Tel Hazor - The Largest Tel in Israel

Tel Hazor - The Largest Tel in Israel. . English Text:, The story of Hazor is represented by 21 layers of settlement. The history of Hazor can be divided into two chapters: Canaanite Hazor and Israelite Hazor., Canaanite Hazor, You are now in the upper city and looking out over the lower city, which extends north to the trees in the distance. During the Canaanite period, Hazor was the largest city in the country. It included the upper city and the lower city, and reached some 800 dunams in size. Its inhabitants numbered approximately 15,000, and it was called "the head of all those kingdoms" (Joshua 11:10)., Hazor's world of art and architecture reveals its relationship to the northern, Syrian sphere. Hazor is mentioned in documents from the 18th century BCE found in Mari (in present-day Syria). It is also mentioned in the campaigns of war and conquest of the kings of Egypt, and in letters found in el-Amarna in Egypt (the 14th century BCE). These documents reveal a stormy period of political instability, at the end of which (the 13th century BCE), Hazor was destroyed in a huge fire., Following the destruction of the Canaanite city, the lower city was abandoned forever., Some connect the destruction of Canaanite Hazor in a huge fire with the story in the Bible: King Jabin of Hazor fought at the head of an alliance of Canaanite cities against the settling Israelite tribes, led by Joshua. The Israelite victory led to the destruction and burning of the city (Joshua 11:10-13). . This historical marker is Near Ayelet HaShahar in Upper Galilee Regional Council Northern District Israel