Bat Galim
Shikmona
Shikmona
La grotte du prophete Elie
Elyahu's grotto
Elyahu's grotto
Illigal immigration museum and monument
Musee et monument de l'immigration illegale
Musee et monument de l'immigration illegale
Station du funiculaire Carmel Francais-Bat Galim et restaurant
French Carmel-Bat Galim Cable car station and restaurant
French Carmel-Bat Galim Cable car station and restaurant
Episcopat
L'institut de limnologie et d'oceanographie de Shikmona
La plus belle plage de surf d'Israel
Israel's most beautiful surfing beach
Israel's most beautiful surfing beach
Les oeufs de Gurel
Gurel's eggs
Gurel's eggs
How Haifaites saved their coastline
Wendy Blumfield , THE JERUSALEM POST, 9/2/06
The Haifa municipality's grandiose plans to build a marina and waterfront tower blocks on
the shore of Rosh Hacarmel have been derailed by a rare example of people power. Behind
this achievement is a story of community solidarity: how groups of residents, environment
activists and sports enthusiasts worked together against the might of local and national
governments - and succeeded.
Haifa is a multifaceted city - both beautiful with its mountain forests, kilometers of sandy
beaches and magnificent Bahai gardens, and an ugly mess of industry, pollution and
haphazard construction. Preserving the former and preventing the latter spurred concerned
Haifaites into joining forces with experts in ecology and science, commerce and economics,
architecture and infrastructure to prove that the marina in its proposed location was a bad
idea.
The Rosh Hacarmel coastline is an open stretch of beach from the Maxim restaurant in the
south to Bat Galim, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Haifa. Beyond Bat Galim is Haifa
Bay, a closed area including a naval base, Rambam Hospital, the port and heavy industries.
In recent years, the city's southern beaches have been attractively developed with
promenades, decorative street furniture and children's playgrounds, and their popularity
brought the opening of a few beach caf s and good restaurants. With folk dancing and
open-air shows in good weather, residents of the Carmel make for the southern Dado
beach.
Sandwiched between these popular beaches and Bat Galim is a windswept rocky stretch of
coast, beautiful in its wildness. Hidden from the road, alongside the modern nautical lines
of the Oceanographic and Limnological Institute, is the ancient Tel Shikmona, the ruins of
the Phoenician City - the origins of Haifa.
Windsurfers battle the elements at the curve of the bay, where the wind and waves are
fiercer. By all accounts, this is the best area in Israel for windsurfing.
Over the past 12 years, a master plan emerged to build a marina that would claim 500
meters into the sea on a two-km stretch of the beach.
"Since the marina itself would not be financially viable, the municipality and contractors
intended to attract investment in high-rise tower blocks, with a waterfront outlook and
whose back walls would completely shut off Bat Galim residents from the sea," explains
Ayal Avrach, who lives in a house on the Bat Galim promenade.
Says Ronit Fischer, community director of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
(SPNI), "In 1998, in anticipation of demand to develop the coastal area, the SPNI and
other nature protection organizations campaigned to protect Israel's precious 200 km of
coastline. Their efforts resulted in the passage of the Coastal Law in 2004, forbidding
development less than 300 meters from the coastline and declaring coastal space as public
property."
There are constant infringements of this law, but the marina project - that would take 500
meters from the sea itself - was the most audacious. And the response was impressive.
The defeat of the marina at Bat Galim was achieved by a strong coalition of organizations.
The SPNI's environmental protection division engineered this coalition by involving
environmental groups, social and academic bodies, surfers and local residents, backed up
by the Technion. In November, 250 marine biologists from the International Congress of
Marine Biologists demanded the preservation of the site. MK Roman Bronfman joined the
campaign by calling on Mayor Yona Yahav to renege his stance on the marina issue.
And the citizens of Haifa turned out in the thousands at events and demonstrations held at
Bat Galim, Central Carmel and other locations. More than 7,000 signatures were collected
in petitions distributed at these demonstrations and through a website.
"We were not opposed to a marina - but not on that site or any other that would close the
beaches to the public," says Fischer.
