The Golan

Thursday 23 April

Driving Tour of the Golan Heights. Gamla, Tel Dan, Banias, Mt Hermon, Nimrod Castle, Safed. After the pace of yesterday some stayed back for a quieter day.

Simon and Pris, Steve, and Geoff and Ruth journeyed to Gamla. It was another stronghold for the Jewish resistance against the Romans before AD 70. It was the equivalent of Masada in the north. It is not as formidable or desolate as Masada, but the Romans deployed 3 legions of men (24,000) to take, and it fell in a matter of weeks. 5000 Jews were mercilessly killed in the battle and another 4000 men women and children threw themselves off a cliff to their death rather than submit to the Romans. Again it depicts the stubborn spirit of the nation that God would eventually break under the iron fist of Rome.

Simon and Pris at the lookout over Gamla. You can just make out some of the old wall going all the way up the hill under Simon's hand and next to his thigh

We drove through the Golan. Observed many concrete bunkers and bullet-ridden buildings that are now abandoned as a result of the 1967 and 1973 wars.

An abandoned Bullet ridden Mosque in the Golan Heights.

We visited El Rom Kibbutz and saw a very nail biting film with actual footage of the 1973 tank battle between the Syrians and Israeli’s in the valley of tears. It was a battle that they very nearly lost. Israel was outnumbered 1500 to 300 tanks. Israel was very confident after the 1967 six-day war and not properly prepared. Their tanks went against the Syrians without night vision technology, and the Syrians had the latest Soviet infrared night vision technology. In the middle of the night the tanks were all tangled in amongst each other and shooting in all directions!! The radio talk between the Israeli tanks even in Hebrew with English subscript had our adrenalin pumping.

A modern Israeli-Abraham Tank outside the El Rom Kibutz. Still patrolling the Golan today

Nimrods castle was the next stop. Tradition has it that Nimrod (yes the Nimrod of Gen 11) originally dwelt here. The main ruins today are that of an ancient Crusader castle built in approx 1260, fascinating to walk through and imagine what it would have been like.

Simon in the spectacular ruins of Nimrod's castle

We visited Banias (ancient Caesarea Philippi) at the foot of Hermon. The place has springs of water gushing out everywhere. This is the beginning of the Jordan River where Jesus went before he set his face to go towards Jerusalem. It is the site where the god Pan (the goat god that is portrayed as the devil) was worshipped. This is also the site where Jesus said in Matt 16 he would build the Ecclesia on Peter’s statement that Jesus was the “Son of the living God”, “and the gates of hell would not prevail against it” an apparent allusion to the worship of Pan in the area. Being at the foot of Hermon it is presumed that Christ then went to experience the transfiguration soon after on Mount Hermon itself.

Pris at Banias - the head of the Jordan

We then traveled to Tel Dan, again a place with many springs, all contributing to the Jordan river.

Ruth at one of the springs in the territory of Dan

This is the place where Jeroboam set up the false worship for the 10 northern tribes and the Golden calf. Arrived back at Tiberius after a full day to begin the process packing the time for us to also head towards Jerusalem, our journey is nearing its end.

Pris feeling a little bit guilty having just picked one of the wild flowers - then read the sign!