Was King Herod born here?

Last week, we talked about the history of Maresha and the EPIC battle that happened below it.

This week, we'll talk about the tel, its views, and something intriguing directly below it.

The tel hasn't been full excavated yet, so I definitely need to go back in the future! Also, to see the Sandahanna (St. Anne's) ruins. We could see it from far away, but there wasn't time to go close to it. Still, the view of it surrounded by spring's beautiful was enough for a first visit!

The 360-degree views from the top are incredible!

Below the tel, on the way to the cave with the olive press, are these interesting ruins. The villa here has been partially reconstructed, and it's too dangerous to walk on right now. It's from the Hellenistic era, and a hoard of 25 coins were found under the floor of one of the rooms. The latest coin was 113 BC, and it's assumed the house was destroyed that year (or else there would have been newer coins).

Excavation revealed cisterns directly underneath the village, which stored rain water.

The reason this is interesting, is because when Maresha was conquered by John Hyrcannus I, he left a small group there. At the time, this area had Idumean immigrants. Idumean comes from the word "Edomean", or from Edom. These were descendants of Esau, BibleWalks says this fulfills the prophecy of Obadiah 1:19: "and they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau".

Josephus says that the Hasomeans force-converted the Idumeans to Judaism, allowing them to remain there.

Who do we know, from about 50 years later, was an Idumean?

King Herod.

Was he born here at the base of tel Maresha? Could this area have been his hometown? The presence of this villa (and others not excavated by it prove a settlement here, and the findings of the coins prove the time period. History tells us the Idumeans were here. What about Herod 'the Great'?

We don't know, but it is intriguing to think about!

What is the Tower of David?

I’ve wanted to visit the Tower of David ever since I confused it with the City of David, haha.

It did not disappoint!

It was a Friday afternoon in July, and I was allowed in for free, and basically told to run through it because they were setting up for an event and would close soon. SO, I didn't see everything. And, I couldn't, because I hear one of the most spectacular things about this place is its night shows. Definitely have to go back!

Anywho, the Tower of David is actually a citadel in Jerusalem that is so famous it has been used as a symbol for Jerusalem for centuries. The current ruins date back to Mamluk and Ottoman times, about 500 years ago, which is why there is a minaret there.

But, it stands on a foundation of fortifications from Hasmonean (400-100 BC), Herodian, Byzantine, and Early Muslim periods. It's been destroyed and rebuilt a lot! There are archaeological remains in the quarry that date as far back as 2,500 years! So when you're walking through it, you see architecture and remains from many different periods all around, on top of, and beside each other. So cool!

It's called the Tower of David because tradition holds that in that same location, 3,000 years ago, was a massive tower built by David. The Byzantine Christians started calling it that in the 5th century AD.

Today, it's a popular place for shows, concerts, and big events. Messianic artist Joshua Aaron even recorded a live album here a few years ago. How cool is that?

My favorite parts, however, were the 360 view on top of the Phasael Tower and walking around in the moat.

Ready for the tour?

There are remains in this section from both Hasmonean and Herodian periods:

Hasmonean Era ballista stones (around 200 BC):

There's a cistern here dating back to the Byzantine period:

Statue of David:

Medieval Statues:

There are also 3-D maps of Jerusalem during different periods, and also some of the citadel, but I don't have any good pictures of them.

As you can see, the minaret was under construction while I was there:

I wish I had a better description for everything inside; there aren't that many signs and the brochure I was given doesn't have much information. I wasn't able to listen to the audio tour because they were closing in less than an hour. But you can walk all through here on protected paths, as well as go up the walls and walk around the top (and up the towers. It's amazing!

But the view is what made me want to linger. It was gorgeous!

This is looking outward from the Old City:

The King David Hotel! You can't see it in the picture, but I could see both American and Israeli flags flying on top. That's because the American President was visiting that week.

Looking inward:

A very hot, sweaty me:

But that's not all, because you can walk around outside the citadel as well, around the moat and through Herodian Pools (dry in summer) and see the construction from the outside. It's incredible! And, a lot more shade available, making it a great place to sit and eat an apple.

That's it for this tour. Until next time... when I have more time and can listen to all the audios, or go to a night show. The Tower of David was actually closed for a good part of this year for renovations, so it will be cool to see what is 'new'.

What a cool place!

Mount Arbel: Soaring over the Galilee

When I first went to the Galilee in on my Bible tour in 2017, I saw this cliff towering over the north end of the lake and said, "I want to go there". 

When I returned October 2021, I saw the same cliff and said, "Yup... I'm definitely going there... in the spring, when the sky will be the most brilliant of blues and the grass lush and green."

Cue my weekend in the Galilee in March. The time had come!

I was going to hike up the cliff, until I heard nonsense like "steep" and even sillier "handholds". Um... nope. Nope nope nope. Instead, I walked all the trails at the top, stayed at least 5 feet from every edge, and "maaaaahhh'ed" at a mountain goat. 

Wow, talk about breathtaking views!

But also, the history of this cliff is once again, INCREDIBLE. As if history cannot be incredible... I don't think that's possible. 

During the Hasmonean Period (The Inter-Testamental Period, or the "400 years of Silence"), Arbel was known as Mount Nitai. It was conquered by the Selucids (Greeks), as noted in the book of 1 Maccabees.

There was a great battle here between Galilean Zealots, who barricaded themselves at Arbel (there are a ton of caves all along the paths and cliffs) and the Selucids in 38 BC. Marc Antony sent Herod to quell a rebellion in the village of "Arbella"... that's Arbel. 

Herod was only able to win by having men lowered down in cages to the caves from the top of the cliffs. They were then able to kill the rebels that didn't jump to their deaths. 

Then, in 66-67 AD, Mount Arbel once again became a site of a great battle. Josephus, who was Commander of the Galilee, actually fortified the caves for refugees both in Mount Arbel and Mount Nitai nearby. To this day, a wall can be seen that was built to protect the caves. 

There's obviously so much more to the history of Arbel, as well as the histories up above. Maybe one day I'll explore them more. I'd love to see the synagogue and the caves! I just need cooler weather, a better sense of balance, and a SIGNIFICANTLY decreased fear of heights, haha. 

Wow! If you ever go to the Galilee, I 100% recommend Mount Arbel! It's incredible!