Alternatives were proposed. The most favored site was the Western Port with access to the
restored German Colony and Bahai Gardens, which would not cause ecological damage.
Another option was the site of the Israel Navy base, which fits in with the IDF's policy of
moving out of prime locations.
"We have managed to introduce a new way of thinking in Haifa's development, by finding
alternatives that do not destroy our natural resources and our environment," says Nir
Papay, who coordinates the SPNI's beach and coast policy.
In December 2005, the National Planning Council accepted the coalition's
recommendations to reject plans to build the marina at Bat Galim and create the Hecht sea
park from Bat Galim toward the Carmel beaches, which will incorporate an archeological
park at Shikmona.
"This campaign was a meeting of ideology and science, research and engineering," says
Fischer, describing the conference on November 22, 2005, sponsored by SPNI at the
Technion on preserving Israel's coastline. Participants included experts from the
Environment Ministry, nature protection societies, KKL-JNF, the Israel Union for
Environmental Defense, marine experts from the Technion and the Oceanographic
Institute, windsurfers, and architects who presented blueprints for building the marina on
alternative sites.
During the period when Amram Mitzna was mayor (1993-2002), several unsightly building
projects were implemented that encroached onto the southern beaches in what had been
open land. Walking along the beach with its magnificent sweep of sand and sea, one views
Mount Carmel as a backdrop. But between the sea and the mountain's lower slopes are
emerging a Legoland of shopping centers, high-rise offices, small rundown factories and
litter.
"This is nothing compared to what is planned for that area," warns Fischer.
Haifa's citizens voted for Yona Yahav in the 2002 municipal elections, and his "green"
track record gave him the majority vote. But he is now sitting on the fence. He did not
actively support building the marina at Bat Galim, but he also did not help the
organizations and individuals campaigning against it.
"There are so many examples where the municipality is shown to be green aesthetically but
not in ideology," says Fischer.
While Yaron Carmi, administrator of the windsurfers' participation in the campaign,
agrees that community effort and the pooling of the NGOs' and scientific institutions'
expertise was an unusually successful act of cooperation, he and his cohorts were
disappointed at the lack of support and involvement from the government bodies whose job
it is to maintain the law and preserve the environment.
Carmi, a surfer and a business administrator specializing in engineering consultancy, said
that as a business enterprise, the marina was not a viable idea. He brought in the experts
who convinced the Haifa Economic Development Corporation that this was the case.
Golan Perry, a computer specialist, designed and engineered the campaign's website
(www.batgalim.org.il), which registered hundreds of visits. Amir Weizman, owner of the
Aquazoom company specializing in aquatic photography, produced dramatic films of the
demonstrations, as well as surfing scenes for the website. Tel Aviv lawyer Doron Hacham,
another surfer, contacted MKs.
"Bat Galim is just not the place for the marina. It's situated at the foot of the hills, and
according to oceanographic experts there would have to be enormous breakwaters
constructed at that point of the bay," says Carmi.
"We expected much more support from the official 'green' bodies," he adds. Telephone
calls and faxes to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport were unanswered, and
there was little or no involvement from the Environment Ministry, he says.
Yahav actively opposed the marina when Amram Mitzna was mayor and was a good friend
of Shmuel Gelbart, the architect who heads the Green party in Haifa. According to the
surfers, Gelbart did not want to be mayor, but through him they all supported Yahav.
"Gelbart is still helping us, although it makes a lot of problems for him as a member of the
municipal coalition," comments one surfer.
The surfers are puzzled by the mayor's change of loyalties. "The municipality actually tried
to reverse the coast law so that buildings could be constructed nearer the sea," says the
surfer.
Rather than encouraging water sports, the municipal budget for sea education and water
sports through schools has been canceled.
Avrach discovered the plans for the marina in 1992. He was looking for premises for his
start-up company and came upon an advertisement for a two-km complex on the Bat
Galim seafront that included waterfront tower blocks, suites and apartments. The marina
was Mitzna's pet project, but it became obvious that it would not be financially worthwhile.
