Migdal, Israel

Migdal (, lit. Tower) is a town in the Northern District of Israel. It was founded in 1910, and granted local council status in 1949. In 2008 it had a population of 1,627.

Migdal is located near Ginosar, and about 8 km north of Tiberias. It has a shoreline on the Sea of Galilee, including the Tamar, Ilanot and Arbel beaches.

History

The town is named after the old city of Migdala Nunia (Aramaic: "fish tower"), home town of Mary of Magdala (Luke 8:2), and is situated just west of the Kinneret on Tiberias-Rosh Pina road.

In 1908, a small group of German Catholics who identified the site as the birth place of Mary Magdalene settled there. An encampment of Gdud HaAvoda workers who built the Tiberias-Rosh Pina road was established there in 1921.Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel Herzl Press and McGraw-Hill,New York 1971, Volume II, p. 784

Archaeology

In September 2009, a salvage dig of the Israel Antiquities Authority prior to the construction of a hotel revealed an ancient synagogue believed to date back some 2000 years, from 50 BCE to 100 CE. In the middle of a 120 sq.m. main...
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