Katzrin (Hebrew: קַצְרִין; also Qatzrin) located in Israel.
As you tour the reconstructed Talmudic village of Katsrin in the Golan Heights in the Holy Land, suddenly it dawns on you: you are walking the lanes of a real village mentioned in the Talmud, which has come alive again in its actual ancient location as the “capital of the Golan,” it is the second-largest locality there after Majdal Shams, and the largest Jewish locality. At the end of 2010, Katzrin had a population of 6,700.
A kitchen, pantry, living room, bedroom and courtyard have been restored and outfitted with objects of daily life of the ancient Israel. Many of these implements are real ones that the region’s farmers continued to use until recently; all appear in actual passages from the Talmud, which makes learning about our ancestors fun.
Tourism
A highlight is the visit to the remains of Katzrin’s stately Talmudic-era synagogue, where modern-day Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and weddings can even be arranged in the Holy Land! The younger set will enjoy making the audio-visual acquaintance of ancient sages in a presentation shown in a replica of the synagogue. By special arrangement, bread-baking, pottery-making and even olive-pressing in season can be part of the experience.
The reconstructed village is across the street from the modern city of Katzrin, which has an archaeological museum to complement your experience, and can also be a good place for a break before or after your visit.
Recommended for Christian and non-Christian tours in Israel.
Antiquity
The site was occupied from the Middle Bronze Age, continuing into the Iron, Hellenistic and Roman periods. The most substantial structural remains date from the Late Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic periods (3rd–4th to mid-8th centuries), when the site was a Jewish village with a synagogue in the Holy Land.
Arab and Mamluk periods
The Jewish settlement served as an important trading location in the region, but started to decline with the change of trading routes after the Islamic conquest. The village was destroyed in an earthquake in CE 746–749.
During the Mamluk period (13th–14th centuries), it was a Muslim village and a mosque was built on the ruins of the synagogue.
Israeli period
The area was conquered by the Israelis, following the Six Day War in 1967. Modern Katzrin was established in 1977 as a planned urban center for the Golan. In 1981, under the Golan Heights Law, Israel applied Israeli civil law in the Golan Heights (including Katzrin). Katzrin serves as a district town, that provides educational, administrative and cultural services to the surrounding region.
Economy
The Golan Heights Winery is located in Katzrin.
In 2008, the large Chinese solar company Suntech Power and Israeli company Solarit Doral built Israel’s largest solar power station, a 50 kW rooftop project near the town, and connected it to the electric grid.
The Mey Eden mineral water bottling plant and the Golan Olive Oil Mill are in Katzrin. Golan Olive Oil produces some 50 tons of olive oil which is sold locally and exported. During the olive harvest season, which begins in October, visitors can watch the processing procedure, from crushing to bottling.
Archaeology
Investigation by Israeli archaeologists commence in 1972.
Katzrin ancient village and synagogue was reconstructed and opened to the public as a “Talmudic village” set in a national park. The Golan Antiquities Museum in Katzrin houses archeological findings from the region and screens an audiovisual presentation about Gamla, a Jewish town in the Golan Heights that fought the Romans in the 1st century.
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Trip to Israel 