Gamla

Gamla is not mentioned in the Bible but sure is in Israel! Gamla was once a city on the side of a mountain and all that’s left is the synagogue, lookout post, some of the wall and a few residence structures. I had never even heard of Gamla until a friend took my family and me to see a short documentary on it.





We happened to go to Gamla during Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a celebration about the Jews (also known as the Maccabee's) fighting the Romans for their rights. It’s a Jewish Revolt and one of the many that have happened in the past. Gamla is a Jewish revolt because Gamla was a home to many Jews until the Romans came in and destroyed it. But Gamla was surrounded but a wall, so how did the Romans get in? Well I'll tell you. They smashed in through a "weak" point in the wall which happened to be right next to a family's home. Can you imagine being that family living a happy peaceful life and suddenly the Romans came in and killing your family?! I sure can't! The spot where the Romans came in is known as the "Breach in the Wall" which is still there today. Heartbreaking isn't it? But what I say is, "A Roman rather die knowing that he killed a Jew rather die knowing that he didn’t." It’s awful! What on EARTH did the Jews do to the Romans to make them such an enemy? NOTHING! That’s what! Just because they believe in YHVH makes the Romans hate them. So, the Romans destroyed the city and killed the people living in it. Only a few managed to escape.

Okay I really don't want to talk too much about what the Romans did to the Jews but I will tell you one thing for you to get an idea of how awful they were. They took the Women and Children and catapulted them off the mountain into the next mountain. That’s just AWFUL!!!!!! It broke my heart to hear such a thing! That's just one thing they did to the people though and I'm not going to talk about the rest.

So, Gamla is a site of a Jewish Revolt and there are SO many more! I just don't like how the Jews are SO innocent and they just keep getting killed. But there is no way the Jews can be wiped off the globe because they are spread all over the world! I just can't wait until the Father brings all the Jews back home and they will live unbothered and safe. Let us pray for the peace of Israel and for the Father's return!


Gamla - On the left side of the mountain



Bet She'an

To the Greeks and to the Romans, Bet She'an has weathered lots of different battles. The city was built up and then brought down and once again it was brought up then brought back down. It goes all the way back to Joshua's time. That’s where it really starts!

Not long after Joshua fought the battle at Jericho, he encountered another battle against the Amorites. There were five kings fighting against Gibeon. They were camped around Gibeon and that’s when Gibeon asked Joshua to come from Gilgal to Gibeon to help free them from the Amorites. So Joshua did so and came with all his mighty men of valour. Then later on, YHVH said to Joshua, "Fear them not for I have delivered them into your hands, there shall be not a man of them standing before you." Then YHVH gave the Amorites into the hands of the Israelites and they chased them along the way that goes up to Bethhoron and smote them to Azekah and up to Makkedah. The Amorites fled from the Israelites to Bethhoron and YHVH cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah and they died. That day there were more which died by the hailstones than by the sword. Then Joshua spoke to YHVH that day and said in the sight of Israel, "Sun stand still." And the moon stopped until the Israelites took their revenge on the Amorites. The sun did not go down for a full day and there has been no day like that before it or after it. I stood right where this happened! It was the most amazing feeling to take in! It’s really indescribable! If you ever go to Israel, I recommend that you go to Bet She'an.

The Greek Inscriptions

The Roman pillars are SO big I can't
fit it in the picture!

Probably thousdands of years later, the Greeks came and made Bet She'an their own city. There are barley any remains from the Greeks other than a few Geek inscriptions on some of the floors in the Bet She'an park. But after the Greeks had populated Bet She'an, the Romans came and took control. Most of the remians are from the Romans. The romans just came in and took control and built their city on top of the Greeks. My goodness! The Roman structures are really amazing! Yes I know the Romans aren't the best people but their buildings are pretty impressive! Just one Roman pillar is like probably three feet wide and 30 feet high! Thats just a guess though..Im not 100% sure but I know they are huge! I'm like I look like a midgit next to one. lol!

The Romans had a bathhouse which is kind of like a hot springs sauna thing. They make little tiny pillars and then lay the floor on top of the pillars. Then they make little shafts were the heat comes out! Now thats smart..its kind of like a sauna! Cool, eh? Then they have the big bathtub kind of place were they would have bathed.



They would have layed the floor on top of the pillars.



