See full video recording of the tour below ↓

Hazor is the largest Bible-era site in Israel – ten times the size of the Old City of Jerusalem! It watches over ancient crossroads from which one could reach Sidon, Beth-Shean, Damascus and Megiddo. It was the most important city in the entire region for several centuries.

Documents and artifacts show that the city had links with Egypt, Syria, Babylon, Crete, Greece and Cyprus. Temples and palaces found in the city reveal its significance and power.

The Bronze Age city was destroyed by a great fire. When exactly did this destruction take place and who burnt down Hazor? Was it Joshua in his northern campaign? Was it Barak who commanded the armies of Debora? That is the debate in which archaeologists have divided into several camps.

Hazor shows signs of being burned with an immense heat. Further evidence of the biblical narrative? Photo: Flash90

See full video recording of the tour below ↓

Hazor rose from the ashes during the Iron Age. It was fortified by King Solomon of the united monarchy and expanded by King Ahab of the northern kingdom. This is the time in which an elaborate water system was constructed in the upper city. The water system is comprised of a huge upper shaft with a rock-cut staircase, a sloping tunnel and a pool room in which the water supply was located.

Hazor was destroyed by Tiglath-Pileser III in 732 BC. It never recovered as a great city. Its ruins were manned by an isolated post of Assyrian soldiers and later became a Persian outpost. In the Hellenistic period the fort went out of use and was finally abandoned.

Visitors explore the expansive remains of the biblical city of Hazor. Photo: Sharona Liman

It is surprising that very few visitors come to Tel Hazor National Park, which played such a crucial role in biblical history. On our virtual tour of Hazor we shall pay it the respect it deserves. We will visit the Bronze Age temple and palace, the Solomon Gate and the water system. We will pay extra attention to the 3-foot layer of ash and ask ourselves if it is connected to the biblical text: “Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned.”