- Hamat Gader
Hamat Gader ( _he. חמת גדר) is a site in the
Yarmouk River valley, near theSea of Galilee inIsrael . The name means "hot spring s of Gadara", referring to the severalmineral spring s with temperatures up to 50°C. Gadara, modernUmm Qais inJordan , is 4kilometre s (2.5mile s) away.Hamat Gader is located close to the junction of the borders of
Israel ,Jordan andSyria .The ancient name of Hamat Gader is preserved in the local Arabic name for the site ("el-Ḥamma", _ar. الحمّـة, _he. אל חמה), and of the mound located near the site,
Tel Bani , a corruption of the Greek word meaning "baths".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. [ [http://www.hamat-gader.com/hamatInfo.php?subjId=history&linkOrder=9&subLink=18 Hamat Gader Information Site] ]
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 fromDamascus . Eventually, in the 9th century, the baths were abandoned and a thick layer ofsilt covered the ruins.The site includes a Roman
theatre , which was built in the 3rd century CE and contained 2,000 seats. A largesynagogue was built in the 5th century CE.Modern history
The border between the
British Mandate of Palestine and theFrench Mandate of Syria was drawn in 1923, and Hamat Gader was included in the former. [ [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/67line.html "The Line of June 4, 1967", Frederic C. Hof, Jewish Virtual Library] ]After the
1948 Arab-Israeli War the site remained legally inIsrael , but was occupied bySyria n forces. Israelis were prevented from entering the area by shelling and fire fromSyria n military positions on theGolan Heights overlooking the site.On
April 4 ,1951 , a force ofIsrael i soldiers and Border Police set out for Hamat Gader in order to enforceIsrael i sovereignty over the site.Syria n soldiers guarding the entrance to Hamat Gader ordered them to turn back immediately, but the Israeli force refused. Once the Israeli force had passed, theSyria ns 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. [ [http://nakba-online.tripod.com/golan-3.htm "Background to the Conquering of the Golan Heights - The Demilitarized Zones and the Border Clashes"] he icon] , [ [http://www.hamat-gader.com/hamatInfo.php?subjId=todayProfile&linkOrder=9&subLink=20 Hamat Gader in the 20th Century] ]The skirmish became known as the "
El-Hamma Incident " ( _he. תקרית אל-חמה).Israel i control over Hamat Gader was secured during theSix-Day War in 1967, when the Israeli army captured the surroundingGolan Heights , allowing free access to Hamat Gader for Israelis. Since then, it has been underIsrael i sovereignty and has been developed as a tourist attraction and health resort. The health resort opened in 1977. [ [http://www.hamat-gader.com/hamatInfo.php?subjId=todayProfile&linkOrder=9&subLink=20 Hamat Gader in the 20th Century] ]External links
* [http://www.hamat-gader.com/ Hamat Gader Information] en icon he icon ru icon
* [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early%20History%20-%20Archaeology/Hamat%20Gader%20-%20Baths%20of%20Medicinal%20Hot%20Springs Hamat Gader] at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs site.
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Hamat%20Gader&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=32.683516,35.666481&spn=0.006113,0.013561&t=h&om=1&iwloc=A Hamat Gader at Google Earth]
* [http://nakba-online.tripod.com/Al-Hamma.htm Al-Hamma]References
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