BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Byzantine Synagogue Uncovered in the Golan

Archaeologists find lost synagogue beneath abandoned village

Architectural pieces from the Byzantine synagogue. Courtesy Mechael Osband

Archaeologists have long suspected that an ancient synagogue lay beneath the ruins of an abandoned village in the western Golan. Now, they have finally found it. Excavating in the Yehudiya Nature Reserve, archaeologists with the University of Haifa and Kinneret Academic College uncovered the remains of a basilica-style synagogue dating to the Byzantine period (c. 324–634 CE), when the Golan was a predominantly Jewish region.

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Uncovering a Synagogue

Previous surveys in the Yehudiya Nature Reserve had noted a large amount of Byzantine architectural elements in secondary use within the remains of the reserve’s abandoned Syrian village. Among the reused pieces were some decorated with menorahs, a strong indication of the presence of an ancient synagogue. However, none of the previous surveys had been able to locate the synagogue itself.

Aerial view of the Byzantine synagogue at the Yehudiyya Nature Reserve. Courtesy Mechael Osband.

Carrying out renewed survey work, the current archaeological team noticed three column drums laid along a path in the village. “We decided to investigate there since it was one of the areas where the remains were not in secondary use,” said the University of Haifa’s Mechael Osband, co-director of the excavation. “Already at the start of the excavation, dozens of architectural fragments were uncovered, and later, to our surprise, the southern wall of the structure was revealed, with three openings facing Jerusalem.”

Column drums on the path before the excavation. Courtesy Mechael Osband.

Excavations revealed two courses of ashlar stones, belonging to the southern wall, as well as remains of the western and eastern walls. The ancient synagogue would have measured around 42 feet wide and 55 feet long, indicating that it was likely built in the basilica style, which was characteristic of the region’s synagogues at the time. These were rectangular buildings with two rows of columns and benches along the walls. According to Osband, the walls, together with architectural stones similar to those found in other synagogues—such as benches (in secondary use) and decorated stones likely from the Torah shrine—provide clear evidence of the building’s function as a synagogue. In total, the team identified more than 150 architectural fragments, including lintels, column drums, and decorated basalt stones, most of them reused in the abandoned village.

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