"A marina is a parking lot for yachts, not a source of tourism," says Avrach. To make it
viable, he says, the project was expanded to include an enormous building that would leave
residents of Bat Galim with a view of brick walls intead of the Mediterranean Sea.
Not only Bat Galim residents are wary of existing building violations. Nobody can miss
what is dubbed locally "hamifletzet" (the monster) - an enormous building on Carmel
Beach constructed as a hotel but is, in effect, an apartment block with some hotel rooms
and facilities. The building is wider and taller than originally licensed, destroying the view
and air flow for local residents. It took a great deal of community pressure to stop the
building of five other similar blocks.
Avrach wears several hats: water sports enthusiast, activist in the local branch of the Green
party Haifa Shelanu, and a board member of Haifa SPNI. In his first round against the
marina project when Mitzna was mayor, he appreciated the support of the environment
ministers of that time, Yossi Sarid and the late Yehudit Naot.
With the change of guard at City Hall in 2002, it was hoped that the marina had been put
on a back burner; but just over a year ago, the plans were reincarnated and buzzwords
such as "Haifa Riviera" were heard again. This time, many more groups were active, and
they worked together efficiently.
"We were ready to fight from the beginning before it became a fait accompli," says
Avrach. "We cannot be sure that the project will not be resurrected again, so we have two
aims: to help relocate the marina and to clean and restore Bat Galim as a beachfront for
everyone. We need to repair the neglect of the past 10 years and create a Riviera without
damage to the environment."
Fischer, a 37-year-old mother of two who grew up in Haifa, believes that a clean
environment reduces violence and crime.
"We agree with the mayor that Haifa needs tourism and also needs to provide facilities for
young people. But the marina will not achieve either of those aims," she concludes.
Wendy Blumfield , THE JERUSALEM POST, 9/2/06
The Haifa municipality's grandiose plans to build a marina and waterfront tower blocks on
the shore of Rosh Hacarmel have been derailed by a rare example of people power. Behind
this achievement is a story of community solidarity: how groups of residents, environment
activists and sports enthusiasts worked together against the might of local and national
governments - and succeeded.
Haifa is a multifaceted city - both beautiful with its mountain forests, kilometers of sandy
beaches and magnificent Bahai gardens, and an ugly mess of industry, pollution and
haphazard construction. Preserving the former and preventing the latter spurred concerned
Haifaites into joining forces with experts in ecology and science, commerce and economics,
architecture and infrastructure to prove that the marina in its proposed location was a bad
idea.
The Rosh Hacarmel coastline is an open stretch of beach from the Maxim restaurant in the
south to Bat Galim, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Haifa. Beyond Bat Galim is Haifa
Bay, a closed area including a naval base, Rambam Hospital, the port and heavy industries.
In recent years, the city's southern beaches have been attractively developed with
promenades, decorative street furniture and children's playgrounds, and their popularity
brought the opening of a few beach caf s and good restaurants. With folk dancing and
open-air shows in good weather, residents of the Carmel make for the southern Dado
beach.
Sandwiched between these popular beaches and Bat Galim is a windswept rocky stretch of
coast, beautiful in its wildness. Hidden from the road, alongside the modern nautical lines
of the Oceanographic and Limnological Institute, is the ancient Tel Shikmona, the ruins of
the Phoenician City - the origins of Haifa.
Windsurfers battle the elements at the curve of the bay, where the wind and waves are
fiercer. By all accounts, this is the best area in Israel for windsurfing.
Over the past 12 years, a master plan emerged to build a marina that would claim 500
meters into the sea on a two-km stretch of the beach.
"Since the marina itself would not be financially viable, the municipality and contractors
intended to attract investment in high-rise tower blocks, with a waterfront outlook and
whose back walls would completely shut off Bat Galim residents from the sea," explains
Ayal Avrach, who lives in a house on the Bat Galim promenade.
Says Ronit Fischer, community director of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
(SPNI), "In 1998, in anticipation of demand to develop the coastal area, the SPNI and
other nature protection organizations campaigned to protect Israel's precious 200 km of
coastline. Their efforts resulted in the passage of the Coastal Law in 2004, forbidding
development less than 300 meters from the coastline and declaring coastal space as public
property."
