Where is Caesarea located?
Caesarea is located on Israel's Mediterranean coast, 50 kilometers north of Tel Aviv and just a few kilometers from Hadera. The town is very small, with an area of 35 km² and a population of about 4,500 people. The national currency is the new shekel (ILS).
Caesarea: a bit of history
This city existed as early as 586 BC and was ruled by the Phoenicians. However, the city with the name Caesarea was founded by King Herod (about 37 BC - 4 AD), who named it in honor of the Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus, who gave him the lands previously lost by the Jews. King Herod had grandiose plans, so it took 12 years to build Caesarea.
In 6 AD, Caesarea became the residence of the Roman procurators of Judea. In 1101, it was captured by the Crusaders, who fortified it and made it the residence of the archbishop. In 1265, Caesarea was captured by the Mamelukes, who destroyed it and left.
The town remained destroyed until the late 19th century when Turkish authorities settled refugees from Bosnia here. After that, the Crusader fortress was rebuilt and made its administrative center, and a new residential settlement appeared on the ruins of the city. Today, the ruins of the old fortress city of Caesarea can still be seen in the city.
