Israel Tour 13 Decapolis

When Alexander the Great took the Greek lifestyle across the Middle East, he planted ten Greek-styled city/states near the Sea of Galilee. Bet She’an is the only one of the Decapolis cities that lay west of the Jordan River. After Saul fell on his sword at nearby Mt. Gilboa, his body was fashioned to the walls of Bet She’an. The ruins of the city on ground level are from the time period of the New Testament. Jesus visited the Decapolis (Mark 7:31), so it’s possible he walked these streets. It’s even more likely since Bet She’an guarded the intersection of the Jezreel and Jordan River valleys. Jesus would have seen the city many times on his journeys from Nazareth or Capernaum to Jerusalem.