Beit Shearim last

The ancient Jewish city of Beit She`arim is well worth a visit. Built on a low hill in the western part of the lower Galilee, Beit She`arim flourished from the second through the fourth centuries C.E. The residents of Beit She`arim dug an ornate necropolis deep into the ground. Courtyards, corridors, and staircases lead to the catacombs with their burial chambers and stone sarcophagi. The artwork in all the caves contains Jewish elements, such as the seven-branched candelabrum, the Holy Ark, a ram`s horn (shofar), and a palm branch and citron (lulav and etrog). Secular themes, including boats, animals, human figures, and geometrical designs, also appear. Although most of the epitaphs are in Greek, the lingua franca of Eretz Israel at the time, there are some in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Tadmoerite. When Rabbi Judah Hanasi died circa 220, he was buried in Beit She`arim. From this time on, the Beit She`arim burial grounds were considered holy and became the most important in the Jewish world during the mishnaic and talmudic periods. One of the caves in Beit She`arim is considered to be the burial place of Rabbi Judah Hanasi. A visit to the Beit She`arim National Park is incomplete without climbing the hill to admire the Jezre`el Valley and Carmel Mountain Range. On the hilltop are the remains of the basilica (apparently built at the time of Rabbi Judah Hanasi) and a bronze statue of Alexander Zeid on horseback. One of the founders of the Hashomer watchmen`s association, Zeid settled in this area in 1926 and discovered the necropolis, thus bringing Beit She`an to the attention of the public once again. The two-domed grave of Sheik Ibrek is also close by.