When driving down the scenic road in the Golan Heights surrounded by vast fields dotted with grazing cows and majestic views of the Sea Of Galilee surrounded by mystical mountains in the distance, it’s easy to overlook the small rickety sign on the side of the road pointing towards a site called “Ein Nashut” with a little archeology symbol. After passing it many times, I finally went to go check it out on a cold winter day and what I discovered was mindblowing. 

Ein Nashut - The Ancient Synagogue 

Located a few kilometers away from modern-day Katzrin and about 3 kilometers away from the Talmudic Village at Park Katzrin (where I happen to have a Golan art exhibit on display at the visitors center), the ruins of Ein Nashut overlook the riverbed of Nachal Meshushim carving through the Golan hills towards the Kinerret (Sea of Galilee) and below the mountains of the Galilee in the distance offering visitors a spectacular view. It’s believed that the area was first settled around 1 CE.

 Ein Nashut was one of many thriving Jewish towns that relocated to the north of Israel after the Romans quelled the Bar Kochva revolt and banned the Jews from Jerusalem

 The synagogue was built a few hundred years later in the Byzantine era, around 4 - 5 CE based on caches of coins found at the site. On the southern side of the synagogue facing Jerusalem, a space in the wall presumably held the ark containing the Torah scrolls. When archaeologists dug up the area, they found some unbelievable artifacts. In the rocks and pillars of the ancient settlement, archeologists found engravings of different animals and more impressively, two engravings of menorahs. More recently, Israel studies students led by Prof. Mordechai Aviam of Kinneret College found an engraving of a lioness in one of the basalt stones! Many of these artifacts are currently on display at the Golan Antiquities Museum in nearby Katzrin. 

Ein Nashut Today 

Ein Nashut doesn't receive as much popularity as the nearby ruin sites such as Ein Keshatot, Daburiya, and Park Katzrin’s Talmudic Village but it still makes for a mesmerizing and relatively easy visit. 

 After parking in a dirt lot off the main road, I made my way down a small slope and across the Meshushim Stream. After a few minutes of walking up the hill on the other side of the stream, I arrived at the relatively preserved ruins of the synagogue. A few pillars lay on their side strewn across the ancient floor while one pillar remains standing above them. The floor is pockmarked by the remnants of what probably was a majestic mosaic-tiled floor. The view is mesmerizing and the slight breeze is refreshing after the ascent from the streambed below. Now perched above these impressive ruins, I can start to imagine what the scene must have been like when it was populated close to 2,000 years ago. Above all, I start to look around the different angles of the synagogue trying to figure out how I’ll capture this incredible piece of Jewish-Israeli history and tell the story of a long-forgotten site. 

Photographing Ein Nashut

After photographing a bunch of different angles and taking the site in, I knew I had to make it back for two shoots. A sunset shot facing the vibrant colors of golden hour, just as the inhabitants from long ago would watch the sunset as they completed the afternoon mincha prayer service and again for a nighttime shoot under the starry unpolluted skies of the Golan. 

On my latest photography trip to the Golan, I was greeted by some phenomenal lighting conditions on my arrival and I knew that the time had come to capture Ein Nashut in all its glory. As I climbed up to the ruins for the second time, the sky around me lit up in a spectacular display of light rays and vibrant yellow hues which quickly changed to orange and finally a deep vibrant red. I couldn’t ask for better conditions to pass over and preserve the story of this fascinating site. 

 Now, all that’s left is to go back there for a shoot under the stars which I’m sure will be equally fascinating. 

Artwork Summary 

With my photography, I try to tell and preserve the story of the ruins scattered across Israel dating back to Biblical times and throughout the thousands of years of intense events that have transpired here. I find it even more important to discover the lesser-known and off-the-beaten-path sites to introduce their story and the role they played in Israeli history to viewers across the world. Ein Nashut was the perfect site to capture and I hope to discover and share many more historical locations like it.