Tour Bet She'an:
Remembering King Saul on an Ancient Crossroads

Bet She'an was the entrance to the Garden of Eden, the ancient sages used to say, because of its beauty. On your trip to Bet She'an, you, too, will experience the lushness of those stream-fed surroundings, where people have lived since the beginning of recorded history. By Jesus' time, Bet She'an had become a central crossroads, one of the Decapolis cities, whose inhabitants knew of Jesus' teachings and miracles (Matt. 4:25; Mark 7:31).

Bet She'an was the entrance to the Garden of Eden, the ancient sages used to say, because of its beauty.

In the magnificent ruins you'll see on your Bet She'an tour, dating mainly from the centuries after Jesus, you'll feel the heartbeat of the once-thriving city, felled by an earthquake in 749 CE, now meticulously restored.

You'll always remember the story of King Saul at Bet She'an after hearing it where it actually happened: Somewhere in Bet She'an's huge archaeological mound are the walls where the Philistines hung the body of Saul and his sons after they died in battle on nearby Mount Gilboa (1 Sam. 31:8-10). Climb the mound for a magnificent view of the Mountains of Gilead to the east, and pay your respects to the Israelite 'commandos' from Jabesh, who rescued the remains of their beloved leader and his sons (1 Sam. 31:11).