Israel has long been a place of many natural resource treasures, including diamonds, copper, iron and many other resources. The resource that continues to be the most important is water in Israel.
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. -Deuteronomy 8:7–9
From the very start, water in Israel has been a point of great importance and today you can still see the efforts made to collect and guard water through the ages, throughout the land.
Here are a list of places where you can view the systems used in the management of water in Israel. You may be surprised to find out they are some of the most fascinating things you will see while on your Immanuel Tours Christian Israel tour.
Sites of Water in Israel
Tel Megiddo
The land of Megiddo has been inhabited since around 6500 BC with 27 layers of civilization being uncovered by archeologists. This location is home to the first recorded battle in history and according to the book of Revelation, it will be the location of the last battle. The area has seen over 30 battles, with the most recent being in WWI.
An area with so many wars in it’s history had to make a sophisticated water system so you could protect your supply. They ended up designing and building a system that kept it hidden and accessible by way of a deep underground tunnel. Now you can walk into the water system from one end to another. Something built thousands of years ago and you can still walk through it. Amazing!
Masada
The mountain top retreat built by King Herod not long before the time of Christ is an engineering feat in many ways, all the way from the sheer size, the location in the desert and the snake path leading up to it. The interesting thing to consider though is how over two thousand years ago they were able to get water up to the top of this desert mountain!
Herod’s engineers built two dams that funneled all the precipitation that would fall into cisterns that could hold ten million gallons! Then slaves and donkeys would be used to haul the water to the top. Quite an effort!
The City of David
The city of Jerusalem in King David’s time was not where we consider to be “The Old City” now. Instead, there is an archeological site that makes the Old City of Jerusalem look downright young!
In this ancient portion you will not only find the ancient artifacts and ruins above ground, but also under. The water systems at City of David are some of the most fun and exciting things to see. These include Hezekiah’s Tunnel, built by King Hezekiah and used against the Assyrians to take back the city later on. Warren’s Shaft, which is thought to have been the same shaft used by King David to take the City and Gihon Spring, which at one point was the main source of water for the city.
Aquaducts of Caesarea Maritima
A roman-era and style aquaduct was built by King Herod near the new port city of Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast. The aqueduct is very well preserved and picturesque on a stunning beach. This is a very popular place to take pictures.
We look forward to welcoming you and making your exploration of the love be the experience of a lifetime! Contact us today for your tour proposal with no risk!
