Sunday 4 November 2012

Tiberias weekend


The weekend before last, we spend in Tiberias at the Kinneret, sea of Galilee. Less than 3 days later our doggie died and I didn't think of the photos all week, but just now unloaded the camera. We made a great Jeep tour, that was cut short because of flood waters (at one moment the road was dry, the next moment it was flooded). It was still great though, we crossed the river Jordan twice with the jeep trough the water :) It was too wet and fast to make pictures at the moment, but I still got a few photos of the trip.


Tiberias is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Lower Galilee, Israel. Established in 20 CE, it was named in honour of the emperor Tiberius.
Tiberias has been venerated in Judaism since the middle of the 2nd century CE and since the 16th century has been considered one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Safed. In the 2nd-10th centuries, Tiberias was the largest Jewish city in the Galilee and the political and religious hub of the Jews of Palestine. Tiberias has historically been known for its hot springs, believed to cure skin and other ailments, for thousands of years. Our h otel was next to these hot springs and we had free entrance to them, although we didn't take the opportunity. It was just to crowded to my taste.

Tiberias on the map
 (one hour drive from Haifa, the area where we live)

The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias, is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately 53 km (33 mi) in circumference, about 21 km (13 mi) long, and 13 km (8.1 mi) wide. The lake has a total area of 166 km2 (64 sq mi), and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m (141 feet). At 211.315 metres (693.29 ft) below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the second-lowest lake overall (after the Dead Sea, a saltwater lake). The lake is fed partly by underground springs although its main source is the Jordan River which flows through it from north to south. The Sea of Galilee is of great importance to Israel. It's being used for drinking water supply for all the country.



3 comments:

It's me said...

Wowww...wat een gaaf uitje moet dat zijn geweest...liefs van mij...fijne zondag ...xxx..

Willy said...

Dat is een avontuurlijke belevenis in een prachtige omgeving. Leuk om er een aantal dagen op uit te trekken samen. Fijne week, lieve groet

Elna said...

Very interesting reading and nice pictures. Have a great start of the week.

Hugs