Old Tiberias

OLD TIBERIAS
Second in the "Ancient Cities of the Holy Land" Numismatic Bullion Series

Tiberias, one of the oldest and holiest cities in Israel, is celebrating its 2,000th anniversary. One of the four Jewish holy cities of the Land of Israel, Tiberias was a thriving center of Jewish life, over many centuries.

Situated on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel and founded around 20 CE by Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, Tiberias was named after the Roman emperor Tiberius and became the capital city of the Galilee.

The Great Jewish Revolt against Rome began in 66 CE, but by 67 CE, the Romans had taken full control of Tiberias.

In the century following the destruction of the Second Temple and Jerusalem in 70 CE, much of the surviving Jewish population of Jerusalem migrated to Tiberias, and the Sanhedrin, the supreme rabbinical tribune, followed in the mid-second century.

In theTalmudic period in the 3rd and 4th centuries, Jewish life in Tiberias flourished. There were many Synagogues and academic centers of Jewish learning. The greatest of Jewish sages lived there, enriching Jewish culture, and the Jerusalem Talmud was composed.

In the 9th to 10th centuries under Arab Muslim rule, the vocalization of the Hebrew language together with proper cantillation of the Bible was developed.

The Crusaders arrived at the end of the 11th century and dominated the city for the next century, followed by the Mamluks. In the 16th century, the Land of Israel fell into the hands of the Turkish Empire. Suleiman the Magnificent, the Turkish Sultan, revived Tiberias and, with the Sultan's help, the famous Dona Gracia established a new center in the city for Jewish refugees escaping the Inquisition.

In 1918, the British Mandate period began, and in 1948, just 3 weeks before the Declaration of the State of Israel, Tiberias became the first city with a mixed population to come under Jewish rule.

Famous Jewish sages buried in Tiberias include Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi Meir Ba'al ha-Nes and Maimonides, the Rambam.

For its holiness in Judaism, its holy sites in Christianity, its hot springs and proximity to the Sea of Galilee, Tiberias has become a major tourist center.

Face: Right, the Sea of Galilee, left, part of the city wall and fortress built along the course of the Crusader wall.
Border inscriptions in English and Hebrew, "Old Tiberias", "1oz. fine gold.9999" on the gold version, "1oz. fine
Common Reverse: Border inscriptions in English and Hebrew, "Ancient Cities in the Holy Land". In the center, a seven-branched Menorah candelabrum taken from an ancient Hasmonean Coin of Mattathias Antigonus (40 – 37 B.C.E).

Design: Meir Eshel

Engraving: Tidhar Dagan

Minting: The Holy Land Mint

Shipping Time: 14 Business Days.