Hamat Gader

Hamat Gader (he-n. חַמַּת גָּדֵר) is a site in the Yarmouk River valley, near the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The name means "hot springs of Gadara", referring to the several mineral springs with temperatures up to 50°C. Gadara, modern Umm Qais in Jordan, is 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) away.

Hamat Gader is located close to the junction of the borders of Israel, Jordan and Syria.

The ancient name of Hamat Gader is preserved in the local Arabic name for the site (el-Ḥamma, العربية. الحمّـة, עברית. אל חמה), and of the mound located near the site, Tel Bani, a corruption of the Greek word meaning "baths".

History

Hamat Gader was already widely known as a recreation site in Roman times.

Construction of the bath complex began in the 2nd century by the 10th Roman Legion, which was garrisoned in the city of Gadara. Two distinct construction periods are evident at the site: The Roman-Byzantine Period, during which most of the bath complex was built, and the Moslem Period, during which major changes were made to the existing structures.

The hot water springs were used for recreation and healing purposes.

Some of the buildings were damaged by an earthquake in the 7th century and restored by the Umayyad caliph who ruled from Damascus. Eventually, in the 9th century, the baths were abandoned and a thick layer of silt covered the ruins.

The site includes a Roman theatre, which was built in the 3rd century CE and contained 2,000 seats. A large synagogue was built in the 5th century CE.

Modern history

The border between the British Mandate of Palestine and the French Mandate of Syria was drawn in 1923, and Hamat Gader was included in the former.

After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the site remained legally in Israel, but was occupied by Syrian forces. Israelis were prevented from entering the area by shelling and fire from Syrian military positions on the Golan Heights overlooking the site.

On April 4, 1951, a force of Israeli soldiers and Border Police set out for Hamat Gader in order to enforce Israeli sovereignty over the site. Syrian soldiers guarding the entrance to Hamat Gader ordered them to turn back immediately, but the Israeli force refused. Once the Israeli force had passed, the Syrians opened fire from the rear. Of the 22 soldiers and policemen in the force, seven were killed, three were wounded and one was taken prisoner.,

The skirmish became known as the "El-Hamma Incident" (עברית. תקרית אל-חמה).

Israeli control over Hamat Gader was secured during the Six-Day War in 1967, when the Israeli army captured the surrounding Golan Heights, allowing free access to Hamat Gader for Israelis. Since then, it has been under Israeli sovereignty and has been developed as a tourist attraction, health resort and an alligator and exotic bird reserve. The health resort opened in 1977.

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Oleg Shushura
13 May 2017
Всё отлично. И природа, и вода, и обустройство.
Anthony Sapozhnikov
17 February 2014
В рабочие дни после обеда - лучшее время.Нельзя входить со стеклянной тарой - надо перелить, пересыпать. Можно входить с едой, но только сухпайком. Зато без ограничения.
Владимир Савин
Реально горячие источники. На улице +39, но выходишь из воды, чтоб охладиться. Очень жарко. Но здорово.
Vova Julëv
14 September 2015
Отличное место для семьи
Vladi De
21 July 2012
Есть также древние раскопки римских купален и римского театра.
mark gorelik
23 November 2017
Хамат Гадер - это не Сирия. Жто Израиль!
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32°41′2″N, 35°39′55″E, 0.1km from El Ḥamma Get directions
Sat 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Sun 11:00 AM–2:00 PM
Mon 11:00 AM–4:00 PM
Tue 11:00 AM–6:00 PM
Wed Noon–6:00 PM
Thu 10:00 AM–11:00 AM

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