The National Park of Zippori

The city of Zippori was conquered by Herodes without resistance, during which raged a snow storm in the region (Year 37 before the common era).

After the death of Herodes (Year 4 before the common era), a revolt, known as "Pulmus and Arus) broke out, resulting in the capture and destruction of the city by the soldiers of the Roman Governor. One of the explanations claims that later on, during the "Great Revolt" against the Romans, the citizens of Zippori learned their lesson and refused to join the war.

Zippori did not survive the destruction very long and Herodes Antipas restored and embelished the city to the point that Yosef Ben Matityahu nicknamed the city "the magnificence of the entire Galilee". Later on, the Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, moved the Sanhedrin from Beit Shaarim to Zippori, and even wrote the Mishna (Year 220 before the common era). Sages of Zippori were partners of the creation of the Jerusalem Talmud that was written in the year 4 before the common era.

During the year 4 before the common era, the people of Zippori, together with all the people of the Galilee, suffered from the hard hand of the Roman government. In the year 351, the Jewish citizens raised the miracle revolt (Revolt of Gallus). The Jews of Zippori attacked the locally stationed soldiers, killing them and taking their weapons. The revolt was won by great difficulty. Christian sources say that the city of Zippori was destroyed during the revolt. However, no archeological findings comfirm this. In spite of this, the city of Zippori was destroyed by a strong earthquake in the year 363.

From the 5th year on, Christians and Jews, lived in the city of Zippori. during the Middle Ages there was a small community of Jews living in Zippori, as can be learned by a letter that was written in the tenth year and discovered among the "archives of Cairo". During the Crusades, a church was built in remembrance of St. Anne. The Crusaders believed that Ann and Joachim, the parents of Mary, lived in Zippori. Parts of the Crusader Church have survived until this day.

At the crest of Mt. Zippori lies a Crusader castle that was rebuilt during the 18th century by Daher el-Omer, the Beduin ruler of the Galilee. On the site, an Arabic village named Sepphoris was established and whose name saved the sound of the ancient name of Zippori.

The central sites of Zippori are:

• A Roman theater that was built on its slopes and from which can be seen the Valley of Beit Netufa and the mountains of upper Galilee (and included approximately 4,500 settlements, some of which have been reconstructed).
• A housing quarter from the Mishna period and the Talmud.
• A Crusader castle on the crest of Mount Zippori that can be seen from a distance.
• A villa that was built in the third century, containing discriptions from the life of Dionysis, the mythological god of wine of Greece (an impressive depiction of the "Mona Lisa of the Galilee" is embossed in a mosaic).
• The Nile Festival House from the fifth century before the common era, in which an oppulent floor mosaic dipicting the festival of the rising of the waters of the Nile river to its peak.
• The huge underground water works that were built in the first century before the common era and were in use until the seventh century.
• A cistern, whose length of 250 meters and volume of 5000 cubic meters, is located 1.5 kilometers from Zippori.
• An ancient synagogue, which is open to visitors.

Visiting hours:

April - September, 08:00 - 17:00
October - March, 08:00 - 16:00
Fridays and Holiday Eve: 08:00 - 15:00
Telephone: 04-6568272