Saturday, June 02, 2007

Nazareth on a Saturday


We visited Nazareth with a group of friends. It was a beautiful day and not too hot for strolling around the old city and exploring some of the famous sites.

Our first stop was a visit to a small shop known as Cactus. It is situated right behind the well known site of Mary's Well. The amazing thing about this small souvenir shop is that it has an ancient Roman Bath right under the foundations. The shop belongs to a delightful couple, Elias and Martina Shama. After purchasing the shop in the early 1990s, the Shamas discovered that beneath their shop is one of the most exciting and important discoveries in Nazareth in recent times. There is a network of beautifully preserved ancient stone arches that once supported a huge Roman bath house. Matina provided an excellent tour and a detailed explanation of the find. After the tour, Martina provided us with coffee, cool water and delicious pastries. I would highly recommend this tour to others who plan to visit Nazareth.

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