One of my very favorite sites in Israel, Rosh HaNikra just got even more special, as I seriously did not know that seashore area below the famous cliffs is a huge archeological site, who knew? I did notice that the rocks were an interesting shape, but until Iooked it up it did not occur to me that this was once an ancient quarry, like really ancient! So now you can enjoy this incredible spot and learn some important history about this very special spot!
For thousands of years a Canaanite people known in the Torah as the “Sidonians”, and known to the world as the “Phoenicians” (starting from the 19th century BCE up to the 9th century CE). lived along the coastal stretch reaching from Sidon – located 40 kilometers north of Rosh Hanikra – to Haifa, situated around 40 kilometers south of Rosh Hanikra. In spite of their being Canaanites, peace and friendship reigned between them and the Jews during most periods. In the days of the Kings David and Salomon and their successors, covenants were made between the kingdoms of Sidon and Israel. They helped each other not only in times of warfare defending against outside invaders, but also with trade and construction. As experts of the ancient world in woodwork and stonework, they supplied both the building materials and artisans for the building of the First Temple. Wow, right? Keep on reading for more photos!
Together with the great economic benefit and cultural contribution which they brought, there also was a growth, unfortunately, of a foreign religious influence based on gods. Queen Isabel persecuted the prophets of the Jewish G-d, and in that period the relations with the Phoenicians deteriorated. For thousands of years the Phoenicians were the glass producers of the ancient world. They produced it from sand in this area, and they were also once the important sailors and deck hands of the eastern Mediterranean and builders of wooden ships. They dealt with fabric crafts and dyeing, jewelry making and were also goldsmiths and artisans, working in valuable stones and ivory. Their most important contribution to history was in inventing writing based on the alphabet. They invented the written letters in use even today with some slight changes. Despite this all though, they did not survive as a People, know any Phoenicians?
A view of the liimestone cliffs and grottos of Rosh HaNikra. The mountaintop is a popular tourist site, but most don’t visit the seashore below, ourselves included until now!
In the photos above, it is possible to note that some of the rocks have quarried surfaces. In ancient times the residents would quarry rocks for building to supply the needs of all the coastal settlements of the western Galilee. In later periods these quarries were used as pools for making salt by drying up sea water.
Many pools were quarried in order to store fish and accumulate enough of them so that a big enough shipment could be made to send to the markets, while some say that the pools served for the collecting – and even maybe the breeding – of the sea snails and gastropods which were once plentiful here in order to produce purple and light blue dyes. The purple and light blue dyes were of the essence in the ancient world and also very costly. Among the non-Jews, only the very wealthy were allowed to wear clothes dyed with these colors, while the Jews used light blue dye in their traditional prayer shawl, the “tallit”.
Of course over time the sea has likely softened the edges of all the quarried rock, which is why they look as they do today.
Do visit the ancients rock quarries on the shores of the Mediterranean in Rosh HaNikra, you will thank me!
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