Caesarea Facts for Kids

Caesarea (pronounced See-sah-REE-ah) is a cool town in north-central Israel. Its name comes from different languages like Hebrew (Kaysariya), Arabic (Qaysaria), and Greek (Kaisareia).

It's located right in the middle of two big cities, Tel Aviv and Haifa, along the coast near Hadera. What makes Caesarea special is that it's the only place in Israel managed by a private group, the Caesarea Development Corporation. Even though many people live there, it's not officially recognized as a local council.

History of Caesarea
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History of Caesarea

Caesarea has a really long and interesting history, going back thousands of years!

Built by a King

The town was first built by a powerful ruler named Herod the Great. He started building it around 25–13 BC. Herod wanted a big, impressive port city, and he called it Caesarea Maritima. It became a very important place.

Roman and Byzantine Times

After Herod, Caesarea became the main administrative center for the area called Judea under the Roman Empire. This means it was where a lot of important government decisions were made. Later, during the Byzantine Empire, it was the capital of a province called Palaestina Prima. This was a time when the city was very grand and important.

Changes Over Centuries

In the 7th century, during the Muslim conquests of the Levant (the eastern Mediterranean region), Caesarea was one of the last cities to be taken by the Arab armies. For a long time, most of the people living there were Arab.

Then came the Crusades, which were religious wars. When the Crusaders conquered Caesarea, many people left. After the Mamluks (another powerful group) took over, the city was completely abandoned for a while.

Modern Caesarea

The area started to be populated again in 1884. Immigrants from Bosnia, called Bosniaks, settled there and created a small fishing village.

Much later, in 1952, the modern Jewish town of Caesarea was officially started. It was built right next to the amazing ruins of the old city. These ancient ruins are now a famous national park called Caesarea Maritima, where you can explore history!