Tiberias
Tiberias. This city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, 212 meters below sea level, was built in the years 17–22 a.d. by Herod Antipas, who named the city after his patron, the Roman Emperor Tiberius. For a few hundred years it became the major Jewish spiritual center in the land, where the Jerusalem Talmud was completed and the six books of Mishnah were compiled. From the 5th century many Christians settled in the city. In 1099 Tiberias was captured by the Crusaders and in 1187 it was destroyed in the war between the Moslems and the Crusaders, after which it remained almost forgotten for some 400 years. In the 18th century the town’s Jewish community started to grow again, until it became the capital of Galilee. Today it is a resort town famous for its hot mineral springs, its beautiful scenery and the many historic sites in the area.
Comments