Caesarea National Park

Caesarea was first founded in the Persian period (the fourth century BCE), but became famous thanks to the great harbor city built here by King Herod about 2,000 years ago. Alongside the harbor Herod built a palace, a theater, a hippodrome, a temple compound and other structures. After the Byzantine period the harbor went out of use and the city declined. In 1101, the Crusaders captured the city from the Muslims, fortified it and built a small harbor. The Mamluks, who captured the city from the Crusaders, razed it to the ground. At the end of the nineteenth century, a small settlement of Bosnian Muslims was founded here, which existed here until 1948.

Caesarea National Park is situated on the Mediterranean coast in northern Sharon, between the Crocodile and Hadera River mouths. It lies alongside bays and shallow inlets that were formed by wave erosion in the kurkar range. These bays were utilized throughout history for the anchorage of sea-going vessels.
The park extends from the Roman theatre in the south to the Crusader cityin the north. It includes the Byzantine square, the Herodian amphitheatre, promontory palace, bathouse, a network of streets and more. Many archaeological sites within the national park have been prepared for public visits. In addition, parking lots, toilets and restaurants are available.