nearby city of Caesarea, the Roman capital and the largest port in the empire.

Inside the Roman aqueduct in Mei Kedem

We continued on the theme of water, travelling to the site of Mei Kedem where it is possible to walk through a 300m section of a later subterranean Roman aqueduct also leading to Caesarea. The aqueduct still contains water and the combination of wading and torches made for quite some fun. We also enjoyed the local fauna – watching a frog swim between my legs was a highlight! On a hot day, it was great to cool off in the spring water, and we emerged damp and happy.

Our final stop of the day took us right up to the modern period as we visited the former British internment camp at Atlit. In the 1930s, for a variety of reasons, the British decided to cap Jewish immigration into the Mandate of Palestine. Unfortunately, this coincided with the time when this immigration was needed most as Nazi persecution intensified and spread throughout Europe.

Reconstruction of a ‘maapilim’ ship at Atlit

The Jews in Israel created elaborate schemes to thwart the British and bring Jews into Israel despite the new regulations. These immigrants were called maapilim. Many made it to Israel safely but others drowned on the treacherous sea journeys to Israel in overcrowded boats. Others were caught by the British and kept in the prisoner camp at Atlit – this was a traumatic experience for those escaping Nazi persecution; one of the first things they had to do was to strip and enter the showers for disinfection. The visit to the camp includes these showers together with a mock up of a dormitory. A recent addition to the site is a boat fitted out like those that brought over the maapilim; as you go through the boat there are a series of films portraying a typical experience. It was very interesting, if rather sad.

It was on this slightly sombre note that we concluded the day. Although we were pleased to learn that in 1948 these prisoners, together with those whom the British had deported to camps in Cyprus, were welcomed into the new State of Israel.

November 28, 2012

The Sharon Plain

When people ask me for recommendations about what to see and do in Israel, the region of the Sharon coastal plain does not tend to feature in my replies. Stretching from the Taninim stream in the North to the Yarkon in the South, or in city terms from just North of Caesarea to the Northern border of Tel Aviv, it is a very important area for Israel. It has the highest concentration of inhabitants. It contains several cities of note, a lot of important agriculture and a plenty of history. But, with the exception of Caesarea, the famous Herodian port city, it does not contain a huge amount of stops on the regular tourist trail. It’s also part of the coastal plain, so it has some nice beaches and cliff tops, but is rather flat, which does not make for particularly exciting scenery.

However, the guiding course covers everything, so we were to spend a day in the Sharon region. And I was pleasantly surprised by what we discovered; not necessarily enough to warrant a detour by a first time visitor to Israel, but plenty to interest the more seasoned traveller in search of something a little different.

View over the Sharon Coastal Plain from Tzur Natan

We began our day at a viewpoint in the small moshav of Tzur Natan, right next to the Green Line. Technically we were not in the Sharon, rather in the foothills of the Samarian mountains, but we did have a good view over the Sharon in all its flatness. Here we learned about the history of the region; the name Sharon is an Akkadian word meaning forest, and indeed until quite late in the Ottoman period the area was covered with forests. This, together with the large amounts of swamps (which attracter malarial mosquitoes) meant that in fact it was one of the least inhabited regions of the country. It was only when the Zionists began to successfully drain the swamps that people began to settle here in there masses, due to the proclivity of water and the ease of building on flat land.

Sheikh Musharef Tomb & Remains of Samaritan Synagogue

We moved on to the nearby Ottoman period tomb for the Sheikh Musharef, a local holy man. The tomb was built on top of a Samaritan synagogue (you can tell as it faces Shechem/Nablus, and not Jerusalem), from the 6^th century. We could identify the mikve (ritual bath). We paused in the site to learn about the geology of the Sharon area; its formation, the types of rock etc. All useful background for the rest of the day.

Alexandroni Memorial at Kakun

We descended to the coastal plain to the Kakun reserve. Here we paused by the memorial to the Alexandroni brigade who overcame the Iraqi army who had reached this point in the 1948 War of Independence. I find stories about the 48 war particularly interesting as the odds were so massively stacked against the nascent Israeli country. Daring and bravery, together with a significant chunk of good fortune, won the day.