There are constant infringements of this law, but the marina project - that would take 500
meters from the sea itself - was the most audacious. And the response was impressive.
The defeat of the marina at Bat Galim was achieved by a strong coalition of organizations.
The SPNI's environmental protection division engineered this coalition by involving
environmental groups, social and academic bodies, surfers and local residents, backed up
by the Technion. In November, 250 marine biologists from the International Congress of
Marine Biologists demanded the preservation of the site. MK Roman Bronfman joined the
campaign by calling on Mayor Yona Yahav to renege his stance on the marina issue.
And the citizens of Haifa turned out in the thousands at events and demonstrations held at
Bat Galim, Central Carmel and other locations. More than 7,000 signatures were collected
in petitions distributed at these demonstrations and through a website.
"We were not opposed to a marina - but not on that site or any other that would close the
beaches to the public," says Fischer.
Alternatives were proposed. The most favored site was the Western Port with access to the
restored German Colony and Bahai Gardens, which would not cause ecological damage.
Another option was the site of the Israel Navy base, which fits in with the IDF's policy of
moving out of prime locations.
"We have managed to introduce a new way of thinking in Haifa's development, by finding
alternatives that do not destroy our natural resources and our environment," says Nir
Papay, who coordinates the SPNI's beach and coast policy.
In December 2005, the National Planning Council accepted the coalition's
recommendations to reject plans to build the marina at Bat Galim and create the Hecht sea
park from Bat Galim toward the Carmel beaches, which will incorporate an archeological
park at Shikmona.
"This campaign was a meeting of ideology and science, research and engineering," says
Fischer, describing the conference on November 22, 2005, sponsored by SPNI at the
Technion on preserving Israel's coastline. Participants included experts from the
Environment Ministry, nature protection societies, KKL-JNF, the Israel Union for
Environmental Defense, marine experts from the Technion and the Oceanographic
Institute, windsurfers, and architects who presented blueprints for building the marina on
alternative sites.
During the period when Amram Mitzna was mayor (1993-2002), several unsightly building
projects were implemented that encroached onto the southern beaches in what had been
open land. Walking along the beach with its magnificent sweep of sand and sea, one views
Mount Carmel as a backdrop. But between the sea and the mountain's lower slopes are
emerging a Legoland of shopping centers, high-rise offices, small rundown factories and
litter.
"This is nothing compared to what is planned for that area," warns Fischer.
Haifa's citizens voted for Yona Yahav in the 2002 municipal elections, and his "green"
track record gave him the majority vote. But he is now sitting on the fence. He did not
actively support building the marina at Bat Galim, but he also did not help the
organizations and individuals campaigning against it.
"There are so many examples where the municipality is shown to be green aesthetically but
not in ideology," says Fischer.
While Yaron Carmi, administrator of the windsurfers' participation in the campaign,
agrees that community effort and the pooling of the NGOs' and scientific institutions'
expertise was an unusually successful act of cooperation, he and his cohorts were
disappointed at the lack of support and involvement from the government bodies whose job
it is to maintain the law and preserve the environment.
Carmi, a surfer and a business administrator specializing in engineering consultancy, said
that as a business enterprise, the marina was not a viable idea. He brought in the experts
who convinced the Haifa Economic Development Corporation that this was the case.
Golan Perry, a computer specialist, designed and engineered the campaign's website
(www.batgalim.org.il), which registered hundreds of visits. Amir Weizman, owner of the
Aquazoom company specializing in aquatic photography, produced dramatic films of the
demonstrations, as well as surfing scenes for the website. Tel Aviv lawyer Doron Hacham,
another surfer, contacted MKs.
"Bat Galim is just not the place for the marina. It's situated at the foot of the hills, and
according to oceanographic experts there would have to be enormous breakwaters
constructed at that point of the bay," says Carmi.
"We expected much more support from the official 'green' bodies," he adds. Telephone
calls and faxes to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport were unanswered, and
there was little or no involvement from the Environment Ministry, he says.