The romans also had a theater where they would go and watch shows and plays. The theater seats 7000 people! When you see it in a picture you might think that its really not that big and can't possibaly fit that many people, but when you walk in and sit down...its really HUGE! I can see 7000 people fitting in there plus the orcistra and the stage. The seats were white marble and some of them still are! Most of them have weathered down and are just a whiteish grey kind of colour. The Greeks had their theator set up on an oval with the orcristra in the centre in a oval. But the Romans had theirs set up as a half circle with the orcristra playing below the audince and the stage across from the orcristra. I think the Romans had theirs set up better ;) Now when looking stright ahead at the stage, you see an opening and two pillars on each side. That is where the main actor or king would come out. And on each side of the stage there is a door where all the other actors and props came out of and wheeled/walked onto the stage. Now that would have been quite the preformance!

Okay, I have NO clue how the Romans got their pillars to stand up! Honestly each pillar must weigh like 10 tons or more. All I could say was, "Thats a big chunk of stone!" Just down the main street there is probably like 20-30 pillars! The main street was like a shopping centre where they would have sold food and clothes..kind of like a Shook I would say. (A Shook is a fruit and veggies market and they are located everywhere in Israel) But the pillars are pretty impressive!

Bet She'an is an amazing place with lots of history. Check out where time stood still in your Bible! Look up Joshua 10. Read it and imagine...try taking the pitcures I have on this post and putting them into prespective. You will enjoy this story and you will probably want to come to Bet She'an even more!

Elijah and some original roman flooring



The first time I ever felt like Po from Kung Fu Panda.



Rosh Hanikra

If you look on a map you will find at the very top of Israel to the left, Rosh Hanikra. Its right on the Mediterranean. It was a beautiful day as we drove along on our way to Rosh Hanikra. When we were about half way, Mom realized that she forgot our passports! You see, your passport is your ticket in and out of places in Israel IF you go through a check point. So we decided to keep on going until we happened to run across a check point. We didn't go through one from Tiberias all the way to Rosh Hanikra, so we where good :)

Just seeing the Mediterranean Sea was amazing! It just goes on forever. I said to my Mom, "HEY! We few over that!" lol ;) I can now say I've been to the Pacific Ocean, The Atlantic Ocean and The Mediterranean Sea (Which is really an Ocean). All to me are just as beautiful as the other. But I wont dare go to far in any of them...I'm not too fond of "Ocean Swimming". ;)

Now we went and took the Cable Car down to see the Gorttos. The Grottos are caves made by the Ocean Waters. They are weathered caves and the waves come into them and clash against the rocks. Its a Geophysical prosses that has been happening for thousands of years. Fruit Bats and Pigeons live in them. Before we went to the Grottos, Mom looked on the website and it said that the waves crash up on the rocks in the caves and it was very wet and misty. So I dressed thinking I was going to get very wet. It ended up being a calm day and it wasn't a bit wet in the Grottos. lol! But an intresting fact about the Grottos is that the sea algae in the Grottos change colours during different hours of the day. This is due to the reflection of the light onto the water causing the algae to change colour. Thats too cool!

Capernaum

Capernaum, a dry spot next to the sea and is now a National Park. Yeusha cast demons out of people, He healed the Centurion's servent and He did so much more!

In Luke 4:31-37 Yeshua cast out unclean spirits. It says in the Torah, Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of the Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at his teaching, for His word was with authority. Now in the Synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with you, Yeshua of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are - The Holy One of Eloheim!" But Jeshua rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurn him. Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, " What a word this is! For with the authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they went out," And the report about Him went out into every place in the surounding region.

And in Matthew 8:5-13 Yeshua healed the Centurion's servent. It says, Now when Yeshua had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying "LORD, my servent is laying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Yeshua said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "LORD, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servent will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go' and he goes; to another 'come' and he comes; and to my servent, 'do this' and he does it. When Yeshua heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Issac and Jacob in the Kingdom of hevean. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Yeshua said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servent was healed that same hour.

I got to go and see where that would have happened. I never imagined it to look the way it does. Now when I read those verses in the Torah, I will be able to but the scripture to the place it happened! I am truly blessed!

Tel Dan (City of Dan)

When you enter the Tel Dan Park you are stepping back in time 7000 years ago. There are three sources of the Jordan River and the Dan River is the biggest and most important. It provides up to 238 million cubic meters of water annually. About 8.5 cubic million millimeters of water flow through the Dan River every second.


















