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If you’re planning to visit Israel, I bet you’re hoping to include some top-notch archeological sites in your itinerary. With so many world-class ancient locations across the Holy Land, which one should you include? The choice can indeed be hard.
I’ve lived in Israel all my life and have visited quite a few of the historic places we have all over the place here. Today, I’m going to help you by sharing five of my own personal favorite archaeological sites in northern Israel. They are all in the Galilee, so within easy driving distance from Nazareth – perfect if you can spend several days traveling in the area.
Why Israel has so many archeological sites
If you’re into archeology, you can spend several weeks and possibly months here exploring excavated wonders without having to repeat the same site twice. In fact, it’s difficult to build roads or a new town in this country without accidentally finding a formerly-unknown archeological site!
But why is that?
The reason is simple. Located on the crossroads between Africa and Asia, this region has had human inhabitants ever since our ancestors left Africa to explore other continents. Not many people know this, but you can find some of the earliest prehistoric settlements right here in Israel, including 200,000-year-old neanderthal caves.
Fertile lands and pleasant weather have kept people here through the ages. In fact, there was never a time where humans did not inhabit this land, literally from the dawn of man. That’s why you can find the remains of dozens of different cultures from various timelines – all in this small area in the Middle East.
The Galilee – A Paradise for History Buffs
You can find amazing archeological sites all over the country. From King Solomon’s copper mines in the very south of the country, through the Nabatean desert cities of the Negev and numerous Biblical sites in the center of Israel. Not to mention Jerusalem – where you can spend days exploring the Old City of Jerusalem and its surroundings.
The Galilee, in the northern part of this small country offers its own huge selection of sites. Most visitors come here to see Nazareth – the place where Jesus lived – and the Sea of Galilee. But if you can, you should definitely explore this region some more. It offers a unique combination of beautiful green nature reserves and stunning archeological sites.
With that in mind, here are five of my favorite archeological sites to see in the Galilee. There are actually many more but my hope is that these will pique your curiosity enough to further research that part of your trip to Israel.
Tel Megiddo
Here you can see the remains of the most ancient town in the world. You can walk amidst the excavated remains of a settlement dating back to at least 7,000 BCE – that’s 9,000 years ago! According to experts, the settlement was abandoned around the fall of the First Temple in 586 BCE.
Tel means a hill or mountain. Another word in Hebrew for mountain is “Har”. Now say “Har Megiddo” Does the name ring a bell? It should. This is in fact the Biblical Armageddon! Written in the book of Revelation, Tel Megiddo is known as the location where the Messiah will finally defeat the Anti-Christ during the battle of Armageddon.
Don’t worry though. I haven’t seen any of the Riders of the Apocalypse there yet. Instead, this is a great place for seeing the excavated remains of the ancient settlement. Don’t miss out on the captivating small museum and visitor center where you can operate a cool interactive model of ancient Megiddo.
Zippori National Park
The city of Zippori (also known as Tzippori) was once described by Josephus Flavius, a first-century Jewish historian as ‘the ornament of all Galilee.’ Located on top of a hill, this used to be a lively rich town some two thousand years ago. Large areas of Zippori have been excavated, showcasing the hidden history of the city through mesmeric mosaics.
Today this is a small historic national park where you can stroll among the excavated buildings. One of the most iconic sites to visit is the first-century ‘theater’, a 4,500-seat work of art that opens up a picture perfect view of Bet Netofa Valley and the hills of Upper Galilee. Other gems include –
- The Nile Festival House where you need to watch your step because you’re literally walking between the rooms, each with its own colorful rich mosaic.
- The House of Dionysus where you can see the famous ‘Mona Lisa of the Galilee’ – a lively mosaic relic of a woman on an old temple wall.
- The ancient synagogue of Tzipori.
- The ancient reservoir and water supply system.
There are also nearby hiking trails if you want to see more of the fauna and flora of the area. Zippori is certainly one of the best archeological sites to see in the Galilee.
Arbel National Park and Nature Reserve
Located In the eastern Lower Galilee, on the way to Tiberias, is the Arbel National Park and Nature Reserve. The location is picture perfect. On a clear winter or spring day, you can see the nearby Sea of Galilee and even the Golan Heights with the snow-capped peak of Mount Hermon.
The heart of the park is Mount Arbel with its gorgeous cliffs. The iconic fortified caves on top of the cliffs were once the hiding place of the opponents to the Roman regime in King Herod’s time. The rebels barricaded themselves there and the Romans had to use ropes to lower cages filled with soldiers from the top of the cliffs to the caves.
These days, you can climb the cliffs all the way up to the caves. Robust handholds, stairs, and spikes have been installed on the steep slopes on the fortresses aiding visitors’ access to the depths of the caves. Once you reach the top, the path takes you to the visitors center where you can hitch a ride down the mountain back to your point of origin.
Bet Shearim National Park
Beit Shearim is a national park in the Lower Galilee region, not far from Tel Meggido which we mentioned earlier. Decades of archeological research have uncovered a fascinating burial site with dozens of caves with ancient sarcophagi, making it one of the most interesting archeological sites to see in the Galilee
The National park is built upon the ruins of Bet She’arim – an ancient Roman city established between the 9th century BC and the 3rd century BC. The burial caves were created for rich Jewish people who could no longer be laid to rest at Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, following the Roman conquest.
Visitors can now enter the caves and wander inside to admire the ornate interior and decorated sarcophagi that carry inscriptions in Greek, Latin and ancient Hebrew. It’s a great option for a hot day as the caves are cool throughout the year.
Akko
Today Akko is a vibrant city that highlights a unique coexistence between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. However, its rich heritage in social diversity dates back to the times of the British, Byzantines, Crusaders, Ottomans and Romans. In fact, its diverse history earned it the coveted status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A definite must on your list of archeological sites to see in the Galilee.
Visiting Akko is a traveler’s delight. The city has been subject to extensive excavation which yielded some of the most astonishing historical jewels of the 21st century. The highlight is the excavated and reconstructed 11th-century Crusaders’ City. Attractions include –
- The Knights’ Hall – a huge indoors hall now decorated once more with the flags of the crusades.
- The Medieval Marketplace – excavated streets you can walk along to reach a large market space with stalls occupied by artisans who try to revive ancient medieval traditions.
- The Templar Tunnel – a secret underground passage from the marketplace right to the ancient walls of the harbor.
- The Hammam Al Basha – a Turkish bath from the Ottoman times featured in the story of ‘the last bath attendant’.
I hope you can now see why the Galilee alone is worth at least a few days of exploration. And we haven’t really touched on the many hiking trails the area offers; All of them are green and lush during winter and spring. Lastly, take the time to research this area some more so that you won’t miss out on some of the most beautiful places in Israel!
About the author
Have more questions about visiting Israel? Contact Anne Moss via her travel blog Trip Memos and drop her a line in a comment to one of her posts about Israel Travel there.
