Caesarea: a little piece of Rome in the Levant –
Are you in the mood for some easily accessible Roman Era ambience? Caesarea has that to offer, but also much, much more. Reaching Caesarea is easy- just drive up the coastal highway (Route 2) connecting Tel-Aviv to Haifa until you reach the Caesarea intersection. From there, follow the signs to the northern side of the national park.
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This is the most “modern” area of the archaeological site, dating to the Crusader Era portion. Like many Crusader Era sites, the entrance shows signs of heavy fortifications, including a deep moat, a tall wall, arrow slits and portcullis. We will enter the city and weave through its streets until we arrive at a secret passage through the wall. From there, we will proceed to the church compounds, built over a mosque that was, in turn, built over an ancient Herodian Era temple to Augustus Caesar, Herod’s imperial patron. As if this was not enough, we can see from here the remains of the 19th century village of Bosnian refugees settled in Caesarea by the Ottoman Empire- as well as the breakwater of the modern port.
As we continue south, through the artist’s market, we will reach the older, Roman- Era site and the glorious hippodrome that is the landmark for which Caesarea is best known. As we advance towards it, we will pass great warehouses that were once used to store the goods arriving at Herod’s port, wander through the customs treasury and marvel at the magnificent Mosaics of the public bathhouses. Then, finally, we will arrive at the massive, 95 by 460 meter Hippodrome. Stand in the center and close your eyes- can you hear the beat of hooves and the clatter of chariot wheels?