Crusader Fortress Ruins at Kakun

We then climbed the hill to the ruins of the Crusader fortress which used to stand at this point with an overview of two very important ancient roads: the Sea Road (Via Maris) which did not actually go along the sea shore, rather along the valley where you can now find route 6; and the road that ran from Caesarea to Shechem. We wandered around the ruins and admired the strength of the structure which had endured for so long.

It was time for a hike. We were dropped off by the turtle park at the Alexander stream. We learned about the habits of these soft-shelled turtles which have been enabled to flourish in the stream thanks to an extensive programme to clean it from various pollutants which had been killing off the wildlife. The project is a joint project between Israel and the Palestinians, as the stream source lies in Palestinian controlled land, and it was even awarded a prize in Australia as a result of its great success in cleaning up the stream. Heart warming!

Nachal Alexander

We enjoyed a pleasant stroll down the stream, concluding at the Khirbet Samra ruins, where our guide illustrated how the building had passed through different peoples (Arabs, Turks, British and Israelis) through history through a remarkable feat of rapid costume changing which certainly made the story much more entertaining. Good inspiration for our future guiding experiences.

Steam Powered Water Pump at Cheftzi-ba Farm

Our bus met us at the hike’s end and we travelled north to the Cheftzi-ba agricultural farm. This land, just outside Hadera, was bought by an association called the Netaim (planters) at the turn of the 20^th century. The idea was to make it into farmland and sell it to new immigrants who were interested in farming but didn’t want to start from scratch. To water the fields, they had Israel’s first pump (steam powered) which drew water and pushed it around the farm. Sadly a poisonous cocktail of locusts and the outbreak of WWI led to the collapse of the enterprise. The farm is now run by the national electricity company who refurbished it, partly to make up for the massive power station located at Hadera, and you can visit the old buildings, watch a surprisingly interesting film (these tourist site films used to have very low production values, but are rapidly improving) about the farm’s history (subtitled in English) and, in migration season, view some of the 2 million (yes, million!) cormorants who pass through on their way from Sibera to warmer climes.

View North up the coast from Apollonia Ruins

Our penultimate stop took us back to ancient times as we toured the excavations at Apollonia (also known as Arsuf). Located next to Hertzliya Pituach, on the coast, this site has only been opened relatively recently for tourists. It contains the remains of a crusader fortress and also a very impressive Roman villa, together with some limited remains from the original Phoenician village where they manufactured glass along with the valuable argaman and techelet dyes. As if the archaeology was not interesting enough, the site commands wonderful views from a cliff top above the Mediterranean Sea; on a clear day Jaffa is visible in the South, Netanya in the North. We heard the story of the different generations of settlement in this place, together with the story of its violent destruction by the Baibars. Mind you, I’m sure the Crusaders would have been just as unpleasant to the Baibars, had they had half the chance. Given the proximity of this site to Tel Aviv (around 20 minutes drive), it’s definitely worth a short jump out of the city if one has a couple of hours free and wants to get a taste of ancient history from among the hustle and bustle of the modern metropolis.

Sidna Ali Mosque

We concluded the day just a short drive away from Apollonia at the mosque built around the tomb of Sidna Ali, a great local leader of the 11^th century; legend says that he could always tell the truth and people would come to him for judgement of disputes. Once he died he was buried here and to settle disputes people would come and walk towards a stone with their eyes closed. The first to touch the stone is the one who is telling the truth. From this peaceful location we learned about the Mamluk policy of building holy pilgrimage sites along the coast to ensure a constant flow of pilgrims who would be able to keep an eye out for any future Crusader attack. Whether or not Sidna Ali is buried here is up for discussion – there are two other sites in Israel which also claim the honour. The British banned Muslims from visiting this site as punishment for their rebellion in the 1930s, and it fell into disrepair. Recently, the Waqf (the Muslim religious authority here) petitioned the government for the land, and successfully took over the site and restored it. It really rather picturesque.

So, it seems the Sharon was able to throw up a fair amount of positive surprises. Somewhat off the regular tourist trail, it is true, but with some sites that are well worth a visit.