Nazareth Today

This is a picture of Nazareth as it appeared in1999 during my trip through the Galilee area. There is very little of the ancient village left to see.

The Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee also known as the Sea of Tiberias and the Sea of Gennesaret in the Bible was the home of some of the disciples of Jesus who were fishermen. Along these beaches Jesus walked and preached and taught. 

The Sea of Galilee is actually a small lake that is 33 miles in circumference. It is about 13 Miles long and 9 miles wide and 151 feet deep. The Lake lies 670 feet below sea level and is part of a rift valley that forms the Jordan river and the Dead Sea.
This fresh water lake is a great place to swim and enjoy fishing. I loved watching the wonderful variety of boats plying the lake.

On the Mediterranean Coast

For this picture I was standing on the sea wall at Caesarea where Herod the Great built the City of Caesarea for the Romans. There was no natural harbor here and you can see why in the picture. Caesarea needed a good deep harbor for Roman ships.

King Herod spared no expense and used a new Roman invention called hydraulic concrete that was made with volcano ash and would set under water. It was an awesome task but a protected harbor was built and served the Romans well for several hundred years.

The Guest House

I love this place in Jerusalem. It is a guest house for students sometimes known as a hostel. It is run by Christ Church and you HAD to make a reservation. many of us from the Ashkelon dig would stay there on Friday nights when we visited Jerusalem. It was perfect with low cost for room and breakfast and in t he center of everything.

Jerusalem Contrast

This picture of a divided Jerusalem is a great contrast Inside the Crusader walls is the "Old Jerusalem" and outside is the modern Jerusalem. Inside the walls is a city of narrow crowded streets with building from every generation since the crusaders. 

Outside is a city with wide streets designed for cars and the heavy flow of people. There the constructions is on going. Both Jerusalem's are exciting and you would need to live there for years to see all the wonders of that awesome place that is sacred to the religions.