Hamat Gader (Hebrew: חַמַּת גָּדֵר) is a park with hot springs and an ancient site at the mouth of the river Yermouk at the southern foot of the Golan Heights North of Israel.
background
The hot springs of Hamat Gader, the "hot springs of Gadara", have been a popular destination for Roman and Jewish visitors since ancient times. After the Arab conquest of Galia and devastating earthquakes, the seaside resort experienced a decline.
Hamat Gader came into focus after the Israeli War of Independence when the site was assigned to a demilitarized zone (DMZ) between Israel and Syria and became the scene of a skirmish. After the Six Day War, the archaeological structures were secured and a spa and crocodile farm built, which attracts numerous visitors.
history
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Soldiers from the 10th Legion serving in the Roman garrison of the Decapolis-City Gadara were quartered, built the first thermal baths at the beginning of the 2nd century in the area of the hot springs discovered in the lower reaches of the Yarmouk river. Until the Byzantine period the thermal baths were expanded and a Roman city with thermal baths, a theater with 2000 seats and in the 5th century arose. a synagogue was built. Parts of the mosaic floor can be seen today in the entrance hall of the highest court in Israel.
After earthquake damage and the conquest by the Muslim Arabs, the baths were renewed in 633 by the Umayad caliph in Damascus, the definitive decline happened after the devastating earthquake that hit Galilee in 749 AD. shocked.
The place remained largely deserted, in the small town the Hejaz Railway rebuilt its line through the Jezreel Valley Haifa a train station. The village came into the British Mandate of Palestine due to border corrections and in the 1920s had almost 1000 predominantly Muslim residents. In 1936, a Lebanese businessman received a license to operate a thermal bath, which was soon frequented by the local population. The Hejaz Railway remained in operation until 1948, when Jewish independence fighters blew up the railway bridge over the Yarmouk.
A large part of the population fled around the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, due to a Syrian - Israeli agreement the place became part of a demilitarized zone (DMZ) with other villages. In 1951 the "Al-Hamma Incident" occurred, an Israeli patrol disguised as a police officer engaged in an exchange of fire with Syrian soldiers, seven Israeli soldiers lost their lives. It was not until 1967 that Israel gained sovereignty over Hamat Gader and the Golan Heights in the Six Day War.
After 1977, the facility with a spa, healing treatments and a crocodile farm (the energy and the necessary warm temperatures were provided by the hot springs) was created and is now very popular with Israelis. The excavated ruins of the Byzantine settlement are in the park area, but cannot be entered for viewing.
landscape
The hot springs of Hamat Gader, the water with a sulfur content of up to 4.7% exits at temperatures of 28 to 52 ° C, owe their specialty to this Great African rift valley (English "Great Rift Valley"), they are located in a ravine on the lower reaches of the Yarmuk. The river, as a border river between Israel and Jordan and further up as a triangle with three countries Syria falls practically completely dry in the summer months; the water is dammed upstream by the Al-Wehda dam on the Jordanian-Syrian border and used for irrigation purposes.
Flora and fauna
The flora and fauna are similar to those in the rest of the Golan region; a number of rare wild birds can be seen in the trees in the Yarmouk Valley.
A crocodile park was set up as a further attraction to the thermal baths, the alligators, caimans and snakes feel comfortable in the warm - tempered water and no energy has to be used to heat the enclosures in the winter months, the animals can be seen in the open air.
Furthermore, a parrot show is offered, the colorful parrots especially delight the young audience with their tricks.
climate
Due to the sheltered location almost 200 m below sea level, it can get hot in Hamat Gader in the summer months, there is an arid Mediterranean climate.
getting there
The access to Hamatz Gader is from the street 98 from the south to the Golan Heights increases. Road 98 is reached across the street 92which circles the Sea of Galilee to the south and east.
Fees / permits
mobility
In the park area one moves on foot.
Tourist Attractions
- 2 Open-air thermal bath: the large pool with its 34 ° C water temperature is partially covered and is the heart of the facility.
- 1 archaeological site with the ruins from Byzantine times of a thermal bath and a 2 theatre: the archaeological site can be viewed from above, but you are not allowed to enter the ruins themselves.
- 3 Crocodile farm with enclosures with different species of crocodiles, alligators and caimans; The parrot show can also be seen in this area.
- The mosque of Al-Hamma with the minaret still stands from the time of the Ottoman Empire; the former train station of the Hejaz Railway is located further north in the area of a fish farm.
activities
- Bathing in 34 ° C warm water; Various massages and other healing treatments in the spa
- Visit the crocodile farm, parrot show and petting zoo
shop
kitchen
- In Hamat Gader there are various restaurant options, the restaurant "The Pan" with Israeli - Middle Eastern cuisine, the hotel's "Blue Bar" restaurant with international cuisine and a Chinese restaurant.
accommodation
- 1 Spa Village Hotel, Boutique hotel with wooden bungalows with a jacuzzi fed with thermal water
security
- The security situation in the border triangle resp. in the immediate vicinity of the Jordanian border has been harmless for decades.
