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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Sebastia and Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of starting at Sīlat az̧ Z̧ahr

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
139 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 39
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis

Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.

Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.

Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.

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Why this ride

From Sīlat az̧ Z̧ahr it runs 139 km to Sīlat az̧ Z̧ahr; allow about 2 h 39 of riding. It goes by way of Tel Megiddo, Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of and back through Tel Megiddo. It crosses from Palestinian Territories into Israel - carry ID and check the toll rules.

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Sebastia

    Sebastia, Sabastiya in Arabic, is a Palestinian village on a hill north-west of Nablus, in the northern West Bank, surrounded by olive groves and terraced hillsides. It stands on the site of Samaria, the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the ninth and eighth centuries BC, later rebuilt by Herod the Great, who named it Sebaste in honour of the Emperor Augustus. The ruins on the hilltop above the village span a thousand years of history.

    Read the complete Sebastia write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Sebastia is where the day begins. Next is Tel Megiddo.

  2. 2. Tel Megiddo

    From the top of Tel Megiddo, the whole of the Jezreel Valley spreads out below you, a green and gold checkerboard of fields stretching towards Mount Tabor and the hills of Galilee. You can see at once why so many armies fought here. The mound guarded the narrow pass where the ancient coastal road, the Via Maris, crossed from the Mediterranean plain into the valley, and anyone who held it controlled one of the great trade and military routes of the ancient world.

    Read the complete Tel Megiddo write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Tel Megiddo comes up about 51 km into the recorded legs. Next is Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of.

  3. 3. Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of

    In the second century AD, after the failed revolts against Rome, the centre of Jewish life moved to Galilee, and the Sanhedrin, the supreme rabbinical council, settled for a time at Bet She'arim, on a hill at the western edge of the Jezreel valley. Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, the patriarch who compiled the Mishnah, the first great codification of Jewish law, lived here, and when he was buried in the necropolis, Jews from all over the diaspora wanted to be buried near him. The result is a vast network of catacombs carved into the soft limestone, listed by UNESCO in 2015.

    Read the complete Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    about 69 km into the recorded legs you reach Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of. Next is back through Tel Megiddo.

  4. 4. back through Tel Megiddo

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Tel Megiddo write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    back through Tel Megiddo, late in the day. Next is Sebastia.

  5. 5. Sebastia

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Sebastia write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Back at Sebastia. That is the ride.

Leg by leg

Sebastia to Tel Megiddo

Sebastia → Tel Megiddo is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Tel Megiddo to Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of

Tel Megiddo → Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of to back through Tel Megiddo

Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of → back through Tel Megiddo is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Tel Megiddo to Sebastia

back through Tel Megiddo → Sebastia is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

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