Until the 67 War, the Dan river was the only part of the Jordan River in reach of Israeli Hands. Due to this shortage of water and the use of the Dan River to serve the needs of all the people almost ment the end of the reserve. In 1966 Israel's water planners decided that it would be best to "siphon" the water from the main source to use the force of gravity to carry it to the Hula Valley. People in Israel who adored Nature did not want the reserve to be harmed and that the water should be taken further north. this bit of a struggle went on for about three years and finally in 1969 the conservation lobby won and the Tel Dan Reserve became a reality.

In 1966 Tel Dan was in the beginning of its excavation. The amazing findings were walls, gates as well as a ritual site that dates to the time of dramaic events recounted in the Bible. A city was first built here in the early Canaanite period. It was active/lived in between 2700 and 2400 BCE. The story is identified with the city of Laish, captured by the tribe of Dan. Dan found it hard to deal with the Phillistines and therefore decided to go north. As it says in Judges, "They proceeded to Laish, a people tranquil and unsuspecting, and they put them to the sword and burned down the town. There was none to come and rescue, for it was distant from Sidon...They rebuilt the town and settled there, and they named the town Dan, after their ancestor Dan who was Israel's son. Originally, however, the name of the town was Laish." (Judges 18:27-29)





Important remains were decovered in a Mycenaean grave from the late Canaanite Period. One of the finds was a piece of a fossilized tablet from the second half of the ninth century BCE. What is carved onto it is an inscription of Hazael, King of Damascus, he was boasting his victory over the king of Israel and the kings of the house of David. This is the first time in words "house of David" were discovered outside of the Bible. Dan continued to be inhabited until the Roman period and then it was abandoned. The center of the settlement moved to the Banias.

I love being were History happened! Its really amazing and a huge experiance!

Beautiful Banias

The Banias Spring flows at the bottom of Mount Hermon and emerges powerfully through a canyon for 3.5 km. Leading down to the Banias Waterfall, the most impressive cascade in Israel. Nine kilometers from its source, the Hermon Stream meets the Dan, and together they form the Jordan River.

A path near the spring goes to the Banias Cave. Nearby, five niches carved into the cliff wall are a remnant of the temple to Pan. Which gave the site its name: Paneas or Pameas (pronounced Banias in Arabic). Remains of a temple built by Herod are in front of the cave. After Herod’s death, his son Philip inherited this area, and in 2 BCE Philip founded his capital near the Banias Spring, calling it Caesarea Philippi.

 

At the site of Caesarea Philippi, this is where Yeshua asked his disciples, "Who do men say I am?" This is in Mark chapter  8:27. 27 and Yeshua went with his disciples, to the villiges of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say I am?" 28 And they told him, "John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; and others of the prophets." 29 And he asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." 30 And He charged them to tell no one about him.  

Now the beautiful Banias Springs. This is truly the most beautiful path in Israel. It is a breathtaking journey through a cooled path below the normal ground level. If you were up at the parking lot, it was very hot but as soon as you enter the path next to the springs, you are totally cooled down and are in awe. Its absolutely beautiful through the Banais. Its really indescribable…you would have to experience it yourself to fully understand.

A 45-minute loop trail passes Roman and Crusader period sites. The trail to the waterfall takes about 90 minutes. About 150 m along that trail, it crosses the Govta Stream under a Roman bridge. It continues to the hydroelectric power station and the reconstructed, water-powered Matroof flour mill, where Druze pita with labaneh (goat cheese) is for sale. The Officers Pool, 350 m farther along, now a habitat for Capoeta damascena fish, was used by Syrian officers before 1967.

 









Just from the pictures I bet your saying, wow! It's georges! Your seeing just the pictures, but you havent seen the real thing until you go and see it yourself. :)

Nimrods Fortress

Just a heads up, this Fortress/Palace is not made by Nimrod from the Tower of Babel. Read the history below to find out what happened!


