THE HOLY LAND REGION BY REGION - Jerusalem and the Holy Land - page 172

Aerial view of the ruined hilltop city of Megiddo

Megiddo 5
Road map B2. Route 66, 35 km (22
miles) SE of Haifa. Tel [phone].

is anold reservoir, at the base
of which a tunnel leads to a
spring that lies outside the
city walls. Visitors can go
through the tunnel at the end
of their tour of thesite.
In 2005, the remains of
what is thought to be a 3rd-
century church and a large,
well-preserved mosaic were
found in the grounds of a
military prison. Also in this
year, the site joined UNESCO's
World Heritage list.

Muslim Palestinians, and
contains all of the major sights.
To the north is Nazareth Illit,
a large Jewish district founded
in 1957 by colonists as part of
the plan to settle all Galilee.
Famous as the site of the
Annunciation and the
childhood of Jesus, Nazareth
has had a colourful history.
The village suffered at the
hands of the Romans during
the Jewish Revolt of AD 66
(see p43) , then flourished
under the Byzantines, and
later became an important
Christian site with the Crusader
conquest of the Holy Land in
1099. After the resurgence of
Muslim power in the 12th and
13th centuries, Christians
found it increasingly
dangerous to visit. Improving
relations by the 18th century
allowed the Franciscans to
acquire the Basilica, and they
have maintained a Christian
presence here ever since.
Today the town is a pilgrimage
site, with its many Christian
churches attracting large
numbers of visitors. Recent
restorationprojects and
modern hotel developments
have helped Nazareth to
cope with the crowds.
Unfortunately though, such
high levels of tourism have
done little to preserve the
city's magical atmosphere.
The old town is still fascin-
ating however, with much of
its traditional architecture
remaining. The souk, the
heart of local life, is a maze

l
@ from Haifa & Tiberias. # 8am-
4pm (winter: 3pm) daily. &
This ancient town at the head
of the Jezreel valley was the
scene of so many battles that
the Book of Revelation in the
New Testament says that it is
where the final battle between
Good and Evil will take place
atthe end of the world. The
biblical name of “Armageddon”
derives from “Har Megedon”,
or mountain of Megiddo.
The settlement controlled
the main communication
routes between the East and
the Mediterranean, and in the
3rd millennium BC it was
already a fortified city. In
1468 BC its Canaanite fortress
was destroyed by the troops
of the Egyptian pharaoh
Thutmose III, and became an
Egyptian stronghold. Megiddo
was subsequently conquered
and again fortified, possibly
bySolomon, and in the 8th
century BC came under
Assyrian rule, after which it
fell slowly into decline.
Extensive excavation of the
spectacular mound (or “tel”)
has, over the years, revealed
20 successive settlements,
each built over theother.
The visible remains include
defensive walls, a temple, an
enormous grain silo and the
foundations of many buildings.
On the eastern sideof the “tel”

Nazareth 6
Road map B2. * 60,000. @ n
Casa Nova St, [phone].

Lying on the rise between the
Jordan Valley and the Jezreel
plain, Nazareth consists of
two parts. The old town is
inhabited by Christian and

Mosaic of Joseph, Basilica of the
Annunciation, Nazareth

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp258-9 and pp275-8