It was another very wet day. Because of the rain, hubby took pictures using the iphone.
Visited the ruins of Megiddo city
Below lies Amargeddon Valley
Uphill to more ruins
More ruins
The northern stables
Some more ruins
Amargeddon Valley below
Visited the water tunnel built by King Ahad. Everyone was all drenched. The water tunnel was built during the reign of King Ahab in the 9th century b.c. You enter it by walking 183 steps 36m (118 ft.) down into a large pit in the earth (the collection pool inside the city walls), from which you can walk along the tunnel extending 65m (213 ft.) to a spring located outside the city, which was camouflaged by a wall covered with earth, designed to assure a constant supply of fresh water to the city even when it was under siege. (Read “The Psalm of the Hoopoe,” in James Michener’s “The Source,” to learn how tunnelers, digging from both ends, managed to meet underground using simple engineering techniques.)
It was down to the water tunnel
And then up
Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/nazareth-and-the-yizreel-valley/attractions/864298#sthash.gETr1yNc.dpbs#ixzz3RXXom5FF
Rev Quek's notes:
Tell or Tel is a type of archeological mound created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot. Over time, the level rises, forming a mound. Excavating a tell can reveal buried structures of civilizations.
Megiddo is located at the head of the pass through the Carmel Ridge overlooking the Jezreel Valley from the west. Rising 60 metres above its surroundings, has revealed the remains of at least 20 cities built one on top of the other. It covers about 15 acres (7.5 football fields).
It is linked to Assyria and Egypt by an ancient trade route, Via Maris (way of the sea or international highway). Owing to its strategic location, Megiddo was the site of several historical battles.
The Greek word Armageddon comes from Revelation 16:16 and literally means “the hill of Megiddo”.
Megiddo was a royal fortress city of the Canaanites made of 20-26 layers of the ruins of ancient cities and protected the greatest ancient trade route in the world.
During the past 4000 years, at least 34 bloody conflicts have already been fought at the ancient site of Megiddo and adjacent areas of the Jezreel Valley. Egyptians, Canaanites, Israelites, Midianites, Amalekites, Philistines, Hasmonaeans, Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Crusaders, Mamlukes, Mongols, French, Ottomans, British, Australians, Germans, Arabs and Israelis have all fought and died here. The names of the warring generals and leaders to name a few were: Thutmose III, Deborah and Barak, Sisera, Gideon, Saul and Jonathan, Shishak, Jehu, Joram, Jezebel, Josiah, Antiochus, Ptolemy, Vespasian, Saladin, Napoleon, and Allenby, to name but a few of the most famous.
Walking through the ruins at Megiddo, there were a couple of old stables, several iron horses and an iron chariot, and a cluster of stone feeding troughs to remind visitors of the city’s once large equestrian population.
Biblical Significance:
Joshua and the Israelites killed the king of Megiddo and conquered the city in Joshua 12:7, 21.
Megiddo was part of the land given to the tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 17:11; I Chronicles 7:29).
The Valley of Jezreel was alloted to the tribe of Issachar (Joshua 19:17-23). Deborah and Barak fought Sisera in the Valley of Jezreel (Judges 4-5).
The Valley of Jezreel marks Gideon’s victory in Judges 7. Solomon fortified Megiddo as one of his chariot cities (I Kgs 9:15, 19).
After slaying the false prophets of Baal, Elijah outran Ahab’s chariot all the way to Jezreel (I Kgs 18:40-46).
Jehu slayed Ahaziah, king of Israel, at Megiddo (II Kgs 9:27).
Served as a seat of the royal governor during the reign of Jeroboam II.
Conquered and destroyed in 732 BC, during the campaign of Tiglath Pilesser III, king of Assyria, against the Kingdom of Israel. (II Kgs 15: 29)
In his days Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him. (II Kings 23: 29) From then on, Megiddo fell into decline; it was finally abandoned during the Persian rule, in the 5th century BC.
John received a vision from God on the Isle of Patmos that the end time battle of Armageddon would take place in the Valley of Jezreel (Revelation 16:16; Zechariah 12:10-11; 14).
After this, we ascended Mt Carmel. It was very cold here.
Museum
Entrance to the Muhraqa church
Prophet Elijah slaying the prophets of Baal
Bible Study Time
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