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Banias
At the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan (1150ft above sea level) lies Banias Nature
Reserve. Its natural surroundings make it a beautiful location and it is possible
just to walk by the River Hermon, coming across historic sites and ending at the
Banias waterfall, the largest in the region and definitely worth seeing.
The Greek Seleucids conquered the area in 198 BC. Banias is the Arabic name of the
Hellenic city of Paneas (the Greek god of herds and shepherds). The area was chosen
by Philip, son of King Herod, as the capital of his kingdom of the Roman Empire,
named Caesarea Philippi. In Biblical history, it is believed that Jesus visited
the city, where he told his disciples that his church would be built on Peter, the
rock (Matthew 16:13-20). Things to see: the ruins of shrines and temples, a Herodian
building, the tomb of St. George (a Muslim saint), and Crusader ruins.
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