Gamla (in Israel) has it all: a dramatic saga, rugged landscape and magnificent vistas to match, and a wonderful foray into nature, including a waterfall and great raptors soaring overhead.
Gamla was an ancient Jewish city in the Holy Land. Inhabited since the Early Bronze Age, it is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars. The site of a Roman siege during the Great Revolt of the 1st century CE in the Holy Land.
Gamla is a symbol of heroism for the modern state of Israel and an important historical and archaeological site.
It currently resides within the Gamla nature reserve and is a prominent tourist attraction of Israel and recommended for Christian and non-Christian tours.
Tourism
One look at the hump-like shape of the hill is enough to understand why it was called Gamla, which comes from the Hebrew word for camel. Josephus gives a very detailed topographical description of the city and the steep ravines which precluded the need to build a wall around it. Only along the northern saddle, at the town’s eastern extremity, was a 350 meters-long wall built.
Even a view of Gamla from the observation platform at the top of the trail is thrilling. You can clearly see the walls, the actual tower Josephus says the Romans undermined by pulling out the bottom stones, and the synagogue, one of the oldest ever found. Archaeologists discovered not only these architectural remains, but many other artifacts: the picks the Romans used to climb the walls, thousands of missile stones and arrowheads, as well as coins minted by the rebels stamped “For the salvation of Holy Jerusalem.”
Recommended for Christian and non-Christian tours.
History
Two thousand years ago, the Jewish historian Josephus described the siege of the walled city of Gamla by the Roman general Vespasian, who marched across the Galilee to subdue the Golan in 67 CE at the beginning of the Great Revolt in the Holy Land.
Seven months later, the Romans overcame the walls and streamed into the city.
Initially loyal to the Romans, Gamla turned rebellious under the influence of refugees from other locations. It was one of only five cities in the Galilee and Golan in the Holy Land who stood against Vespasian’s legions, reflecting the cooperation between the local population and the rebels. At the time of the revolt, the town minted its own coins, probably more as a means of propaganda than as currency. Bearing the inscription “For the redemption of Jerusalem the H(oly)” in a mixture of paleo-Hebrew (biblical) and Aramaic, only 6 of these coins have ever been found.
Josephus also provides a detailed description of the Roman siege and conquest of Gamla in 67 CE by components of legions X Fretensis, XV Apollinaris and V Macedonica. The Romans first attempted to take the city by means of a siege ramp, but were repulsed by the defenders. Only on the second attempt did the Romans succeed in breaching the walls at three different locations and invading the city. They then engaged the Jewish defenders in hand-to-hand combat up the steep hill. Fighting in the cramped streets from an inferior position, the Roman soldiers attempted to defend themselves from the roofs. These subsequently collapsed under the heavy weight, killing many soldiers and forcing a Roman retreat. The legionnaires re-entered the town a few days later, eventually beating Jewish resistance and completing the capture of Gamla.
Josephus says the 9,000 remaining inhabitants fought their way to the edge of their town and threw themselves to their deaths into the gorge below when they realized they could not avoid capture. This element of the story has led to the site’s nickname, “the Masada of the north of Israel”.
The Gamla (in Israel) excavations also revealed widespread evidence for the battle that took place at the site. About 100 catapult bolts have been uncovered, as well as 1,600 arrowheads and 2,000 ballista stones, the latter all made from local basalt. This is a quantity unsurpassed anywhere in the Roman Empire. Most were colleced along and in close proximity to the wall, placing the heavy fighting in the vicinity and the Roman siegecraft to the north east of the town. Next to a heavy concentration of the stones, the excavators have identified a man-made breach in wall, probably made by a battering ram.
About 200 artifacts excavated at Gamla have been identified as the remains of Roman army equipment. These include parts of Roman lorica segmentata, an officer’s helmet visor and cheek-guard, bronze scales of another type of armor, as well as Roman identification tags. A Roman siege-hook, used both for stabbing and hooking onto the wall, was found in the breach.
Abandoned after its destruction, Gamla was identified in 1889 by Konrad Furrer with the site of Tel ed-Dra’, in the Rukkad river-bed. It was only properly identified in 1968 by surveyor Itzhaki Gal, after the Israeli conquest of the Golan Heights during the Six Day War. It was excavated by Shemaryahu Gutmann and Danny Sion on behalf of the Israeli Department of Antiquities between 1978 and 2000. The excavations have uncovered 7.5 dunnams, about 5% of the site, revealing a typical Jewish city featuring ritual baths, Herodian lamps, limestone cups and thousands of Hasmonean coins.
Gamla synagogue
The remains of one of the earliest synagogues is situated inside the city walls. It was built of dressed stone with pillared aisles. Measuring 22 by 17 meters, its main hall was surrounded by a Doric colonnade, its corner columns were heart-shaped, and it was entered by twin doors at the south west. A ritual bath was unearthed next to it. On the eve of Gamla’s destruction, the synagogue appears to have been converted to a dwelling for refugees, as testified by a number of meager fireplaces and large quantities of cookpots and storage jars found along its northern wall. Situated next to the city wall, 157 ballista stones were collected from the synagogue’s hall alone and 120 arrowhead from its vicinity. The synagogue is thought to date from the late 1st century BCE and is among the oldest synagogues in the world.
Good walkers will enjoy the fairly steep trail to the antiquities (about one hour down and, of course, longer coming back up). Quotes from Josephus’ account are inscribed on boulders along the trail. At the site itself you’ll get a closer look at the massive round tower, and the synagogue that was the heart and soul of the town that occupied these slopes two millennia ago. The trail also leads to the industrial zone of the community – its olive presses – which have been reconstructed to show visitors how they worked and help reveal elements of the daily life of this vibrant and prosperous community.
A short walk from the parking lot leads to the observatory built by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority next to Byzantine ruins. Here visitors and bird watchers can enjoy the sight of the Griffon vultures for which Gamla is famous, as they effortlessly catch the updrafts from the cliffs where they nest. From here you can also see the 150-foot high Gamla waterfall, to which another trail leads. A brochure in English showing all the trails comes with your entrance ticket; the rangers are happy to give advice on the best way to see the site.
To complement your experience, visit the archaeological museum at nearby Katzrin, which features a dramatic audio-visual presentation about Gamla among its displays.
Recommended for Christian and non-Christian tours in Israel.
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