Field Trips

In the past couple of weeks, I have gone on two field trips sponsored by Ariel University. The first one was to Migdal Tzedek, a Crusader fortress on the route of the Via Maris. The field trip was for the archaeology department, and since most of the students in the department are locals, the tour was conducted in Hebrew. But, with the help of whispered translations from friends, I was able to understand highlights of the guide’s explanations.

The site is located at a strategic point guarding the crossing point of the Yarkon River. This makes it an ideal place for a Crusader fortress. Later, during the Ottoman Empire, an estate was built, remodeling the fortress into a large residence. Nearby, there were quarries and a lime factory. The guide told us a story about a European princess who ended up living at the site, but I didn’t catch enough of the story in translation to figure out who she was.

The second field trip was to the coast. This trip was for the international students at Ariel University, so the tour was in English. The tour went to Caesarea, and it was supposed to also go to Habonim Beach, which was why I went, because I had never been there before. But they ended up substituting Tel Dor for Habonim Beach, which was disappointing for me, since I had already been there, as well as Caesarea. So, I didn’t end up visiting a site that was new for me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed spending the day on the coast.

Migdal Tzedek. The ruins of the Crusader fortress are on the left and those of the Ottoman estate are on the right.

Inside the Ottoman estate at Migdal Tzedek. The architecture was beautiful.

Our guide pointed out a failed construction technique at Migdal Tzedek. The lintel of the door is an inscription stone that was robbed from a tomb. The arch above was meant to distribute the weight away from the stone so that it would not crack from the weight, but then they negated the effect of the arch by filling it in with stones. Not surprisingly, the lintel stone is cracked.

The coastline at Dor.

Ruins at Dor. I don’t know what period these date to.

The beach at Dor.

Flowers blooming at Dor.

It had rained a lot the morning of the tour, and the moat of the Crusader fortress at Caesarea had water in it. It is usually a dry moat.