"NAZARETH CITY"

Nazareth City
The site where Nazareth exists today was founded and settled between 600-900 BCE. Nazareth is located between the open space of the Jezreel valley and the mountainous regions of Galilee. Nazareth is also 60 miles north of Jerusalem and midway between the Mediterranean and Galilean seas. Before Jesus’ time great battles had taken place in the valley that is seen from Nazareth. The Jezreel as it is seen from the town, is a natural battlefield. The villages and farms in the at the time of Jesus consisted of walled terraces, watch towers, and rock quarries. The village was surrounded be vineyards, olive grooves, and terraced crops, that might have inspired some of Jesus’ parables. Nazareth was isolated however because no trade routes ran through the city.
Nazareth is in the central area of Galilee and is surrounded by numerous sites of international historical and archeological importance, such as Cana of Galilee, Sephoris, Mount Tabor, the Mount of the Precipice, Tiberias, Capernaum amongst others. The heart of Nazareth today is the Old City, which is comprised of two parts: the nucleus - the historical and religious core - and the ``casing" - the markets, mansions, and houses on the slope of the Nebi Sa'in Ridge. Nazareth is now the largest Arab city in Israel with a population of, half Christians, half Moslems. These groups live together in a peaceful harmony coexisting with each other.