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The Sea of Galilee is an important tourist destination in northeast Israel. It’s located between the Golan Heights and the Galilee region.
Introduction to the Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Tiberias or Kinneret, sits between 215 meters (705 feet) and 209 meters (686 feet) below sea level. It’s the lowest freshwater lake in the world and the second lowest lake in the world behind the Dead Sea, which is salty.
The Sea of Galilee is about 53 kilometers (33 miles) in circumference, about 21 kilometers (13 miles) long, and 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) wide. Its deepest point is about 43 meters (141 feet), and it covers an area of 166.7 square kilometers (64.4 square miles). The main source of water is the Jordan River, although it’s partially fed by underground springs. The lake supports several species of fish, including tilapia, and migrating waterbirds, such as egrets, cormorants, and herons.
History of the Sea of Galilee
The shores around the Sea of Galilee have been settled since the Neolithic era. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Hasmoneans all founded towns around it, setting up a flourishing fishing industry. Many biblical sites associated with Jesus are also situated on the lake. It’s mentioned several times in the New Testament.
After the Jews were expelled from Jerusalem by the Romans, the center of Jewish culture and learning shifted to Tiberias and the Galilee region. During the Byzantine period, the area became an important tourist destination, with package tours geared towards Christian pilgrims. Much of the region except for Tiberias was abandoned after the Umayyad conquest in the early 8th century, and it lost importance until the kibbutz movement began in 1908.
On May 15, 1948, Syria invaded the newly created State of Israel and captured the northeast shoreline of the lake. They held it until the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel took it back along with occupying much of the Golan Heights.
Cruising the Sea of Galilee
A nice way to experience the sea is by taking a short cruise. We took our cruise as part of a pilgrimage and everything was organized by our guide. To take the cruise, we took a short drive from Tiberias to Kibbutz Ginosar (see below). We walked to a pier and boarded a large tourist boat.
It was just after sunset but we were able to catch the last boat of the day. We couldn’t see much after dark other than the lights along the shore, but it was still a relaxing experience. It was also cool and breezy, which was a nice change from the heat earlier in the day.
Ginosar
Once a small agricultural community, Ginosar now thrives on tourism thanks to the discovery of an ancient fishing boat. In 1986, the Ancient Galilee Boat was discovered near the shoreline when the waters of the lake receded during a drought. The boat has been dated to between 50 BC and 50 AD. It’s on display at the Yigal Alon Center, which I didn’t have a chance to visit.