Yahav actively opposed the marina when Amram Mitzna was mayor and was a good friend
of Shmuel Gelbart, the architect who heads the Green party in Haifa. According to the
surfers, Gelbart did not want to be mayor, but through him they all supported Yahav.
"Gelbart is still helping us, although it makes a lot of problems for him as a member of the
municipal coalition," comments one surfer.
The surfers are puzzled by the mayor's change of loyalties. "The municipality actually tried
to reverse the coast law so that buildings could be constructed nearer the sea," says the
surfer.
Rather than encouraging water sports, the municipal budget for sea education and water
sports through schools has been canceled.
Avrach discovered the plans for the marina in 1992. He was looking for premises for his
start-up company and came upon an advertisement for a two-km complex on the Bat
Galim seafront that included waterfront tower blocks, suites and apartments. The marina
was Mitzna's pet project, but it became obvious that it would not be financially worthwhile.
"A marina is a parking lot for yachts, not a source of tourism," says Avrach. To make it
viable, he says, the project was expanded to include an enormous building that would leave
residents of Bat Galim with a view of brick walls intead of the Mediterranean Sea.
Not only Bat Galim residents are wary of existing building violations. Nobody can miss
what is dubbed locally "hamifletzet" (the monster) - an enormous building on Carmel
Beach constructed as a hotel but is, in effect, an apartment block with some hotel rooms
and facilities. The building is wider and taller than originally licensed, destroying the view
and air flow for local residents. It took a great deal of community pressure to stop the
building of five other similar blocks.
Avrach wears several hats: water sports enthusiast, activist in the local branch of the Green
party Haifa Shelanu, and a board member of Haifa SPNI. In his first round against the
marina project when Mitzna was mayor, he appreciated the support of the environment
ministers of that time, Yossi Sarid and the late Yehudit Naot.
With the change of guard at City Hall in 2002, it was hoped that the marina had been put
on a back burner; but just over a year ago, the plans were reincarnated and buzzwords
such as "Haifa Riviera" were heard again. This time, many more groups were active, and
they worked together efficiently.
"We were ready to fight from the beginning before it became a fait accompli," says
Avrach. "We cannot be sure that the project will not be resurrected again, so we have two
aims: to help relocate the marina and to clean and restore Bat Galim as a beachfront for
everyone. We need to repair the neglect of the past 10 years and create a Riviera without
damage to the environment."
Fischer, a 37-year-old mother of two who grew up in Haifa, believes that a clean
environment reduces violence and crime.
"We agree with the mayor that Haifa needs tourism and also needs to provide facilities for
young people. But the marina will not achieve either of those aims," she concludes.
Mosaique et taureau trouves a Shikmona
Mosaics and bull found at the Shikmona archeological site
Mosaics and bull found at the Shikmona archeological site
Le site de Shikmona etait deja habite des le 16eme siecle avant
notre ere, et au temps du retour des Juifs de l'Exil de Babylone
notre ere, et au temps du retour des Juifs de l'Exil de Babylone
Shikmona and its Treasures at the Haifa Maritime Museum
May 17, 2008
Curator: Avshalom Zemer
Tel Shikmona, extending over eight dunams, has revealed some very rich archaeological finds,
shedding light on the settlement's ongoing existence from the Late Canaanite era (15th century BCE)
up to the Early Muslim era (7th century CE). Some 2100 years of history thus find expression in the
wealth of material findings, evidence of trading connections with the Mediterranean lands.
Tel Shikmona (Arabic: Tel a-Samakh; "Hill of the Fishes") is situated on the coast, approximately
1.3 kilometres southwest of the Carmel Point. It was constructed on a shallow, dry stratum of gravel.
Geographically, it lies on a rocky stretch of coast that did not allow construction of a port nearby, and
the nearest anchorage seems to have been to the south, near Kfar Samir. The area surround the Tel
used as the agricultural section of the town. The rivers flowing down the Carmel provided most of the
fresh water for the city, and orchards were also planted on those slopes. East of the Tel, on the side of
the mountain, is the burial ground, in which 22 burial installations were found, most of them close
together. Except for one tomb that pre-dates the others, all are from the Roman-Byzantine period (3rd
- 6th centuries CE). The earlier burial is dated to the Middle Canaanite IIB era (1750-1550 BCE). On
the outskirts of the Tel, remains of a Byzantine city have also been found.
