Quick stop at Kursi

At the base of the Golan, we stopped by Kursi (http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG), a Jewish fishing village during the mishnaic and talmudic periods, remains of which were accidentally discovered after the Six Day War, when a road was paved along the eastern bank of the Sea of Galilee. Excavations revealed the largest Byzantine-period monastery in Israel. The monastary as well as the church inside were built in the middle of the fifth century C.E. and were later damaged most likely during Persian invasion (614 C.E.). The church was repaired but abandoned in the eighth century and never again used for prayer. A mosaic floor with pictures of animals (chickens, geese, doves, cormorants, and fish), and pictures of plants such as citrons, dates, pomegranates, and grapes were uncovered, some of which was vandalized. According to the New Testament, Jesus healed a man possessed by demons in Kursi.

Kursi is run by the Israel Parks Authority and is open daily.