Gamla Dolmen Field

On a high plateau in the middle of the Golan is a large dolmen field. These mysterious megalithic structures, constructed as large stone tables, probably served as tombs during the Early Bronze age. Most dolmens, here and elsewhere, were disturbed in antiquity and thus have not been excavated. Nevertheless, such structures stir the imagination.

Mshatta

From your airplane window as you arrive at Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan, you may get a glimpse of the largest and best preserved Umayyad palace in Jordan. Mshatta was built by the caliph Walid II, but was never finished, probably due to the Abbasid rebellion and his assassination. Nevertheless, what was completed has survived well, and its main building presents the common form of palatial units in the Umayyad palaces. 

Take a "flight" to Jordan and tour this marvelous palace.

Azraq

Once isolated at an oasis in the middle of the eastern desert, the Azraq fortress is now surrounded by a Druze village. The fortress was built during the Late Roman period was continuously occupied through the late Islamic period. Although it has not be excavated, the ruins have been stablized and is one of the best preserved Roman fortresses in Jordan.

Hammat Tiberias

South of the city of Tiberias, a suburb developed around a hot spring. The village came to be known as Hammat, today Hammat Tiberias, and it shared much of the same history as Tiberias. Inside the southern gate of the village, excavators have discovered several superimposed synagogues with beautiful mosaic floors. Come and take a look.

Horvat ‘Ethri

Although online for some time, Horvat ‘Ethri has been updated with an introduction and new VR movies. Horvat ‘Ethri is a small Judean village in the upper Shephelah that presents a good picture of Judean life from the period of the two Judean revolts. Hidden beneath the typical courtyard-style houses are caverns cut into the bedrock that were used as hiding places during the revolts. The site also includes a public building that has been interpreted as an early example of a synagogue.

Tiberias

Tiberias was established by Herod Antipas and named after his patron Tiberius around 19 CE. From that time, it grew to be the major Roman city in the Galilee and the center of the late Byzantine Jewish community. Despite its historical importance, the ruins and excavations at Tiberias have not received the attention that they deserve. Fortunately that is changing. The state of Israel recently has made a commitment to showcase the ancient city of Tiberias.

In the virtual tour of Tiberias you can visit some of the prominent parts of the ancient city. From the church on Mt. Berenice, overlooking the ancient and modern town, to the basilica by the sea; from the marketplace – both Byzantine and Abbasid – to the large bath, you can get a vivid perspective of life in ancient Tiberias. Come take a look.

Zohar

Zohar is a small Byzantine fortress on a road leading out of the Dead Sea. It shares much of the same history as the nearby fortress at ‘En Boqeq, though it has not been preserved as well.

Abu Ghosh

Abu Ghosh is the home of a well preserved Crusader church. Built by the Order of St. John (the Hospitallers), the church is located where the Crusaders believed the New Testament village of Emmaus to be located. We now know that Emmaus is further east (you can also visit it in the Virtual World Project).

While you visit the church, make sure to inspect its many well-preserved paintings on the church walls.

Aqua Bella

Aqua Bella appears to be a manor built by the Order of St. John (the Hospitallers) for its aged, sick, and wounded knights. Although the site has been online for some time, it has recently been updated with additional VRs.

Yehiam

The Yehiam castle in northern Israel is known as Judin in the historical record and was a sister castle of the Teutonic Knights to the nearby Montfort castle. Although short lived, the castle was later rebuilt during the eighteenth century and was utilized by Israelis during the War of Independence.

Enjoy the scenic views from this castle, and see if you can distinguish the various periods of rebuilding in this otherwise unstudied castle.

Hunin castle and Beth Yerah

Hunin castle, known as Chateau Neuf in the historical record, is poorly preserved and never excavated, but it has one of the best examples of a dry moat, which protects its northern site. From the castle one gets a beautiful view of the Hulah valley below and the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Hermon in the distance.

Bet Yerah is better known for its Early Bronze granary, but unfortunately that structure is no longer visible. What has been preserved on the site is a typical basilical church.

Get out your passport, pack your bags, and take a tour of these two new sites in the project.

Khan al-Ahmar

Khan al-Ahmar, hidden away in the small industrial area of Mishor Adummim along the Jerusalem - Jericho road, is the monastery of Euthymius, one of the most important Judean monasteries of the Byzantine period. At the core of the monastery, a probably the oldest surviving part, is the crypt in which Euthymius himself was buried.

