When looking for a hotel in Akko, it is worth considering which themes you would like to focus on during your trip. Travelers wishing to include archaeological highlights of the wider destination of the Northern District can explore Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo through their different histories. Hazor draws attention to water engineering, its palace and fortifications; Megiddo to religious history and urban planning. This comparison makes it easier to choose based on your interests, without treating the two tells as a single themed destination.

Tel Hazor: Water Engineering and Fortifications

Tel Hazor is a biblical tell with significant remains of a city connected to the Bible. The visit focuses on the upper city. Its underground water-collection system is a distinct archaeological theme: significant remains of the system are preserved at Tel Hazor. It represents sophisticated, geographically adapted engineering for water storage. The excavated shaft is 45 meters deep, with steps three meters wide cut into its vertical walls. Visitors especially interested in historical water technology will find a clear thematic focus here.

Tel Hazor’s fortifications include Solomon’s Gate, with six chambers and two towers, dating to the 10th century BCE. The fortifications are considered the finest example of their kind in the area from southern Turkey to the northern Negev. The Late Bronze Age palace is also an important historical landmark: it is considered the most elaborate in Israel and one of the most significant in the Levant. In the 14th and 13th centuries BCE, the kings of Hazor used the Canaanite palace.

Tel Megiddo: Temple Complex and City Plan

Tel Megiddo is also a biblical tell. It is one of three tells that preserve significant remains of cities connected to the Bible and are closely associated with events in the Bible. Its Early Bronze Age temple complex is exceptional in the number of its temples, the continuity of its cultic activity, and its documented ritual practices. These features make the complex a clear focus for travelers interested in religious practice. The urban planning is also remarkable: the Iron Age orthogonal city plan has few parallels in the Levant.

You can also choose between the two archaeological highlights based on period: Megiddo focuses on the Early Bronze Age and Iron Age, while Hazor offers different points of reference in its Late Bronze Age palace and Solomon’s Gate from the 10th century BCE. Those interested in religious history can look to Megiddo’s temple complex; those fascinated by water technology and fortification architecture may prefer Hazor.

Getting to Tel Hazor National Park

Tel Hazor National Park can be reached from the north and south via Route 90 toward Ayelet Hashahar. Check your navigation before setting out.

Discover more destinations: Beit Jann, Shezor, Amka, Yehiam, Clil, Regba, Lappidot, Yizrael.

See the full travel overview: Northern District.