Night Tour of Beit Shean

Last Thursday was a fabulous night guiding a tour bus of fabulous people - friends old & new - from my special hometown of Zichron Ya'akov.
Our destination was Beit She'an, (Hebrew: בֵּית שְׁאָן ) a town in the Northern District of Israel situated about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level.
It is an ancient Roman city known for its strategic significance & prosperous history. It was originally an Egyptian administrative centre & later became part of the Decapolis league. Under Roman rule, it thrived as a major trading hub & cultural centre. The city boasted impressive structures, including theatres, bathhouses & temples.
One of the largest known Roman amphitheatres was also found here. Unfortunately, in 749 CE, an earthquake devastated the city, leaving it in ruins. Today, Beit Shean stands as an archaeological site, providing valuable insights into Roman urban planning & ancient civilization.

We drove through the Jezreel Valley past the city of Megiddo, which was inhabited as far back as 4,500 BCE, near to the valley cities of Ophrah/Ofra and Shechem, which is mentioned in Judges 6:11; 8:27,32 as the home of Gideon.
According to Epiphanius, Ophrah was situated 5 miles east of the city of Bethel. "Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites," a city of Manasseh.
We stopped at Tel Jezreel, where we learned of a story recounted in 1 Kings 21 that is infamous in biblical history:
Ahab the seventh king of Israel was married to Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, who promoted the worship of the Phoenician god Baal, leading to conflicts with prophets of the Hebrew G-d.
One of the most significant events occurred in Tel Jezreel when Jezebel orchestrated the false accusation & subsequent execution of Naboth in order to seize his vineyard for Ahab.
This act brought divine retribution upon the couple, leading to Ahab's death in battle & later, Jezebel's gruesome end - thrown from a high window, her body was devoured by dogs - fulfilling the prophecy of Elijah (1 Kings 22)

Thank you to all who made the trip possible, enjoyable & memorable. And extra thanks to those who left a review on my TripAdvisor account: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293983...
#israeltourguide #IsraelAdventures #israeltrip #tourguideisrael #israeltourism #onlyinisrael #visitisrael #holylandtour #holylandexperience #israeltravel #touringisrael #simonostertourguide #imagineisraeltours #travelisrael #Israel 
#israeltravel






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