Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera
zahigo25@walla.com 972-54-6905522 tel
סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522

Sepphoris (Zippori, or "birdy") was a major Roman and Byzantine city, the capital and heart of the Galilee province. It included a network of colonnaded paved streets, markets, residential houses, public buildings, bathhouses, theater, synagogues and churches. The richness of its mosaic floors (expanded in another web page), architecture and other findings indicate that the city was wealthy.
It was a major Jewish town at the Byzantine times, and for some time the center of the Jewish administration in the Holy Land.
Late Roman period - the peak

During the early 2nd C AD the city was rebuilt and expanded in a grand Roman plan, as attested by the impressive network of streets (Cardo, Decumanus), public and residential buildings, water works and Theater. The city was wealthy and beautiful, the jewel of the Galilee.
Later, at the beginning of the 3rd C, Sepphoris/Zippori was Jewish ruled once more, and became for some time the seat of the Jewish administration (Sanhedrin). The Mishna, a 2nd C AD books of Jewish practices, was compiled at about 200AD by Yehuda Hannasi, the head of the Sanhedrin and a resident of the city for 17 years. This is a major contribution of Sepphoris and made it famous throughout the Jewish world. Yehuda Hannaasi is buried in Beit Shearim, but his grandson (with the same name) is buried in a grand tomb in the ancient cemetery on the west side of the city.

Byzantine

The city continue to prosper. During the time of Constantine the Great, who adapted Christianity as the Roman's religion, a church was first built in Sepphoris. A number of other churches were built in the Byzantine period, although the majority of its citizens were Jewish. A total of 18 synagogues were referred by Talmudic sources.
In 351 a major rebellion against the Romans was suppressed, but the Romans spared the city once again. However, the city was heavily damaged by nature - a major earthquake (363 AD) hit most of the cities in the Galilee and Israel. It was rebuilt and continued to flourish until the decline in the Arab period (7th C).

Crusaders

The Crusaders rebuilt sections of the city and the fortress, calling it Le Saphorie, preserving the ancient name. On the west side of the hill they built a church, honoring Mary mother of Jesus, who according to tradition was born here to her parents Joachim (a scribe) and Anna (parts of the church still stands there today).
The Crusaders held a major force in the city and used it as a base of their battles with the Arabs. From Le Saphorie the Crusaders armies dispatched their forces to the help of Tiberias against Saladin's Arab forces on the night of July 2, 1187. On the way to Tiberias they were defeated in the battle of Hittim, which signaled the starting of the end of the Crusaders in the Holy Land.

Arab/Ottoman

The Arab town of Suppheriyya preserved the ancient name and existed from the Crusaders times until 1948. In the 18th C, during the Ottoman period, a Bedouin called Daher El-Omar, restored the fortress in 1745 and incorporated some of the ancient stones and sarcophagus that he collected from the ruins.

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