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Caesarea
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- Name
- Caesarea
- Continent
- MIDDLE-EAST
- Alt Name:
- Caesarea Maritima
- Country:
- Israel
- Period:
- Ancient Rome
- Sub-Region:
- -
- Date:
- 100BC - 1BC
- City/Town:
- Sdot Yam
- Figure:
- -
- Resorts:
- Sdot Yam,
Hadera,
- Related:
- The Caesarea Aqueduct , Arsuf,
about Caesarea
Caesarea or “Keysarya” was an Ancient Roman city which is now a large archaeological site in Israel. It is believed that the city of Caesarea was initially founded atop the ruins of Straton's Tower, a third century BC Phoenician port city.
Conquered by King Alexander Jannaeus of the Hasmonean Kingdom in 90 BC, Caesarea’s population remained under local control until it was taken by the Romans in 63 BC. It was King Herod the Great who named the city Caesarea – after Augustus Caesar - and who endowed it with the majority of its great public buildings, infrastructure and monuments from 22 BC. Caesarea became a thriving commercial hub which hosted sporting events and which flourished further under the Byzantines. It was conquered by Crusaders in the eleventh century and its Crusader defences were erected in 1251 under French King Louis IX.
Today, Caesarea offers so much to see, including a large amphitheatre overlooking the ocean and an extensive labyrinth of ruins. Some of the most imposing remains at Caesarea are its Crusader fortifications.
Nearby, visitors can also explore the stunning remains of the Caesarea Aqueduct. Unless willing to hike for quite a while, it’s best to drive to this site. Overall, a trip to Caesarea can last anywhere from one to three hours and makes for a truly excellent day out.
Just as empires rise and fall so do entry fees and opening hours! While we work as hard as we can to ensure the information provided here about Caesarea is as accurate as possible, the changing nature of certain elements mean we can't absolutely guarantee that these details won't become a thing of the past. If you know of any information on this page that needs updating you can add a comment above or now.
contact details
Address: Caesarea National Park, Keysaria, Israel
Phone: 04-626-7080
useful information
Directions:
Located off route 2 (Tel Aviv-Haifa Highway) just north of Hadera and approx. 60 km north of Tel Aviv.
Ticket Information:
Open daily, 8am-4pm (to 6pm April-Sept). Closes 1 hr earlier on Fridays. Entry costs 38 NIS for adults, 23 NIS for children. Concessions available.
Links:
http://www.parks.org.il/parks/ParksAndReserves/Caesarea%20National%20Park/Pages/default.aspx
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USER COMMENTS
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It takes less than an hour from Tel Aviv
Caesarea is a great day trip from Tel Aviv. It takes a couple of hours by car but is well worth it, there's loads to see and when we went they even had a show on for kids with mock 'Roman Cavalry' - all great fun!