Unique place to visit in Israel: Beit She'an National Park

Beit She'an is one of the oldest cities in Israel. It is located in the north of Israel in the Jordan Valley, 20 kilometers from the Sea of ​​Galilee. Once through these places the road passed from Egypt to Mesopotamia. The city is on the main road connecting Jerusalem and Tiberias, and on the road that connects the valley with the Mediterranean Sea.

On the territory of the modern city Beit Shean is the national park Scythopolis, created on the site of archaeological excavations. In the Talmud there are lines: "If the paradise is on the land of Israel, then Bet Shean is its gates." Beit She'an is one of the most ancient cities in the world. Mention of it can be found in texts dating from the XIX century BC.

In the distant past, the city was ruled by the Philistines, the Egyptians and the Greek colonists, leaving their mark on the architectural monuments of the city. The archaeological excavations of this ancient city are so well preserved that walking through its ruins, one can plunge into history and literally "feel and see" all those events that took place here many centuries ago.

During archaeological excavations conducted in the 60s, a synagogue with a mosaic was found here. In the 90 years the excavations resumed. In Beit She'an the ruins of pagan temples, the Roman amphitheater, the colonnade, the mosaic, the Roman baths were found. In 2008, the grandiose project was launched - a light and sound show for tourists. With the help of the latest technology (hologram, lighting effects, sound simulation, etc.), the ancient city is literally revived anew. It seems that you can walk the streets, plunge into the atmosphere of those times when the city has not yet been destroyed. The view is unique in its kind in Israel and one of the few in the world.

The ancient city was an important trading and military-strategic object for almost the entire history of its existence. The name of the city comes from the local pagan sun god Shean or Shana, therefore Beit Shean is also called the "city of the sun". The place where this city later emerged was inhabited since the 5th millennium BC, and the name Beit Shean was first mentioned in the Egyptian texts of the 19th century BC. In the Tanakh (Torah) Beit Shean is mentioned already in describing the entry of the people of Israel into the Promised Land. Later the city was captured by a joint Philistine-Egyptian army. Then the city was conquered from the Philistines only under King David, who gave it to his son King Shlomo (Solomon). During the Second Temple the population of the city was mixed: here lived the Jews who called the city of Baishan, and the Greeks called it Skythopolis (Skitopolis).

Beit She'an is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East, with the excavation of which found about 20 cultural layers, with the very top 5 completely ripped off during the first studies. The rich ancient history of the city was constantly haunted by scientists. During the excavations at the site of the ruined ancient city a Roman theater (similar to the theater in Caesarea), temples, shopping centers, baths, mosaics and other monuments of antiquity were discovered.

At the entrance to the Scythopolis National Park in Beit She'an there is a mock-up of the entire city, where you can view all of its grandeur and beauty. Here you can find the ruins of an ancient Roman theater, on the stage of which various performances took place. The building of the theater refers to the second century of our era and accommodates from 7 to 10 thousand spectators. The theater was divided into three levels of seats, of which until now only the first one has been intact and the rest have been restored. Behind the scene you can see the remains of the wall with columns that served to set the scenery for the performance. The columns were made of granite, and the whole wall reaches a height of twenty meters. The theater was decorated with mosaics, sculptures and bas-reliefs, the stage and arena were paved with marble slabs. The amphitheater is a typical Roman construction. He was on the southern outskirts of the Roman city and was used mainly for gladiatorial fights, including with animals, and occasionally as a racetrack. Therefore, the scene is much lower than the visual series and has special passages to the underground rooms where wild animals were kept. The amphitheater is an oval 102 by 67 m and has 12 spectators. In the 4th century AD the amphitheater gradually ceased to be used and the Crusaders used his stones to build a fortress.

The National Park of Beit She'an keeps mysteries of the past tourists can see the Roman baths, admire the amphitheater, walk along the preserved streets and view all the urban infrastructure of that time.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/VJxqyrC5rbM2