(JNS) Judy Lash Balint - Herod, the master builder of ancient times, planned and built a massive port city in Caesarea, replete with a harbor, palace, temple, amphitheater and hippodrome. Caesarea has recently undergone extensive preservation and restoration. A state-of-the-art Visitor Center is housed in the restored harbor vaults that formed the base for Herod's magnificent temple, which was the main public building of ancient Caesarea. The vaults, which look out over the harbor, are adjacent to a monumental staircase still being restored that led those arriving from the harbor to the temple itself. National park officials say it would take almost six hours to see all the major sites, which include the oldest theater found in Israel, the remnants of Roman and Byzantine streets, a fortified medieval city, the amphitheater, aqueduct, harbor, bathhouse complex, and the Roman wall. President Reuven Rivlin said on May 30, "I believe that one day soon, Caesarea will take its rightful place as one of the world's most impressive windows to the ancient past."
2019-06-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive