Golan Heights Discovery

Before Bill and I go on educational sightseeing excursions in the Holy Land, I meticulously research sites and carefully plan our visits. Since we are our own tour guides, I hand select sites of biblical and historical significance.

In spite of all this research, however, occasionally we run across a site that I have never heard of, nor can I identify it later. The Holy Land is rich in archaeological and historical sites, some of them not yet made known to the general public. 

While traveling in the Golan Heights in October 2009, we came across such a site. We were the only visitors and we had a relaxing picnic of sandwiches that we'd bought at the only store within many miles. (Most of the Golan Heights is uninhabited so there are not many gas stations or stores around.) My guess is that the ruins were from Ottoman times, but I cannot say for sure. 

We picked wild blackberries and wandered among the unattended ruins, listening to the sound of gunfire coming from an Israel Defense Force shooting range in the meadow across the road. 

The sound of gunfire was a bit eerie, considering that the ruins were pockmarked with bullet holes, a sure sign that this structure had most certainly been the site of a battle from recent decades, which one I do not know. 

I really enjoy these little unexpected finds. When we go off-the-beaten-path, we never know what we will discover!