Some superficial excavations were undertaken in 1963-1969 under the auspices of the Haifa
Municipal Museum of Ancient Art, and directed by Dr. Josef Elgavish.
The earliest settlement at Shikmona is from the Late Canaanite I era (15th century BCE), and was
probably created by the Egyptians, initially as a rearguard for their military base at Beth Shean. Over
time, the base was transformed into a civilian settlement. Dwellings and public buildings have been
excavated, containing local wares as well as imports from Cyprus and Greece, ivory and faience
items, and seals. The archaeological findings from this period indicate lively trading with Greece and
Cyprus, and the influence of the Egyptian culture.
From the various Israelite periods (12th - 6th centuries BCE), eight layers of settlement have been
excavated. From the era of the Kingdom, remnants of the city wall, parts of oil presses, storage rooms
and dwellings, locally made pottery, imported wares and figurines were discovered.
In the Persian period (6th - 4th centuries BCE), Shikmona was administered by the Phoenician city of
Tyre, and expanded from a small settlement to a large, well-planned city. A residential quarter has
been uncovered, in which were found pottery and stone vessels, weapons, jewellery and other items.
At the close of that era, the city was fortified and housing was apparently re-located round the base of
the Tel.
In the Hellenistic era (4th - 1st centuries BCE) another fortification was constructed at the site, in
which the main findings were large storage rooms containing amphorae with Greek seals and other
items. During the
Roman period (1st century BCE - 4th century CE) a fortress was constructed on the site, which was
used during the Jewish Revolt, and of which a few remains are still apparent.
In the Byzantine era (4th - 7th centuries CE) the city mainly covered the area around the Tel. This
was where the residential and industrial quarters, public buildings and an industrial installation were
found. Many of the buildings were floored with mosaic, and were scattered with pottery, bronze, and
ivory vessels. The remains of a fire are also evident, witness to the sudden destruction of the site. At
the apex of the Tel, the remains of a Byzantine villa destroyed during the Arab conquest in 638 CE
were found. Above this were the foundations of a building from the Early Muslim era.
The origin of the name "Shikmona" is not known, but may be derived from the sycamore tree. The
meaning of the Greek "sycamina" is "the fruit of the mulberry tree" and may be connected with the
Persian black mulberry which was imported much earlier from the Chinese mulberry. The first
reference to Shikmona is in Flavius Josephus's (37-100 CE) "History of the Jews" (13: 332), which
describes how the forces of Ptolemy IX Lathyrus, King of Egypt landed at Shikmona to take part in
the battle for Acre against Alexander Yannai in 103 BCE. Shikmona is also mentioned in the
Babylonian Talmud and by Christian travellers of the time. From these sources we learn about the
city's large Jewish population, while the burial ground also bears witness to the pagan and Christian
inhabitants.
The Arabic name - Tel a-Samakh - is probably connected to the good fishing grounds there. The
water at that point is shallow and the sea-bed is rocky, attractive to fish and fishermen alike.
May 17, 2008
Curator: Avshalom Zemer
Tel Shikmona, extending over eight dunams, has revealed some very rich archaeological finds,
shedding light on the settlement's ongoing existence from the Late Canaanite era (15th century BCE)
up to the Early Muslim era (7th century CE). Some 2100 years of history thus find expression in the
wealth of material findings, evidence of trading connections with the Mediterranean lands.
Tel Shikmona (Arabic: Tel a-Samakh; "Hill of the Fishes") is situated on the coast, approximately
1.3 kilometres southwest of the Carmel Point. It was constructed on a shallow, dry stratum of gravel.
