Mediterranean Coast1st century BCE – 13th century CE

Caesarea Maritima

קיסריה

Caesarea was built by King Herod the Great between 22–10 BCE as a grand port city honoring Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. It became the Roman capital of Judea and later the seat of Byzantine Christian authority. The apostle Paul was imprisoned here before being sent to Rome. Crusaders later fortified the city. Today the archaeological park preserves a Roman theater, hippodrome, aqueduct, and Crusader-era city walls along a stunning Mediterranean coastline.

Wikimedia Commons

Berthold Werner (Public domain)

View full Israel map

Biblical Significance

Caesarea appears frequently in the New Testament. Peter baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius here (Acts 10), marking a pivotal moment in early Christianity. Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea for two years (Acts 23–26) and made his defense before Governor Felix and King Agrippa before being sent to Rome. It was a key city in the spread of Christianity beyond the Jewish world.

What to See

Roman theater — still hosts concerts today
Herodian harbor — ancient engineering marvel
Crusader-era fortified city and moat
Roman aqueduct on the beach
Hippodrome (chariot racing arena)

Herod's Engineering Marvel

Caesarea's harbor was one of the most ambitious building projects of the ancient world. Herod constructed an artificial harbor larger than Piraeus (Athens' port) on a coastline with no natural bay. Using an innovative technique — Roman concrete (opus caementicium) poured underwater using wooden forms — he built massive breakwaters extending into the open sea. The harbor, named Sebastos (Greek for Augustus), included a lighthouse, warehouses, and a temple to Augustus visible to arriving ships. It turned an insignificant stretch of coast into the busiest port in the eastern Mediterranean.

Paul's Imprisonment and Trial

The apostle Paul's connection to Caesarea is deeply woven into the New Testament narrative. After his arrest in Jerusalem, the Roman commander transferred Paul to Caesarea under heavy guard — 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen (Acts 23:23). Paul was imprisoned in Herod's Praetorium for two years, during which he made his famous defense before Governor Felix, Governor Festus, and King Agrippa II. It was here that Paul invoked his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar, setting in motion his journey to Rome (Acts 25:11).

From Rome to the Crusades

After the Roman period, Caesarea became a center of Christian scholarship. Origen founded a famous library and school here in the 3rd century, and Eusebius — the father of church history — served as its bishop. Crusaders recaptured it in 1101 and built the fortified city whose walls, moat, and arched gatehouse visitors see today. King Louis IX of France personally oversaw the fortification in 1251. The city changed hands multiple times until the Mamluk sultan Baybars finally destroyed it in 1265 to prevent further Crusader use.