Heritage

Larry and Mindy לארי ומינדי

Megiddo – one of the most famous archaeological sites in Israel. Last time I (Larry) was there, my 32-year-old daughter was knee-high. Mindy had never been there but had always wanted to go. So we did ?.

Megiddo’s location was very important throughout history, because it dominated the Aruna Pass (Wadi Ara), controlling the main route between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Since at least the beginning of written history (c. 3100 BCE – during the Copper Age, or Chalcolithic period), the city was captured, destroyed, and rebuilt over 30 times (!), leaving modern archaeologists with fertile ground for unearthing a wealth of knowledge. Megiddo is, of course, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For Christians the word Megiddo is synonymous with the end of the world as mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Megiddo - or Armageddon as it is also known – is believed to be the site of the Final Battle between good and evil. This will be the final battle of many already fought here. There is even a scene in Megiddo (but not the real place!) in the 1976 horror movie, “The Omen,” where an old sorcerer lives and is sought out in order to give the couple special exorcising daggers against Damien. Yikes!

One of the highlights of the site is an ancient water system - a 30-meter-deep shaft and 70-meter-long tunnel that reaches a spring located outside of the city boundaries. The system was constructed in a way that access was only from inside the city, so that attacking armies would not be able to cut off the inhabitants’ water supply.

Worth the visit – although it might be a good idea to wait until next year. Their impressive visitors center is closed for renovations and won’t be open again until April 2020  - at least according to their current plan.

 

Long, long ago...

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054-6446396 / 050-5921628
larry@larryandmindy.co.il
or
mindy@larryandmindy.co.il