Heritage
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.