| Migdal | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • Hebrew | מִגְדָּל |
| • ISO 259 | Migdal |
|
Migdal
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| District | North |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Local council (from 1949) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 11,395 dunams (11.4 km2 / 4.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2008)[1] | |
| • Total | 1,627 |
| Name meaning | Tower |
Migdal (Hebrew: מִגְדָּל, lit. Tower) is a town in the Northern District of Israel. It was founded in 1910, and granted local council status in 1949. In 2008 it had a population of 1,627.[1]
Migdal is located near Ginosar, and about 8 km north of Tiberias.[2] It has a shoreline on the Sea of Galilee, including the Tamar, Ilanot and Arbel beaches.
Contents |
The town is named after the old city of Migdala Nunia (Aramaic: "fish tower"), home town of Mary of Magdala (Luke 8:2), and is situated just west of the Kinneret on Tiberias-Rosh Pina road.[2]
In 1908, a small group of German Catholics who identified the site as the birth place of Mary Magdalene settled there.[3] They left after a year and the land was bought by Russia Zionists who founded a farm, Ahuzat Moskva (Moscow Estate) in 1910. This settlement was adjacent to the arab village Al-Majdal . A few years later, the land was sold to private investors.[2] An encampment of Gdud HaAvoda workers who built the Tiberias-Rosh Pina road was established there in 1921.[4]
In September 2009, a salvage dig of the Israel Antiquities Authority prior to the construction of a hotel revealed an ancient synagogue believed to date back some 2000 years, from 50 BCE to 100 CE. In the middle of a 120 sq.m. main hall, archaeologists discovered an unusual stone carved with a seven-branched menorah. It is the first of its kind to be discovered from the early Roman period. In addition to the engraved stone, the walls are decorated with brightly-colored frescoes.[5]
|
|||||||||||||