Geographically, it lies on a rocky stretch of coast that did not allow construction of a port nearby, and
the nearest anchorage seems to have been to the south, near Kfar Samir. The area surround the Tel
used as the agricultural section of the town. The rivers flowing down the Carmel provided most of the
fresh water for the city, and orchards were also planted on those slopes. East of the Tel, on the side of
the mountain, is the burial ground, in which 22 burial installations were found, most of them close
together. Except for one tomb that pre-dates the others, all are from the Roman-Byzantine period (3rd
- 6th centuries CE). The earlier burial is dated to the Middle Canaanite IIB era (1750-1550 BCE). On
the outskirts of the Tel, remains of a Byzantine city have also been found.
Some superficial excavations were undertaken in 1963-1969 under the auspices of the Haifa
Municipal Museum of Ancient Art, and directed by Dr. Josef Elgavish.
The earliest settlement at Shikmona is from the Late Canaanite I era (15th century BCE), and was
probably created by the Egyptians, initially as a rearguard for their military base at Beth Shean. Over
time, the base was transformed into a civilian settlement. Dwellings and public buildings have been
excavated, containing local wares as well as imports from Cyprus and Greece, ivory and faience
items, and seals. The archaeological findings from this period indicate lively trading with Greece and
Cyprus, and the influence of the Egyptian culture.
From the various Israelite periods (12th - 6th centuries BCE), eight layers of settlement have been
excavated. From the era of the Kingdom, remnants of the city wall, parts of oil presses, storage rooms
and dwellings, locally made pottery, imported wares and figurines were discovered.
In the Persian period (6th - 4th centuries BCE), Shikmona was administered by the Phoenician city of
Tyre, and expanded from a small settlement to a large, well-planned city. A residential quarter has
been uncovered, in which were found pottery and stone vessels, weapons, jewellery and other items.
At the close of that era, the city was fortified and housing was apparently re-located round the base of
the Tel.
In the Hellenistic era (4th - 1st centuries BCE) another fortification was constructed at the site, in
which the main findings were large storage rooms containing amphorae with Greek seals and other
items. During the
Roman period (1st century BCE - 4th century CE) a fortress was constructed on the site, which was
used during the Jewish Revolt, and of which a few remains are still apparent.
In the Byzantine era (4th - 7th centuries CE) the city mainly covered the area around the Tel. This
was where the residential and industrial quarters, public buildings and an industrial installation were
found. Many of the buildings were floored with mosaic, and were scattered with pottery, bronze, and
ivory vessels. The remains of a fire are also evident, witness to the sudden destruction of the site. At
the apex of the Tel, the remains of a Byzantine villa destroyed during the Arab conquest in 638 CE
were found. Above this were the foundations of a building from the Early Muslim era.
The origin of the name "Shikmona" is not known, but may be derived from the sycamore tree. The
meaning of the Greek "sycamina" is "the fruit of the mulberry tree" and may be connected with the
Persian black mulberry which was imported much earlier from the Chinese mulberry. The first
reference to Shikmona is in Flavius Josephus's (37-100 CE) "History of the Jews" (13: 332), which
describes how the forces of Ptolemy IX Lathyrus, King of Egypt landed at Shikmona to take part in
the battle for Acre against Alexander Yannai in 103 BCE. Shikmona is also mentioned in the
Babylonian Talmud and by Christian travellers of the time. From these sources we learn about the
city's large Jewish population, while the burial ground also bears witness to the pagan and Christian
inhabitants.
The Arabic name - Tel a-Samakh - is probably connected to the good fishing grounds there. The
water at that point is shallow and the sea-bed is rocky, attractive to fish and fishermen alike.
Sycaminos
Photo Arnaud Rodrigue
Photo Arnaud Rodrigue
Photo Arnaud Rodrigue
Beit Scandinavia, founded by Lilly and Thorvald Tånsberg, a home for
Scandinavians visiting Israel and a place of social help and of friendship in Haifa
Beit Scandinavia, fondee par Lilly and Thorvald Tånsberg, une maison pour les
Scandinaves qui visitent Israel, un lieu d'aide sociale et d'amitie a Haifa
Scandinavians visiting Israel and a place of social help and of friendship in Haifa
Beit Scandinavia, fondee par Lilly and Thorvald Tånsberg, une maison pour les
Scandinaves qui visitent Israel, un lieu d'aide sociale et d'amitie a Haifa
