In Israel you will find Megiddo (1 Kings 4:28, 9, 15, 2 Kings 23, Kings 29 and Revelation 16:16), identified as Armageddon (Revelation 16) and where The Book of Revelations describes an apocalyptic military battle. Today on an Israel tour you will find expansive agriculture field, plains, and ancient ruins at Megiddo with over 26 layers of ruins one on top of another on the mount. Here you will also find ruins from Solomon’s time, and beyond.
Megiddo is a site of great importance in Israel and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a regular stop on a holy land tour, and like many major tourist locations in Israel, it provides excellent visiting facilities including eating facilities and rest area.
In ancient history Megiddo guarded the west and provided a narrow pass and trade route connecting Egypt to Assyria. Due to this strategic location, Megiddo was the site of many battles in order to govern and rule this passageway. Megiddo was abandoned from about 7000 BC to 586 BC, just about the same time of the destruction of the first Israeli Temple in Jerusalem. Even from this time Megiddo has not been inhabited, with preserved ruins predating 586 BC. The site has been excavated three times and is currently being excavated even today.
Some of the ruins you might see are the Middle Bronze Gate, a stone gateway which has been fortified many times throughout the ages. An early Bronze Alter, and part of a large religious complex from the 3rd millennium BC, with a large sacrificial alter where a large concentration of animal bones were found for sacrifice. Megiddo Iron Age residents also constructed complex water systems in order to secure their existence, and not having to wander outside of city walls for fresh water. You will find large 30 feet deep shafts and 70 meter tunnel water systems.
Megiddo is an excellent Israel tourist location, and popular with Christian Evangelical holy land tours, however is highly recommended for all denominations, as well as general classic tours of Israel.