Ahhh. The weekend. What a great invention! Today was a day off from digging and I got to sleep in. I was pretty much wide awake at 5:30am and allowed myself the leisure of staying in bed until 6:30am. Since most work days at home my alarm doesn't even go off until 7:00 or even 7:30, this is a bit weird for me. But, maybe not so weird if you consider the hours I have been keeping the last week.
A day off from digging did not mean a day of sitting around. I got on the very cramped mini bus filled with 19 other passengers and we headed off to Gamla. This was a Jewish city which joined the Great Revolt in 66AD (Jews wanting independence from Rome) and was eventually conquered by the Romans in 67AD. The occupants did not give up without a fight and it took Rome two attempts to successfully gain control of the city. According to Josephus, the attack by the Romans cost the lives of 9000 Jews who were living there, some from the surrounding areas who had sought refuge in Gamla. Some of these people were killed in battle and others flung themselves over the cliffs rather than be caught by the Romans. It is said that two women survived to tell the story of the city.
The Ancient city is perched on the side of a very steep mountain and it took us about 30 minutes to climb down the valley and up the other side to get to it. It is a 1 km hike which may not seem like much, but it is very steep and rocky. I found myself thinking that if this trail was in North America, there would be a lot more warning signs and some very sturdy hand rails...this trail was an accident waiting to happen, not because it was in bad repair, but because of how steep it was. At one point, we were walking along a ridge to the next part of the excavated city with nothing but a steep cliff and air on our right! One false step and you could easily have ended up at the bottom. Of course, there may have been warning signs, but they were all in Hebrew and so I couldn't read them. In any case it was amazing to see. The comment was made that the Romans must have wanted Gamla badly as they went to a lot of work to get to them. I cannot imagine bringing a whole army down to besiege that city. Then I thought of all the work it must have been to build a city in such a location in the first place. I certainly hope that they were able to use local materials.
Besides the story of its ruin, another claim to fame at Gamla is its synagogue. It is believed to be the oldest confirmed synagogue in Israel ever discovered. It dates to the first century AD. We were also able to see the remains of a round lookout tower, a few homes, the Mikveh (ritual bath) and the city walls.
Our second stop for the day was Tel Dan. This is located at the headwaters of the Jordan River and was quite a site. It is the ancient city of Dan, conquered by the Israelite tribe of Dan, which was formerly known as Laish. (See Judges 18:27-29) There were ruins of the city and of the "high place" as well as an Israelite gate dating to the first temple period. There is also a Canaanite gate at the site with a complete arch intact dating to the eighteenth century BC, but somehow I missed the trail going to it. We were crunched for time at the site and so I must have been concentrating too much on making sure we got back to the bus in time! We also crawled through an old bunker to a lookout point where we could see Lebanon and Syria at the same time. The trail ended at a wading pool where visitors could wade into the headwaters of the Jordan River. The water was icy cold! While posing for the picture that I have, it was all I could do to stand still and smile...all I wanted to do was jump out! That water rivals the coldest Canadian lakes in the summertime, I think.
It was a full day of touring and adventure. There were a few things along the trails in both places that I would like to go back to look at one day, when I have unlimited time. I think I could easily have spent a whole day at each place just exploring the many different hiking trails that both had to offer. But, I still came away feeling like I have seen a great deal and I am thankful for having done so. As I contemplate this, I also wonder: Would the Canadian government have classified this trip as "essential?" Probably not. Why am I asking that question? Their travel warnings page includes this note about travel within Israel: "Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against non-essential travel to the regions near the border between Israel and Lebanon. On June 17, 2007, rockets fired from Lebanon landed in northern Israel near the town of Kiryat Shmona." Does going close enough that you can see the country of Lebanon qualify as "near the border?" Probably. Ooops! The good news is no one got hurt and there were no rockets fired! It was an experience I wouldn't have wanted to miss, travel warning or not. J
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