Today was a busy day and one of the most productive of this trip. Several of the places we visited are difficult to reach today, but at the time of their glory they were on main routes of travel.
Our first stop was at Omrit in northern Israel, about 4 miles SW of Banias. Two temples have been found here. One of them dates to the late first century B.C. Some scholars suggest that this is the Temple of Augustus built by Herod the Great.
Omrit is not mentioned in the Bible, but may prove to be significant in accounts of the ministry of Jesus. It was located in the region known as Ituraea. Philip, the son of Herod the Great, was “tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis” (Luke 3:1).
Though not new to us, we stopped for a while to make some photos at Hazor.
Next stop was for lunch at McDonald’s.
We stopped at Khirbet (or Horbat) Amudim, site of an ancient synagogue. Our main interest was in seeing the area of travel between Cana and the towns around the Sea of Galilee.
A stop at Hannathon allowed us to get a photo of the tel. This site is mentioned as being in the territory of Zebulon in Joshua 19:14.
Yodfat (or Jotapata) is important because it is where Josephus led Jewish rebels against the invading Romans in 66 A.D.
The photo below is of one of the beautiful valleys around Yodfat.
Fertile valley below Yodfat. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.
With the help of a local farmer we were led to an overlook where we could see Khirbet Kana (Cana), likely the site of the events of John 2. We had too little time left to make the full walk to the site. Always a reason for another visit.
We arrived back at the hotel in Tiberias about 7 p.m. In coming weeks we hope to share some of the new photos. with our readers.
Ferrell's Travel Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.