Best Tour of the Jezreel Valley

Tel Megiddo and beyond!

As a priavet tour guide I often get to visit the Jezreel Valley. In fact, the Valley is one of my favorite locations to tour in Israel. There are various sites to explore there. So this post is about the best tour of the Jezreel Valley. If you’re coming from Tel Aviv using highway 2 that runs along the shoreline of Israel; I would recommend stopping at Caesarea. In my opinion, it is one of the best archaeological sites worth visiting. Then once reaching the Jezreel Valley you must go and visit Megiddo National Park. Megiddo is an ancient city in the Bronze and Iron Age. Nowadays it is an impressive archaeological Tel, worth visiting.


In This Photo: The of the Jezreel Valley From the Top of Mount Gilboa

Then on your way to our next site, Beit Alpha Synagogue, you should use the nice scenic road that goes along Mount Gilboa. From there you can have a nice panoramic view over the Valley that turned out to be the breadbasket of modern Israel. while riding up to the viewpoint you could listen to relevant biblical stories told in Samuel like the famous episode on 1 Samuel in the very last chapter. The Biblical narrator tells us that in this episode the Philistines were able to defeat King Saul and his Army. Right here on Mt. Gilboa!

Best Tour of the Jezreel Valley: Beit Alpha Synagogue

The Beth Alpha synagogue was uncovered in 1928 by members of the nearby Kibbutz Hephzibah; who stumbled upon the synagogue’s extensive mosaic floors during irrigation construction. Excavations began in 1929 under the auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and were led by Israeli archaeologist, Eleazar Sukenik. A secondary round of excavations, sponsored by the Israel Antiquities Authority in 1962, further explored the residential structures surrounding the synagogue.


Private Archaeological Tour of Avdat
In This Photo: Avdat National Park

Furthermore, the northern entryway features two dedicatory inscriptions in Aramaic and Greek. Although partially destroyed, the Aramaic inscription indicates that the synagogue was built during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinus, probably Justin I (518–527 CE); and was funded by communal donations. The Greek inscription thanks the artisans; who were also listed as the artisans of the nearby Beth Shean synagogue. Interestingly, the inscriptions are flanked on either side by a lion and a buffalo, who serve as the synagogue’s symbolic guardians.

Alright then, our next stop would be Beit Shean National Park. Now if you found Megiddo cool and its archaeology you will love Beit Shean! There you could explore a real Roman city and go up to the Biblical Tel for yet another amazing view.

apt-stamp-white@2x
arik-about

Hi! My name is Arik Haglili, an Israeli native who decided to dedicate his life to share my knowledge about the Holy Land to those that are interested to know more about this amazing piece of land. My career as a private tour guide started at the International School For the Studying of the Holocaust and the rest is history.

Did you know the Hoopoe is Israel's national bird?! For more cool info about Israel, join our ever growing community and get exclusive travel tips, and giveaways!

Simon Peter

RELATED POSTS

Archaeology of Biblical Jerusalem

This post is all about the  Archaeology of Biblical Jerusalem. As a private tour guide in Israel is one of my favorite subjects to guide.

Lachish Archaeological Tour

Today, on our Lachish archaeological tour we will dedicate some more time to learning about the Assyrian military campaign through the Kingdom of Judah. But ...

Let’s Go and Private Tour Masada

Let’s Go and Private Tour Masada! No doubt is one of my favorite private tours of Israel. What has Masada National Park that attracts so ...

Unearthing Ancient Jerusalem

Unearthing Ancient Jerusalem Tour is one of my best tours I offer to my guests that come to discover Biblical Jerusalem! So Let's go touring!

Must-See Biblical Tels in Judea

Let's go and explore the Must-See Biblical Tels in Judea! What is the very heartland of biblical Israel is filled with archaeology!

Megiddo and Beit Shean Archaeological Tour

Tel Megiddo and Tel Beit Shean are two archaeological tells that anyone that digs archaeology should visit! one is even a World Heritage Site!

Private Archaeological Tour of Avdat

This post is a suggestion for a private archaeological tour of Avdat, which was part of the Nabataean Kingdom. We will learn all about them!

Avdat, A World Heritage Site

Avdat, A World Heritage Site is one of the National Park I like to tour. But who lived in the city of Avdat? So the ...

Stone Age Tour

The Stone Age Tour will introduce you to all the key sites relevant to the stone age in the Land of Israel. Get ready for ...

Best Tour of Tel Jericho

My Best Tour of Tel Jericho is about "the oldest town in the world" and notable for its role in the history of Levantine archaeology.

Need help?