Built by the son of Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, who ruled from 4 BC to 39 AD, Tiberias was named after of the Roman Caesar, Tiberius. While constructing the sparkling new metropolis an ancient cemetery was uncovered. Observant Jews refused to live there, but still it grew to become the main city of the Sea of Galilee.
Today Tiberias is a center for tourism, with a wide range of hotels and an abundance of restaurants to suit all tastes. Especially attractive are those on the lakeside promenade. Afterwards one can embark on a trip around the Lake aboard a ship styled after the large fishing vessels of antiquity. Also on the promenade, is the Galilee Experience, a sound-and-light show on the history of the Galilee. Near the northern end of the promenade are the ruins of the Crusader castle of Tiberias that was besieged by Saladin prior to the Battle of Hittin, mentioned in the test on Sepphoris (Pages 48/9).
This page is part of the book The Holy Land of Jesus
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