Hamat Gader
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hamat Gader (Hebrew: חמת גדר) is a site in the Yarmouk River valley, near the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The name means "hot springs of Gadara", referring to the several mineral springs with temperatures up to 50°C. Gadara -- modern Umm Qais in Jordan -- is 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) away.
Hamat Gader is located close to the junction of the borders of Israel, Jordan and Syria.
The ancient name of Hamat Gader is preserved in the local Arabic name for the site (el-Ḥamma, Arabic: الحمّـة, Hebrew: אל חמה), and of the mound located near the site, Tel Bani, a corruption of the Greek word meaning "baths".
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[edit] History
Hamat Gader was already widely known as a recreation site in Roman times.
Construction of the bath complex began in the 2nd century by the 10th Roman Legion, which was garrisoned in the city of Gadara. Two distinct construction periods are evident at the site: The Roman-Byzantine Period, during which most of the bath complex was built, and the Moslem Period, during which major changes were made to the existing structures.[1]
The hot water springs were used for recreation and healing purposes.
Some of the buildings were damaged by an earthquake in the 7th century and restored by the Umayyad caliph who ruled from Damascus. Eventually, in the 9th century, the baths were abandoned and a thick layer of silt covered the ruins.
The site includes a Roman theatre, which was built in the 3rd century CE and contained 2,000 seats. A large synagogue was built in the 5th century CE.
[edit] Modern History
The border between the British Mandate of Palestine and the French Mandate of Syria was drawn in 1923, and Hamat Gader was included in Palestine[2].
After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the site remained legally in Israel, but was occupied by Syrian forces. Israelis were prevented from entering the area by shelling and fire from Syrian military positions on the Golan Heights overlooking the site.
On April 4, 1951, a force of Israeli soldiers and Border Police set out for Hamat Gader in order to enforce Israeli sovereignty over the site. Syrian soldiers guarding the entrance to Hamat Gader ordered them to turn back immediately, but the Israeli force refused. Once the Israeli force had passed, the Syrians opened fire from the rear. Of the 22 soldiers and policemen in the force, seven were killed, three were wounded and one was taken prisoner.[3],[4]
The skirmish became known as the "El-Hamma Incident" (Hebrew: תקרית אל-חמה).
Israeli control over Hamat Gader was secured during the Six-Day War in 1967, when the Israeli army captured the surrounding Golan Heights, allowing free access to Hamat Gader for Israelis. Since then, it has been under Israeli sovereignty and has been developed as a tourist attraction and health resort. The health resort opened in 1977[5].
[edit] External links
- Hamat Gader Information (English) (Hebrew) (Russian)
- Hamat Gader at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs site.
- Hamat Gader at Google Earth
- Al-Hamma
