GAMLA NATURE RESERVE, GOLAN HEIGHTS

Gamla is one of the most patriotic cities of Jews. All of Gamla's 9000 citizens died defending the city from Roman siege in the first century AD. The city on the Golan derived its name from gamal (Hebrew for camel). Its location on a narrow ridge 10 km north of the Sea of Galilee surrounded on three sides by deep valleys looks like the back of a camel.

Although, Jewish traditions date Gamla from the time of Joshua (13th Cent BC), a Jewish Gamla was established only in 2nd century BC, by the Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus. Gamla became the capital of the Jewish Golan from 87 BC to 68 AD. During the first Jewish revolt against Romans (66 AD), the city was defended by none other than the famous Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 13:394).

According to Josephus, some 4,000 inhabitants were slaughtered, while 5,000 others preferred suicide by jumping from the steep slopes of Gamla hill into the deep valleys beneath (Josephus, The Jewish War IV, 1-83). No doubt why Gamla is known as "the Masada of the north"- the number of dead were also much higher compared to Masada. According to Josephus it was only possible to reach the city from one side and by one trail. This same trail leads to Gamla even today.

Gamla abandoned in 67 AD was discovered only after 1900 years later by Yitzhaki Gal and Shmarya Gutmann in 1968. The Golan Archaeological Museum displays artifacts from Gamla, especially ballista balls, arrowheads, nails and sling stones used during the siege 1900 years ago. Among the ruins discovered, there is a large synagogue, thought to date form the early 1^st Cent AD, an aqueduct, a ritual bath, and numerous public buildings. The synagogue of Gamla is among the oldest known synagogues in the world.

Today, the Gamla Nature Reserve contains the highest waterfall in Israel (51m), archaeological sites incuding remains of the ancient Gamla, a field of dolmens and the biggest Griffon Vulture nesting colony in Israel.

See more:
http://www.jewishmag.com/40mag/gamla/gamla.htm