Wednesday 31 July 2019

Galilee - Part II

Day 2 of our trip to the Galilee started with a hike in Park HaYarden, or the Jordan Park. The park extends over an area of around 1,000 dunam (approx 250 acres) to the northeast of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), adjacent to the eastern channel of the Jordan River. There are several walking trails to follow within the park that pass by water sources, ancient mill sites, aqueducts, pools and sites of archaeological interest. Huge trees, flowing streams, warm springs even in the winter, kayaking and fishing areas are all a part of this nature reserve. We took the boys kayaking here back in 2011. This time my friend and I wanted to hike and, hot as it was, we had a good time.
We decided to follow the Aqueduct Route - a walk along the Jordan River among the remains of ancient watermills. Though the leaflet that we picked up at the entrance of the park warned us that this route is not suitable for midday walks in the summer, we decided to take a chance and try it anyway. The hike was easy enough and the views lovely, though the paths clearly hadn't been cleared yet after the winter rains and it was sometimes hard to get through.
The route was a circular one, beginning and ending at the site of a watermill. In the past, at least a dozen flour mills were in operation in the area that is now the park, driven by the abundant waters of the Jordan River that flowed to the mills along four plastered channels. One of these channels has been restored, and it carries water for a distance of 600 metres to two reconstructed flour mills near the main parking area. Both are chute mills, in which the water flows down a diagonal chute to the lower floor of the structure, where it turns a large paddled waterwheel attached to an axis that rotates the upper millstone on the floor above, grinding the wheat grains into flour.
Down by the river we gave up following the blue Aqueduct Route and switched over to the yellow Eden Route which was clearer. Here, rather than climbing, we enjoyed a pleasant stroll along the banks of the Jordan River in the shade of willow trees and through natural tunnels created by the tall reeds.
Our next stop was at Tell Bethsaida (et-Tel), in the southeastern section of the park. Bethsaida ("house of the hunt" in Hebrew) was a small fishing village that sat on a hillside on the northeastern end of the Sea of Galilee. In the First Temple period Bethsaida was a fortified city know as Tzar, capital of the Kingdom of Geshur. Geshur maintained close relations with King David, who married Maachah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur, who gave birth to King David’s son Absalom.
In the New Testament Bethsaida was a place of miracles. Jesus cured a blind man there, turned a few loaves and fishes into food for 5,000, and walked on water. It was also the birthplace of three of Jesus's apostles - Peter, Andrew and Philip. 
In the early stages of the Great Revolt of the Jews against the Romans the town was destroyed in a local battle in which the Jewish troops were led by the historian Josephus Flavius (born Yosef Ben Matityahu). Its ruins were uncovered by the American Biblical scholar Edward Robinson in the mid-19th century.
Today the ruins at Bethsaida include a palace, a massive gate to protect a fortified city, and paved roadways and homes. Recent excavations revealed two large Hellenistic-Roman houses that had fishing paraphernalia and several Roman silver and gold coins inside. The other house had its own surprise, with a wine cellar and four intact Hellenistic jars, a gold earring, vineyard pruning tools, and more fishing items.
My friend's cousin, with whom we were staying, was keen to show us Magdala, an ancient city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where he had been involved in excavations. The excavations conducted in 2006 found that the settlement began during the Hellenistic period (between the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE) and ended during the late Roman period (3rd century CE). Later excavations in 2009-2013 brought perhaps the most important discovery at the site: an ancient synagogue, called the "Migdal Synagogue", dating from the Second Temple period (50 BCE-100 CE). It is the oldest synagogue found in the Galilee, and one of the only synagogues from that period found in the entire country. The walls of the 120-square-metre synagogue hall were decorated with brightly coloured frescoes and the floors mosaic. Archaeologists also found the Magdala stone, believed to be the centrepiece of a low bimah (where the reader would have knelt to read from the Torah scroll) which has a seven branched menorah carved on it. It is the earliest menorah of that period to be discovered outside of Jerusalem.
Excavations have continued apace, uncovering residential areas, a marketplace and mikvaot. Though the site is managed by the Catholic Church, visitors are able to explore what a Jewish village in Israel would have looked like 2,000 years ago. Rather disconcertingly, a complex of six chapels has been built on the recently excavated flagstone floor of the first-century marketplace, and the ruins of ancient Jewish Migdal have been marked with religious signs informing the visitor of the significance of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and the Church. On the other hand, Magdala is believed to be the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, or "Mary from Magdala". 
Until the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, a small Arab village, al-Majdal, stood at the site of ancient Magdala, while nowadays the modern Israeli municipality of Migdal extends to the area.
At this point my friend and I were exhausted! We drove into Tiberias for a quick falafel and walk along the waterfront. Tiberias is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, named in honour of the second emperor of the Roman Empire, Tiberius. Its Old City holds important Jewish and Christian pilgrimage sites including the Tomb of Maimonides and Abulafia (Etz Chaim) Synagogue. The restaurant-lined waterfront was a pleasant place to walk after a busy day.
The next day it was time to head for home, though there was time for just one more stop. The small, tranquil town of Zichron Ya'akov, located on Mount Carmel, was founded in 1882 by 100 Jewish pioneers from Romania. They named it Tzammarin. The rocky soil of Mount Carmel proved very difficult to farm, and combined with an outbreak of malaria, many of the original pioneers left within a year. However, the following year, the French Jewish philanthropist and winemaker Baron Edmond James de Rothschild visited Zichron Ya'akov and he discovered that the slopes of the Carmel offered superb wine-growing properties. He set about establishing the town as a winemaking town and named it in memory of his father Jacob (Ya’akov in Hebrew; Zichron means Memorial).
Today, the town's main shopping street is lined with cafes and galleries, sitting alongside historic buildings. It is also famous for the Carmel Winery, one of Israel's top vineyards, which I visited back in 2010.
Zichron Ya'akov was also home to the NILI espionage group that supplied intelligence to British military leaders hoping to overtake Palestine from the Ottoman Turks. The Aaronson House, the former private home of the Aaronson family whose family members were involved in the group, is now a museum about the NILI spy ring. I plan to go back there for a visit one day.

