Page 46 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Israel & Petra

44 ❯❯ The Top 10 of Everything

Ancient Synagogues

Umm
3
al-Kanatir
MAP B6 • Near Kibbutz
Natur, Golan Heights
Jewish residents built
the Golan’s largest
synagogue – 60 ft (18 m)
long, 43 ft (13 m) wide,
and 40 ft (12 m) high –
in the 6th century AD,
but it was turned into
a rocky jumble by the
Bar’am National Park’s synagogue great earthquake of
AD 749. Archeologists are figuring
Bar’am National Park
1 out the original placement of each of
piece of black basalt, and restoring
MAP B5 • Near Tziv’on, Hwy
899 • Open 8am–4pm Sat–Thu, the synagogue, stone by stone, to
8am–3pm Fri, 1 hour later during its former glory.
daylight saving • Adm • www.parks.
Korazim National Park
org.il 4
Built in the 3rd century AD, Bar’am MAP B5 • Near Almagor, Hwy
is one of Israel’s best-preserved 8277, off Route 90 • (04) 693 4982
ancient synagogues. Made of finely • Open 8am–4pm Sat–Thu, 8am–
carved basalt, the structure has 3pm Fri, 1 hour later during daylight
three doorways that face south saving • Adm • www.parks.org.il
toward Jerusalem. Inside, rows of Cursed by Jesus for refusing to heed
columns, some of them still in situ, his teachings (Matthew 11:20–22),
held up the roof. the well-preserved Mishnah- and
Talmud-era village of Korazim
Tzipori National Park
2 occupies a basalt-strewn hillside
overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
MAP C4 • Off Hwy 79 • Open
8am–4pm Sat–Thu, 8am–3pm Fri, The synagogue is decorated with
1 hour later during daylight saving fine haut-relief engravings.
• Adm • www.parks.org.il
Beit Alpha
An array of 5
outstanding mosaics, National
including a portrait Park
known as the “Mona MAP C5–D5 • Kibbutz
Lisa of the Galilee,” Heftzibah 7 miles (11
make Tzipori (Zippori; km) W of Beit She’an
known as Sepphoris • Open 8am–4pm Sat–
in Greek) one of Thu, 8am–3pm Fri,
Israel’s richest 1 hour later during
Roman- and daylight saving • Adm
Byzantine-era sites. • www.parks.org.il
In the 2nd century Decorated with Israel’s
AD, this was the seat Beit Alpha mosaic most renowned zodiac
of the Sanhedrin, the wheel mosaic, the
highest Jewish court. The floor of the floor of this Byzantine-era synagogue
5th-century synagogue is adorned (5th century AD) also depicts specif-
with Hebrew and Aramaic inscrip- ically Jewish symbols, such as the
tions and mosaics depicting a zodiac seven-branched menorah, the shofar
wheel and biblical scenes. (ram’s horn), and the Torah ark.

Eyewitness Travel – Top 10 series LAYERS PRINTED:
Two-column, 8.5pt grid “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v.1.9)
044-045_Top_10_Israel.indd 44 19/06/2017 12:58
Date 24th June 2015
Size 100mm x 191mm