"The Cister"

- CONTENT -
KASTRO IS AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF A LARGE CITY THAT TOOK PLACE FROM THE 4TH CENTURY BYZANTINE PERIOD TO THE 7TH CENTURY, AND A SMALLER SETTLEMENT THAT EXISTED DURING THE EARLY MUSLIM PERIOD UNTIL IT WAS ABANDONED IN THE LATE 10TH CENTURY. THE SITE IS LOCATED IN THE SOUTHERN OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY OF HAIFA ON THE BRANCH OF MOUNT CARMEL IN THE AREA OF THE VILLAGE OF SAMIR 1.5 KM FROM THE COAST, AND SPANS ABOUT 250 HECTARES. IDENTIFYING THE SITE WITH THE CASTRA OF THE SAMARITANS WAS MADE ASSUMING THAT THE VILLAGE OF SAMIR, WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN THE OTTOMAN PERIOD AND SAT ON THE RUINS OF KASTERA, WHICH WOULD PRESERVE THE NAME OF THE SAMARITANS IN HIS NAME. THE EXCAVATION FINDINGS ON THE SITE DO NOT CONFIRM THIS IDENTIFICATION.

KASTERA IN ORIGINS
IN ANCIENT LITERATURE, THE CITY OF KASTERA (OR SHORT) IS MENTIONED IN THE WORDS OF RABBI ABHU (IN THE LATE 3TH AND EARLY 4TH CENTURY), AS A HOSTILE CITY NEAR THE HAIFA. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE MIDRASH, IT IS A GREAT DEAL:

IN ANTONUS'S WRITINGS FROM PICHACHEN, THE 6TH CENTURY APPEARS THE NAME CASTIRA OF THE SAMARITANS. ANTONIAS DESCRIBES THE WAY TO HAIFA AND WRITES:

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS
THE SITE WAS REVIEWED IN 1965 AS PART OF ISRAEL’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

THE EXCAVATIONS WERE EXAMINED ON THE SITE OF FIVE STAGES:
THE ROMAN PERIOD
THE BEGINNING OF THE 4TH CENTURY - THE BYZANTINE PERIOD - A CHRISTIAN PERIOD IN THE CITY.
THE TWO STAGES WERE SEPARATED FROM THE HALF OF THE 4TH CENTURY TO THE FIRST HALF OF THE 6TH CENTURY - A CHRISTIAN PERIOD IN THE CITY.
THE PERIOD OF DECLINE IN THE CITY IS HALF A SECOND OF THE 6TH CENTURY TO THE HALF OF THE 8TH CENTURY. THIS TIME, THE CITY BECAME A MUSLIM.
THE 15TH AND 16TH CENTURY - THE OTTOMAN PERIOD. DURING THIS PERIOD, THE VILLAGE OF SAMIR WAS FOUNDED.

THE SITE WAS FOUND TO HAVE ANCIENT REMAINS FOR THE BYZANTINE PERIOD WHICH IS THE MAIN SITE. THEY WERE MOSTLY FOUND TOMBS, THE EARLIEST IS A TOMB FROM THE CHLOCAL PERIOD. THERE WERE ALSO TOMBS FROM THE BYZANTINE BRONZE AGE THAT WERE ROBBED IN ANCIENT TIMES. FROM THE ROMAN PERIOD, A NUMBER OF TOMBS CONTAINED IN THEM WERE FOUND. FROM THIS PERIOD, THERE IS ALSO HOPE FOR TEHARAH AND A STAMP OF BREAD MADE OF POTTERY ON WHICH THE WORD “SILENT” IS SET. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THE EXISTENCE OF A JEWISH POPULATION IN THIS PERIOD.

IT CAN BE SEEN IN THE AREA OF THE REMAINS OF TWO LARGE STRUCTURES THAT HAVE BEEN EXCAVATED. A STRUCTURE WITH SEVERAL ROOMS IS FLOODED WITH A MOSAIC SEQUENCE AND A STRUCTURE THAT CONTAINS SEVERAL EYEBROWS. THE BUILDINGS ARE ON THE LEFT OF THE ROAD ACCESS TO THE CARMEL TUNNELS, BETWEEN THE ROAD AND THE YOUTH HOSTEL.

THE BYZANTINE PERIOD ON THE SITE
DURING THIS PERIOD, A BYZANTINE CITY WAS HELD ON THE SITE THAT WAS MAINLY CHRISTIAN ON ALL ITS COMPONENTS. IN EXCAVATIONS, SOME OF THEM WERE EXPOSED FROM FLOORS, THE BUILT-IN AMIS HOUSES IN PAVED GAS BUILDINGS IN MOSAIC BUILDINGS AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS. A WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM WAS UNCOVERED WHICH INCLUDED CANALS, PITS AND WATER POOLS. THE REMAINS INCLUDED TWO CHURCHES WITH MOSAIC FLOORS AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS.

THE CITY
UNLIKE THE ROMAN PERIOD, THE CITY WAS NOT PLANNED. THE GROWTH IN THE CITY WAS MADE ACCORDING TO POPULATION GROWTH, AND ITS STREETS WERE NOT PARALLEL. THE CITY LEANED ON THE MOUNTAIN SLOPE THAT DICTATED THE ROADS IN THE CITY. BECAUSE THE MAIN STREETS WERE WEST OF THE EAST, WITH SMALL STREETS CROSSING THEIR GENERAL NEIGHBOR WAS NORTH OF THE SOUTH. SOME OF THE STREETS WERE DOWN IN THE SKY AND THEY WERE FOUND IN THEM ROCKY OR BUILT STAIRS. SOME OF THE STREETS ARE PAVED IN THE STONE. THE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS SPANNED THE EASTERN PART OF THE CITY, AND IN THE WEST THE CEMETERY WAS ESTABLISHED.

SONS OF