22 comments:

betty-NZ said...

What a great walk! I love that they have restored some of the flour mills. The other sights and bits of history are very interesting, indeed. Thanks for sharing.

Your post rocks at 'My Corner of the World' this week!


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Miss Val's Creations said...

These parks looks like such beautiful places for a hike. That tunnel formed by the greenery is very cool and the ruins at Bethsaida are incredible. What history! I love the tile art pieces, especially the shell with the water flowing from it. Thank you for taking us along on your trip Lisa!

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

A beautiful place to hike - what is the name of the flowering pink tree? Lovely

Allison said...

What a beautiful spot. And full of history. #wanderfulwednesday

VeggieMummy said...

What a fascinating time you had with your friend. Those excavations look amazing. xx

Jackie McGuinness said...

I need to add this to my wish list!

Tamar SB said...

How stunning!! Zikron Yaakov is so neat to explore!

Joanne said...

So many neat and pretty places to walk and explore.

Sharon said...

The pink blooms are so pretty. I love reading about the spy ring that was in this area!

riitta k said...

Thank you for this very interesting & informative post. It was a joy to read about history back 2000 years & about the places I know only from Bible. So interesting to read about the excavations, too. Thank you for linking at Friday Bliss, wishing a beautiful weekend.

Amanda said...

It must have been so thrilling to walk amongst such history! xx

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Amy Johnson said...

Wow! It would be a dream of mine to go there.

Aritha V. said...

Brave to walk at a time when it is hot. I think you put a water bottle in your bag? What beautiful pictures (including your with the flowers and matching shoes). I took some time to translate and I was glad I did that. Very interesting. Thank you.

Jayne said...

What a stunning place to enjoy a walk. I love the reed tunnels! Nature is awesome.

Hope you've had a lovely weekend. x

handmade by amalia said...

I'm enjoying following your adventures and the pretty photos. I hope the weather is kind to you and not too hot, it's been terribly hot and humid around here the last few days. I love Hahula, not when the birds are there and there are so many people around but on the quiet days.
Amalia
xo

Junieperr/jesh said...

S many discoveries you made on this trip. I wonder what the 2nd artpiece depicts? Not too long ago I saw a Youtube of Sid Roth (a Jewish person who has on TV a series of interviews) and he did his introduction in front of the Jordan - it was tweaking my mind because it seemed so small! (when in Gen-Exodus it's told about the Israelites crossing the Jordan river I always had the idea of a a very wide and large river).
Many thanks Lisa for sharing with all Season - very educational!

italiafinlandia said...

I would really like to visit your places...oneday.
Enjoy your new week ahead!

Sim @ Sim's Life said...

Your images are gorgeous! What a trek and a half to walk - some amazing sights and all rounded off with a falafel - love it! Sim x #PoCoLo

Emma @ Adventures of a London Kiwi said...

This has to be just about the epitome of literary-inspired travel!

Rhonda Albom said...

This looks like a great walk with lots of historical ruins. I didn't realize how much Roman influence was in the area.

Stephanie 139a said...

Looks great - love the tunnelled shot! Thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo

Morgan Prince said...

You visit such beautiful places! And they look so interesting too.
Thanks for sharing with #pocolo

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