There is SO much history just within the area of Nimrod's Fortress! Okay, I'll tell you the history. It all starts after the battle at the Horns of Hitiin (1187), the Crusaders lost their hold on most of the territory in the Land of Israel. Salah a-Din, who commanded the Ayyubi army in its struggle against the Crusaders, was lord of the land. He and his troops systematically desdtoryed the fortress which fell into theird hands. The Crusaders, however attempted to return and reconquer the Holy Land in subsequent Cresades, but they were able to gain hegemony only on the Coastal Plain and in the Galilee. The Banias area, which also fell to the Muslims, was placed under the governorship of al-'Aziz 'Othan, nephew of Salah a-Din. Intrigues between Sultan el-Kamal in Egypt and his brother al-Moatis, govenor of Damascus, brought about the building of the fortress, and it happened this way in 1227, the army of the German Eperor (Kaisar) Fredrick II arrived in the Holy Land. Sultan el-Kamal provoked the Kaisar to engage his brother in battle, and even gave Jerusalem to the Kaisar. Al-Moatis, who feared that the Crusaders were about to attck Damascus and conquer it, initated construction of the fortress in 1227 with the help of his younger brother al-'Aziz 'Othman, in order to defend the road leading to Damascus. When the danger had passed, the Ayyubids decided to reniforce and to expand it westward. construction continued for about a year and was completed in 1230. In 1253, the Crusaders tried to return and conquer the fortress, nut to no avail. The Mongol invasion of Syria and the Holy Land from Central Asia seven years later brought about the destruction of the fortress. The Mameluke army managed to stop the Mongols at the battle at the 'En Jalud ('Ein Harod), considered to be one of the most important battles, Baybars, named himslef Sultan of Mamelukes and gave the fortress to his second in command, Bilik. The new governor began broad reconsruction activites and actually, the building in his day was the most grandiose ever, and included the semicircular towers. Bilik memorialized his work and glorified the name of his siltan in the impressive incription from 1275. With the surrender of the Crusaders and their final ejection from the Holy Land at the end of the 13th century, the prestige of the fortress diminished. In the 15th century it served as a prison for rebels, but later was abandoned. From that time on, shepered and their flocks would occasionally take shelter in its fastnesses.

Here is a basic description of the Fortress and were it's located. Nimrod Fortress is located on top of a mountain with the scenery on the slopes of Mt. Hermon, ( the ski hill here in northern Israel) atop a ridge at an altitude of 815 meters (2,675 feet) above sea level. The northern slope drops to the north towards the Guvta stream, while the southern slope drops to Wadi a-Naqib. The ridge descends southward toward Banias and rises eastward in the direction of Mt. Hermon. The whole National Park covers an area of 195 dunams (19.5 hectares, 49 acres). Within the park lies the fortress occupying 33 dunams (3.3 hectares, 8 acres) and it's surrounded by olive groves and natural vegetation. Nimrod's Fortress is one of the largest and most impressive fortresses which has survived in the Mid-East since the Middle Ages. The fortress controlled one of the region's main roads, which began in Tyre on the Medditerranean shore and ran through the upper Hula Valley and Banias to Damascus. The Fortress with its long narrow structure, fits in with the special topographic conditions of the area. Its width varies accordingly from 50 meters (165 feet to)150 meters (about 500 feet). Its length is 420 meters (1,380 feet) The fortress is sourrounded by walls and towers. Its really an amazing palce even though only so much of it remains.

The whole entire Fortress has 14 different sites including The Northwest Tower, The Southwest Tower, The Donjon, and The pool. That's not all, but that's what I'm going to be talking about in this post ;)

The Northwest Tower (1) is an impressive gate installed in the tower bears an Arabic inscription of the Ayyubi governor al-'Aziz 'Othman and belongs to the first construction stage. The stones of the arch shifted in an earthquake (1759), but miraculously the arch itself did not collapse!!

















The Western Tower (3) is facing Westward and is not yet excavated.

The Southwest Tower (5) Provides a magnificent view of the Galilee, the Hula Valey and the slopes of the Golan. The tower was enlarged in Baybar's time, after which additional embrasures were built.

The Donjon (10 & 11) is a fortified indepedent location standing off above the fortress (Donjon is french "keep" in English). In the event that the lower fortifications were overrun, the defenders were able to continue the battle and the defence of the fortress from a very large and stronly constructed donjon. At the four corners of the structure square towers were erected. In the area between them were found remnants of the arches of a ceremonial hall, additional halls and water cisterns.











I loved being up there and seeing the Holy Land from a different view. Even the history behind this fortress is amazing!