Tiberias Travel

Tiberias:

Tiberias has been a popular destination for tourists for more than 2000 years.  As early as Roman times, Tiberias was a thriving recreation spa, built around 17 natural mineral hot springs and welcomed visitors from every part of the world.  Built by Herod Antipas the city was named Tiberias in honor of the Roman Emperor Tiberius.

History of Tiberias :

Tiberias plays an important role in Jewish History.  The Sanhedrin (The High Court of Israel during the Second Temple) relocated to Tiberias.    Tiberias was an important spiritual center where the Mishna was completed in 200 CE under the supervision of Rabbi Yehuda Ha'Nasi. After his death in 1204, the Jewish Sage Maimonides was buried in Tiberias.  His Tomb is situated a short distance from the town center. The tombs of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai and Rabbi Akiva, the leader of the great Jewish revolt against the Romans, are     also found in Tiberias.

At the turn of the century, the early Zionist Pioneers established some of Israel's first Kibbutzim in this area.

The New Testament contains many references to the Sea of Galilee including the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish and the Walking on the Waters.   Near the Sea of Galilee, at the spot where the Jordan River leaves the Lake, is the Yardenit, the traditional site where Jesus was baptized and is now a popular baptism spot for Pilgrims.

Healthy Tourism in Tiberias :

The Tiberias Hot Springs is a popular therapeutic and recreation resort.  The site is fed by 17 different springs and the water is rich with some 100 different natural minerals whose heat reaches 39c.  Today the site is divided into two locations; the old location with separate bathing areas for men and women and the spa site with personal therapeutic pools, cosmetic mud pools and treatment rooms.  Outside of Tiberias is the Hamat Gader Springs.  The site's waters come from five thermo-mineral springs and bathing in its waters accelerates metabolism, renew skin cells and relive rheumatism, among other things.

What to see in Tiberias:

Tiberias and the surrounding areas are heaped in history.  Visit Tabgha which is traditionally the site of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish.  Two Byzantine Churches were built here in the 4th and 5th centuries and in 1932 the remains of a Byzantine Church were discovered with the best preserved mosaic in Israel depicting a basket of loaves flanked by two fish.
Nearby, is the Mount of Beatitudes, an Italian Convent now stands on the hill which traditionally is the site where Jesus is thought to have preached the Sermon on the Mount.  Capernaum was a large Galilean fishing village and busy trading center.  The ruins of an excavated synagogue can be found here with a menorah and shofar inscribed on one of the columns.  Apart from the spa at Hamat Gader, excavations of a synagogue built in 341 can be found that has a magnificent mosaic floor, unusual in part because it contains figures that are nude.  The ancient fishing village of Bethesda, the traditional home of Jesus' apostles Peter and Andrew can be found on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  About six miles north of Tiberias, visit Kibbutz Ginosar, the former home of one of Israel's great Statesman, Yigal Alon.  The Kibbutz has a museum devoted to his life, the history of the Galilee region and also houses the "Jesus Boat” a 2000 year old boat excavated from the Sea of Galilee in 1985.  Israel's oldest Kibbutz, Degania Aleph, which was founded in 1909, can be found at the southern tip of the Lake. It was the birthplace of Moshe Dayan.

Tiberias Leisure:

The Lakeside Promenade is