Not as photogenic as the Masada of the South, nor as dramatic to look at. But Gamla is green, or is during the spring and fall when it rains more. Remains to be seen what it’ll look like this Wednesday when I climb over its ruins for the first time. I stayed at the overlook on my first visit in March, 2011.
This is on the Golan Heights, which Syria claims despite losing it in 1973 in an invasive war they started. But there’s little development up there as the Israeli government still holds out the faint hope of someday trading it for a permanent peace treaty. Or as permanent as anything can be with an autocratic Arab state.
Gamla, however, dating as it does from pre-66 C.E., readily shows who owned it originally, as does the archaeology. It wasn’t Assad & Co. I expect Mrs. C. and Mr. B. will prefer to watch for eagles at the overlook above the place rather than tramp the lone trail down there with me. This is a nature preserve. But we’ll see.
UPDATE: Mr. Boy opted to go down the steep, rocky trail with me to see the oldest synagogue yet discovered in Israel. We enjoyed the visit. And it was a good thing he came. ‘Cause while he ran back up the quarter-mile trail like a mountain goat, I like to died getting back up it. Without his encouragement, I might still be sitting out there mumbling, “just a few more minutes until I catch my breath.”
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 