This page summarizes the sites that are reviewed in the area of the Upper Galilee.
On each site below you can:
- read a short summary (above the picture)
- read the biblical reference (below the picture)
- click on the title to get to the review of that site.
- click on the photo to see the picture at full resolution.
- Tell Hazor is one of the largest, most important biblical sites in the Canaanite and Israelite periods. The bible gave it the title: “the head of all those kingdoms”.
- Joshua 11:10: “And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms.”
- Tell Yaaf is a biblical site located east to Rosh-Pinna, on the route of the ancient road to Syria. It is yet unidentified.
- Rosh-Pinna was established in the 19th century AD, and recently restored.
- Ruins of a remote 13th century Crusaders castle located in the heart of the nature park of Kziv creek. Once the center of the Teutonic Knights, now a popular hiking place.
Tell Avdon (Abdon)
- Ruins of a Biblical city on a hill on the western end of Kziv creek. The site existed until the Crusaders and Mameluke periods, and preserved the Biblical name.
- Joshua 19 24, 28: “And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families….And Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even unto great Zidon;”
- Ruins of a Roman and Byzantine fishermen village located along the shore, south of Rosh Hanikra. May have been the Biblical area of Misrephot-Maim.
- Joshua 11: 8: “And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim“
- Ruins of a Roman/Byzantine village on the western edge of Kziv creek. In the site are ruins of a Crusaders fortified farm complex, including a sugar processing factory.
- Ruins of a Roman/Byzantine village on the western edge of Kziv creek. In the site are traces of buildings, sheepfold, installations, and traces of a church. On the hillside are stone quarries and rock-hewn tombs.
- A large natural cave that overlooks the Bezet creek, a famous rappelling place. The caves around the site are prehistoric sites and were in use also in later periods.
- A Greek Catholic village in the west upper Galilee, built over the ruins of the 12th C Crusader fortress. The fortress first belonged to the Crusader King Baldwin III, and was called the “King’s fortress” , then owned by the De Milly family. The site was a large Biblical city, identified with “Aloth”.
- 1 Kings 4:16: “Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth“
- An ancient oil press located in Mi’ilya, a Greek Catholic village in the west upper Galilee. The structure was part of the Crusaders fortress.
- Ruins of a Roman/Byzantine village on the western edge of Kziv creek. A short second stage of settlement was in the Crusader/Ottoman period. Across the creek is a Biblical site.
- A Druze village in the center upper Galilee, the highest village in Israel. Founded in the 13th C, and may be identified as the Biblical “Beth-Dagon” of the Galilee.
- Joshua 19, 24-27: “And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families. And their border was… And turneth toward the sunrising to Bethdagon…”
- Remains of an ancient village on a hill on the southern side of Bezet Creek, near the modern village of Ya’ara. Another Roman/Byzantine village, Ramah, was established on its east side.
- Remains of a Byzantine village on the north side of the upper section of Beit HaEmek brook. A recommended site for a short hike in the spring time.
- Khirbet Tefen is the ruins of a mountain fortress dated to the Hellenistic period.
- Remains of a well preserved 6th century Byzantine church in Tefen area. The structure was probably part of Khirbet Mehoz.
- Located on the western side of the border with Lebanon, the tourist attraction offers amazing views of the grottos and tunnels.
- Psalms 93:4: “The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea”.
- A nature reserve and the source of the Dan and Jordan rivers. An impressive archaeological site with unique remains of the Canaanite and Israelite cities and a Biblical High Place.
- Joshua 19 47: “…the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it… and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father”.
- This web page focuses on the Israelite (Iron age) city in Tell Dan.
- Joshua 19 47: “…the children of Dan… took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called … Dan”.
- This web page focuses on the Canaanite (Bronze age) city in Tell Dan – the Biblical city of Laish/Leshem.
- Genesis 14:14: “And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan“.
- This web page focuses on the ritual site in Tell Dan – established by Jeroboam son of Nebat as an alternative worship site for Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 12 28-31: “… and the other put he in Dan. … And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi”.
- This web page focuses on the Nature reserve in Tell Dan, a natural wonderland of streams, springs, ponds, trees and hiking trails.
- Judges 18 9: “…we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good”.
- One of the largest and most important ancient mounds in the Galilee. Inhabited from the Bronze age to the Roman period. Recent excavations focus on the Persian/Hellenistic period.
- The ruins of the Roman village is located on a small hill to the north-east of the ancient Biblical site.
- The ruins of the ancient city are located on a large mound, with remains from the Canaanite, Israelite and Persian/Hellenistic periods.
- Joshua 21 32: “Kedesh in Galilee with the open land about it, the city of refuge for the manslayer”.
- An important Canaanite and Israelite city in the northern part of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 20:15: “And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah.
- Ruins of a huge fortress dated to the Crusaders and Mamluke periods, on a high hill above the city of Zefat.
- Matthew 5: 14: “A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”.
- Ruins of a Crusaders fortress, near a key river crossing over the Upper Jordan river.
- Ruins of a Crusaders frontier fortress, later fortified in the Ottoman period, in the Upper Galilee.
Horvat Danaila (Kh. Inaileh)
- Ruins of a Roman/Byzantine agriculture village in the Upper Galilee region.
- Ruins of a prehistoric and Iron Age fortified city situated on a volcanic cone in the eastern Upper Galilee region.
- Akhbara was a Roman period village, fortified by Josephus Flavius. An impressive 100m high cliff (“the Rock of Akhbara”) soars above the valley, dotted with caves.
- Ruins of a large Upper Galilee village, dated to the Byzantine and Mameluke/Crusader period. Its nickname – “the lost city” – is derived from its obscurity, as it was hidden inside the thick forest.
- Ruins of a small Upper Galilee village, dated to the Roman/Byzantine period, with impressive group of sarcophagi.
- Ruins of a Middle Bronze Age fortress are located on an edge of a cliff overlooking the deep gorge of Nahal Kziv.
- A mysterious complex of caves above the Kziv stream, with a large engraving of a Roman soldier on the face of the cliff.
- A ruined Jewish village of the first and second temple and the Roman/Byzantine periods, with ruins of a synagogue.
A huge megalithic monument, arranged in a crescent form, on a hillside above Kibbutz Parod.
Quick lookup on Map:
You can see the Upper Galilee sites on a regional map and navigate thru there.
For the Western Upper Galilee sites – refer to the West Galilee gallery of sites.
BibleWalks.com – walk with us through the sites of the Holy Land
Sites Navigation: On all featured sites, you can use the navigation aid at the end of the page for proceeding to the next site. The navigation bar takes you through a tour of the sites. At the bottom of each site you can navigate forward or backward, or return back to a full list of all sites in all regions of Israel.
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This page was last updated on Dec 9, 2022 (Added Gal Itro)
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