There was a thriving Jewish community on these limestone hills from the 3rd-4th
centuries CE. Jews fled here after the destruction of the Second Temple and the
quashing of the Bar Kochba rebellion. Bet She'arim became the fulcrum of Jewish
national and spiritual life. The Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Council, had its
seat here. Here, too, lived Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, who studied and taught while
codifying Judaism's oral laws (the Mishna). When he died in 220 CE he was
buried in the catacombs carved inside the limestone necropolis.
But the glory of Bet She'arim was snuffed out in 352 CE when the
Byzantines destroyed the town and the grandiose synagogue in an attempt to cow
the rebellious Jews.
Few excavations in Israel can equal the impact of the vast city of the dead, as the catacombs of Bet She'arim are called.
Now incorporated in a national park, they make up immense labyrinthine
vaulted chambers and contain scores of stone sarcophagi, most of which weigh
five tons. Grave robbers have long since vandalized many of them. The
inscriptions in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic, and reliefs carved on some 200
sarcophagi, testify to the spiritual intensity and artistic fervour of the
community.
A single chamber hacked into the side of the hill has been converted into a small museum. Open daily. Entrance fee.
Return to Road No. 75 and continue towards Nazareth, passing the turn-off
right to Afula. The road climbs abruptly and soon passes by Migdal HaEmek
perched in enviably quiet, rural surroundings. For those who are prepared to
make a small detour to the valley below, there is a Museum of Pioneer
Agricultural Settlements in Kibbutz Yifat. This is the biggest museum of its
kind in Israel. Open Sun.-Thurs. 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., Fri. 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Sat. 10
a.m.-3 p.m. Tel. (06)548974.
Just outside Migdal HaEmek you should pull over to your right for the
Balfour Forest and the observation point for a magnificent view of the Carmel
range, the Jezreel Valley and the mountains of Gilboa and Ephraim. Also here is
a tree-planting centre. Anyone who stops here between 8 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.
weekdays (Friday 8 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.) may buy a sapling for a few shekels and
plant it on the slopes nearby.
The remaining 4 km. to Nazareth are packed with scenic views. The
Christian village of Yafia, fortified by the Jews during their revolt against
the Romans in 66 CE, is close to the road, on your left.
On entering Nazareth, turn left down Paul VI Road. If there is space in
the parking lot opposite the Government Tourist Office in Rehov Casa Nova, you
are fortunate, as all the main sites are situated within easy walking distance
from here.