Bucket List: Caesarea, Sands of Time

Israel, Caesarea

The original article was first published in this blog in 2016. 

Caesarea was an ancient port and administrative city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. 

Located between the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, this ancient city sits within the Caesarea National Park. If you like history and are visiting Israel or the surrounding regions, I highly recommend a side trip to Caesarea. 

For me, my visits to Caesarea were the fulfilment of a personal bucket list item. 

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Caesarea is a small town in central Israel. It is located along Israel's Mediterranean coastline and is situated 45km north of Tel Aviv and a similar distance south of the northern Israeli port city of Haifa.

Caesarea was built sometime between 25 to 13 BC by Herod the Great (a.k.a. Herod I). In the Bible, Herod I was described as the ruler who ordered the "Massacre of the Innocents" based on a prophecy at the time of the birth of Jesus. 

Walking amongst the Sands of Time, Caesarea, Israel (2002) 

Today, Caesarea is a small town with a population of less than  5000. I visited the town when I was in Israel and had the chance to walk around and explore the remains of some ancient artefacts which purportedly date back to the town's ancient past. While these ruins that remain from the time of the Roman Empire are not of the scale of some of the world's more famous ancient sites, they nonetheless comprised part of the story of man's history.

The Roman Theatre, Caesarea, Israel (2002)

The most obvious and largest ruin still standing is the Roman Theatre. This theatre continues to be in use today, hosting performances and concerts by both international and local artistes.

Besides the Roman Theatre, I was amazed by the smaller artefacts as I wandered off from my group of friends and explored sone of the the surrounding areas on foot. Standing amongst these artefacts allowed me to more accurately visualise life during the days of the Roman Empire. The experience provided a mental connection between what I had read from books to the real-life artefacts left behind from historical times. 

Structures built from stones still stands today, Caesarea, Israel (2002) 

A sarcophagus from days of the ancient past, Caesarea, Israel (2002)

A sign describing the ancient use of a sarcophagus, Caesarea, Israel (2002) 

View of the remnants of the ancient town leftover from the Roman Empire that remains today, Caesarea, Israel (2002)

Caesarea can easily be reached by car. Many local tour companies also organise day tours to the town. Such day tours to Caesarea are usually included as part of the itineraries of larger regional one or two-day tours which include nearby cities and areas such as Haifa and the Sea of Galilee. Rates for such tours are usually priced affordably and conducted at a leisurely and unhurried pace.

Locals enjoying a day of fishing from the rocks, Caesarea, Israel (2002) 

The rocky coastline between the town and the Mediterranean Sea, Caesarea, Israel (2002) 

Industrial structures of the nearby city of Hadera are clearly visible in the background of this photo of the rocky coastline of the town, Caesarea, Israel (2002)