Take a visit to Khan al-Ahmar and get a glimpse of early monastic Christianity.

Montfort

The castle is poorly preserved thanks to Baybars who encouraged his troops to dismantle it. Nevertheless, Montfort was the main castle for the Knights of the Teutonic Order, and the castle has perhaps one of the most scenic settings in Israel. Come and visit this new addition to the project.

Umm al-Walid

On the edge of the eastern desert in central Jordan is the rarely visited site of Umm al-Walid. Although much of the ancient site still lies in ruin awaiting excavation and perhaps restoration, a Umayyad Qasr and Mosque have been excavated and preserved. Take a stroll across the qasr's well-paved courtyard and spend the night in one of its residential rooms or barracks. Although labelled a "qasr" - that is, a fortress - this qasr probably functioned as a khan.

A second qasr has also been excavated, but has not seen any preservations activities and is thus more difficult to discern. It is worth the visit, nevertheless.

Explore the Arad Fortress!

Now you can take an audio tour of the Arad Fortress! As with many of our other sites, in addition to a detailed site description, significant interpretational differences are presented as well. Enjoy!

More Audio Tours Available!

In a burst of creative teamwork we are proud to announce the addition of three new Audio Tours that will guide you through the sites of Aphek (Late Bronze through Turkish periods!); Tel Gezer (Middle Bronze through Iron II); and Lachish (Late Bronze through Iron II)! We invite you to take the tours and hope you will find them to be enjoyable as well as informative!

Nimrod Fortress

Nimrod Fortress is the largest and best preserved castle in Israel (located on a high ridge in the foothills of Mt. Hermon). Unfortunately, we know little about the castle due to the lack of a full scale excavation across the site and a confusion in the literature between this castle and the nearby castle at Banias. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful site to visit and explore its many towers and keep.

Now Take the Ein Feshka Audio Tour!

For anyone interested in Khirbet Qumran, the site most associated with the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a visit to nearby Ein Feshka is essential. The physical association of these two sites within the greater context of the western bank of the Dead Sea raises serious questions for the traditional Essene-Qumran hypothesis. Listen to the audio tour and study the virtual reality movies for yourself to see just how complicated archaeology can be!

Ashdod-Yam

The virtual tour of Ashdod-Yam, along the southern coast of Israel, has been put online. The castle at Ashdod-Yam has been a long neglected site, and due to disturbances, the construction phases of the castle are difficult to discern (during the period from the Umayyad through the Crusader periods). Nevertheless, the castle is in a beautiful setting along the Mediterranean coast, and the walls of the castle are preserved to a substantial height, leaving a good impression of the site.

Khirbet Qumran Audio Tour

You can now take a guided audio tour of Khirbet Qumran! The narration focuses on the architecture of the site and some of the scholarly debates over its interpretation. By the way, in the VR movies you can see some of the caves where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were found, including the beautiful double-cavity Cave 4, which yielded over half the total number of Dead Sea documents. So be sure to check it out!

Udhruh

The large Roman fortress at Udhruh in southern Jordan has been put online. This site has been extensively damaged and neglected over the years, so that only a few towers and part of the perimeter wall remain visible. To get a good view of the size of the fortress, check out the satelite image from Google Earth (figure 11).

Two new sites

Two new, very different sites have recently been put online. In the south of Jordan, Ain Jammam consists of two different settlements: a Neolithic village and a Byzantine farmstead. In the north of Jordan, the Ajlun castle was used during the Crusader period.

Audio Tours

One of the latest enhancements to the Virtual World Project has been the addition of interpretive audio clips. In Jordan, check out Qsar Bshir, Buseirah, Iraq al-Amir, and Ramm. In Israel, visit the Caves of Amud, Bethsaida, En Gedi, En Gev, Gush Halav, Hadar, Herodium, Khirbet Shema, and Meiron. Watch for Khirbet Qumran to be posted soon!

Focus on Syria-Palestine

Focus of the Virtual World Project is Syria-Palestine - the present-day countries of Israel, Jordan, and Syria - which is the area of academic interest of the project's directors. Many sites in Israel and Jordan have been photographed and incorporated into the project. Sites in Syria are scheduled to be photographed in the future.

In 2002, early in the project's history, a number of sites were photographed in Greece and Turkey, and they continue to be available as "legacy sites" on the project. 

New additions in Jordan

The virtual tours for Amman, Petra, Dhat Ras, Dharih, and Lehun in Jordan have recently been added to the Virtual World Project.