Ancient Gates and Modern Fortresses

Today, we started off early (to beat both the heat and the crowds) and headed north away from the Sea of Galilee to the region along the Syrian and Lebanon borders. In fact, several times we were right up against the border, which gave us time to ponder modern animosities. Still today, the Holy Land is a place of strife and dispute and warfare. The Golan Heights are still very much in dispute, and evidence of war that took place not that long ago is everywhere.

Our first real stop was at the ancient city of Dan, a place that houses three main sites. First, we saw the place where the Temple and the altar once stood. This was the “alternate” altar (one of two) established when the kingdom of Israel split in two after Solomon’s reign. These places of worship were established so that inhabitants of Israel wouldn’t go to Jerusalem for worship (as it was in the southern kingdom of Judea). You can very much still see evidence of the one-time place of worship.

Then, down the path and around the corner was an ancient gate, a three-arched gate, dating to the time of Abraham. Did Abraham, as he moved from Ur to Canaan, pass through this very gate? Around another corner was a later gate, dating to the time of the Israelite kingdom. It was a multi-layer gate, made with uneven stones intentionally so that you were caught off your guard and couldn’t enter the city quickly. A bench inside the first gate represents modern-day customs. You would be asked your intent inside the city before you could move ahead.

From Dan, we went a short distance and stopped at a beautiful waterfall. Not many “tourists” know it’s there or take the time to stop at it. It is Israel’s Niagara, the most powerful waterfall in the country, called Banias Falls. We took many beautiful pictures here and enjoyed God’s air conditioning. This falls is part of the feeding system for the Jordan River.

From there, it was only a short drive to Caesarea Philippi, the place where Jesus took his disciples to ask them, “Who do you say I am?” We stood in the shadow of a mountain where once many different gods had been worshipped. Many temples once lined this mountain, and Herod Agrippa had a palace/fortress here. In the center of this place of pagan worship, the Son of God confronted his disciples and asked them to make a choice: will you worship and serve me...or them? The same choice confronts us today.

Lunch was in a small community and consisted of traditional Israeli food. I had a falafel; it was very good. Rachel didn’t like her “wrap,” and so she opted for ice cream as a substitute.

In the afternoon, our drive back toward Tiberias took us through the Golan Heights, where we made a stop at Mt. Bental, a long-inactive volcano that was used as a bunker and enabled Israel to win the war against Syria and capture the Golan Heights. The bunkers are now open for people to walk through. Rachel, though scared at first, went through the bunker three times. From the top of the mountain, we were as close to the border as we were likely to get. As we drove, our guide also showed us many places that still have mines buried. In many of these places, cattle are allowed to roam freely because they don’t have a high enough center of gravity to set off the mines. But the minefields are a stark reminder that the wars here are never quite over.

We got back early enough this afternoon to spend some time swimming, then have dinner and find gelato before heading to bed. This was a day full of surprises and new places for me.