Megiddo, also known as Armageddon (mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible), is a Unesco World Heritage site situated in Northern Israel’s Jezreel Valley and is extensively regarded as the Holy Land’s most significant Biblical period site.
Archeologists have uncovered the remnants of 26 civilizations at Tel Megiddo covering a period of 35 centuries, and each surrounding valley and hill tells a biblical tale. Every army crossing this land in the past clashed in the area of Megiddo, and many cases decided the fate of empires which could explain why, in the Book of Revelation, Armageddon is named as the place where the great battle of “The End of Days” will take place, when good triumphs over evil.
The excavations at Megiddo began in 1903. It has since become the cradle of Israeli archeology, answering practically every question related to the Iron and Bronze Ages in the Land of the Bible. The history of the city of Megiddo goes back approximately 5000 years but was destroyed during the Persian Invasion about 2,300 years ago. The only thing left is the ruins of King Solomon’s stables and fortress and the excavations of 26 civilizations.
In 2005 only a short way down the road from Megiddo, an astonishing discovery was made. When digging was carried out to expand a prison in the area, a mosaic floor was discovered with inscriptions written in Greek. One was in honor of a woman called Akeptos, which read “lover of God, who contributed the Table to God, Jesus Christ as a memorial” Archeologists are in the process of renovating the site and believe that the inscriptions could make this the oldest Christian Church that has ever been found.
During the first-ever visit of a Pope to the Holy Land in 1964, Megiddo was chosen as the place for the historic meeting of Pope Paul VI and the President of the State of Israel.
The archeological site was also used as the background of James Michener’s famous bestselling book “The Source .”