Caesarea National Park, Israel

Caesarea National Park is located on the remains of an ancient Roman city known as Caesarea Maritima. It was a major city in Israel during the birth of Christianity. As such, it holds historic significance to both Christian and Jewish believers. For the Jews, this was the site of civil protest when Pilate ordered Roman eagle standards be placed at the Temple Mount. It was also a birthplace of the Jewish revolt in 66 AD. For Christians, it is a place where the Apostle Paul is known to have visited and maybe even have been imprisoned. In the photo above, you can see our tour guide, Ari (with Gate 1 Travel) purchasing our tickets. I have not been able to find the current prices online, but a three-park ticket is 78 shekels, which is about twenty dollars.

Roman Theater

Our first stop in the park was the Roman Theater, which is located behind the entrance booth. The Roman Theater is built in the typical semi-circle style and has withstood the test of time. The structure is largely intact, overlooking the Mediterranean. It is an awesome view from the theater. As you walk down from the theater, there are historical markers as well as decorations that once adorned the theater. The theater was destroyed in the third century, but many of the artifacts are still located nearby.

Reef Palace

Archaeological Park

Between the theater and the sea are a number of artifacts (it is called the Archaeological Park) that are labeled with brief histories of the period. As you travel this direction you will come upon the remains of the Palace Reef, which was Herod's two-story palace at Caesarea during the era when Christianity was first spreading. Some say that Herod never visited the palace, others say that it was not built during his time. However, the dates are close enough that it is considered Herod's. Part of the remains of the palace are now in the sea. There was a fresh water pool at the edge of the sea. In the design of palaces at the time, the pool would have been a courtyard. The pool was built to demonstrate power. It could have easily been filled with salt water, but it was filled with fresh water brought down via a massive aqueduct that still has visible remains nearby. Impressive.

Remnants of the Palace Pool

Water Cistern

When water was being brought down by aqueduct, it was stored in large, underground cisterns. These cisterns were used as jails during Jesus' time. There is "jail graffiti on the walls discovered by archaeologists. I don't know if it has been archaeologically proven that Paul was held in one of these cisterns, it is certainly possible that he was detained in this very spot.

To the right are the remains of the Hippodrome

After a brief history lesson on the hippodrome and the blood sport of that era, we boarded our bus to visit the remains of the massive aqueduct that once fed this population center its fresh water. I would imagine the demand for fresh water would be great in a population center surrounded by sea water. But the aqueducts look more than capable of supplying ample fresh water.

Roman Aqueducts

Our trip to Israel was in March. It is a great time of year to travel to Israel. The weather was great throughout our visit. The park had plenty of other visitors, but never felt crowded. We were able to sit around and discuss the history of this ancient city and its relationship to Christianity without other tour groups encroaching on our space. There are plenty of large open areas and the view was amazing. These photos were taken with a point-and-shoot camera. Nothing special. Those amazing blues translated well. It was not the most amazing place we visited, but the rich history and beautiful scenery definitely made it a worthwhile visit.

The entrance to the Park is closed one hour before the times given below:

May - August:
Sundays thru Thursdays and Shabbat: 8:00 - 18:00
Fridays and eves of religious festivals the site is closed at 16:00

September - October:
Sundays thru Thursdays and Shabbat: 8:00 - 17:00
Fridays and eves of religious festivals the site is closed at 16:00

November - April:
Sundays thru Thursdays and Shabbat: 8:00 - 16:00
Fridays and eves of religious festivals the site is closed at 15:00

On the eves of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Pesach: 8:00 - 13:00

These photos are all my own. They may be used with permission.