Overview

Bibliography

Arbel is the site of an ancient synagogue located on Mount Nittai in the lower Galilee. It lies just west of Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and north of Tiberias. Mount Arbel, which lies just across the Wadi Hammam, has a somewhat later synagogue on its northern slope. Across the hills and valleys one can see the Horns of Hattin, site of the decisive victory of Sultan Salah ad-Din (Saladin) over the Crusaders in 1187.

The synagogue was first excavated by H. Kohl and C. Watzinger in the early years of the twentieth century. They interpreted the niche in the southern wall as a mihrab that marked the conversion of the synagogue into a mosque. N. Avigad reexamined the synagogue in 1960 and concluded instead that the niche was an organic part of the synagogue added somewhat later.

The synagogue was first constructed in the fourth century, based on the architectural details found at the site. The synagogue was modified in a later phase, probably during the Late Byzantine period. During this phase the niche was added, a new entrance was constructed on the north wall, and the floor of the prayer hall was raised. The synagogue appears to have been destroyed in the eighth century.

The archaeological strata uncovered at the site, as illustrated in the site plan, date to the following periods:

	Late Byzantine Period
	Early Byzantine Period