Tel Hatzor
Designated
as a world heritage site
by UNESCO in 2005, Tel
Hatzor goes back at least 3000 years. The site is
still under
excavation, and probably will continue to be for some time. They have
found
there many ancient structures, among them:
·
Solomon’s
gate:
A gate with six rooms and two towers, dated to the 10th century
BCE.
·
The
Canaanite palace,
that was used by the kings of Hatzor
in the 14th – 13th centuries BCE. It is now sheltered by a roof,
protecting the
palace ruins from the elements.
·
Israelite
fortress and altar,
attributed to King Ahab, the
seventh king of Israel, 871 – c. 852 BCE.
·
The
water system,
also attributed to King Ahab. Lots
of steps to get to the bottom, that’s for sure! Not yet quite as
impressively
reconstructed as in Megiddo, but they’re getting there. They are even
asking
visitors for help – volunteers fill buckets with earth from the bottom
and
leave them on the staircase so that visitors who feel strong enough can
grab a
bucket or two and haul them up to the top!
We
watched as a team of volunteers
were working at the site – see the video below.
We
also visited the nearby museum
in Ayelet Hashachar, which holds all the fascinating exhibits found at
Tel Hatzor,
including photographs and maps of the excavations, finds from the
temples and
graves of Canaanite Hatzor, and more.
It’s
probably be best to wait a few
years and let them get on with excavations and reconstructions before
going to
visit. It’s still a “diamond in the rough”, so to speak…
(The
English spelling of the site’s
name depends on where you read it – it can be found as Hazor, Hatsor…
and Hatzor,
which in our opinion is what it should be, since that is how it is
pronounced!)