Shezor: Burial Traditions and Archaeology in the Northern District

Two burial references should be distinguished in connection with Shezor. The grave of the Tanna Rabbi Shimon Shezuri is in the Galilean village of Sajur, not in Shezor. According to tradition, Rabbi Hanania ben Akashia is buried near Shezor. The place references thus distinguish a burial site explicitly located in Sajur from a traditional burial attribution near Shezor. This distinction is helpful when placing the sites in their cultural context and choosing a hotel.

Archaeological Sites in the Northern District

In the broader travel destination of the Northern District, Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo represent different archaeological focuses. At Hazor, water engineering, palace history, and fortifications shape the site’s historical context; at Megiddo, the temple complex and city plan take center stage.

Tel Hazor: Water Engineering and Historic Structures

Tel Hazor is a biblical tell with significant remains of a city connected to the Bible; visits focus on the Upper City. Tel Hazor preserves significant remains of an underground water-collection system, an advanced engineering achievement adapted to the geography and designed to store water. Steps three meters wide are carved into the walls of the vertical shaft; the excavated shaft is 45 meters deep. Its depth gives the shaft a tangible scale; the broad steps reveal its built form, while the water-collection system highlights its storage function.

Palace and gate findings also provide concrete historical context. The Canaanite palace at Tel Hazor was used by the kings of Hazor in the 14th and 13th centuries BCE; the Late Bronze Age palace is described as the most elaborate in Israel and one of the most significant in the Levant. Solomon’s Gate dates to the 10th century BCE and has six chambers and two towers. The fortifications at Tel Hazor are considered the best example of their kind in the area from southern Turkey to the northern Negev. The palace’s use and the gate structure thus point to different periods; the classification of the fortifications adds a broader regional comparison.

Visits to Tel Hazor National Park focus on the Upper City. The national park can be reached from the north and south via Route 90 toward Ayelet Hashahar. Check your route before setting out.

Tel Megiddo: Temple Complex and City Plan

Tel Megiddo is one of three tells that preserve significant remains of cities connected to the Bible and are closely associated with biblical events. The Early Bronze Age temple complex is exceptional in terms of the number of its temples, the continuity of cult activity, and the documented ritual activities. The orthogonal city plan dates to the Iron Age; it has few parallels in the Levant. The findings direct attention to two distinct questions: the ritual use of the temple complex and the layout of the Iron Age city plan.

Discover more destinations: Lappidot, Yehiam, Regba, Amka, Beit Jann, Clil

For the broader travel overview: Akko.