About Caesarea Maritima

Originally an ancient Phoenician settlement (Straton’s Tower), Herod the Great began to rebuild the city and renamed it Caesarea Maritima in honour of Caesar Augustus. It became a prosperous city and subsequently, it was an important centre of early Christianity. It declined under later Byzantine and Arab rule. It was rebuilt by the Crusaders and was finally captured and razed to the grounds by the Mamluks.

Herod’s Harbour

The 40-acre harbour would accommodate 300 ships. Using revolutionary technology, Herod’s engineers constructed two huge breakwaters, lined with warehouses. At the end of the southern breakwater stood the lighthouse with its fires burning 24 hours a day. What remains of the harbour can be explored by scuba divers as they explore the Underwater Archaeological Park.

Herod’s City

Caesarea was built like a model Greco-Roman city with a forum, amphitheatre, temples, public baths, paved streets and a magnificent palace on a promontory jutting out into the waters. Herod’s hippodrome seated more than 10,000 people who would come to watch chariot races and gladiator fights. Giant aqueducts brought fresh water from Mount Carmel to Caesarea Maritima.

Biblical History

Caesarea’s port provided a launching point for Paul to set out on his missionary journeys. He also spent two years there as a prisoner (Acts 25). Peter baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius at Caesarea (Acts 10).

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