Not far from here, on Mount Gilboa, a battle between the Jews and the Philistines took place, in which Shaul, the first king of Israel, perished.
When the Philistines found Shaul's body among the fallen, they cut off his head “and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people” (Shmuel, I, 31).
Shaul's arms were brought as offerings to the Temple of Astarte, and his dead body was fastened to the city wall of Beit She'an.
We can see the remains of these walls as well as a square foundation of a tower dating back to Egyptian rule, by climbing the hill to a height of about 80 meters above the level of the nearby river Harod.
The people of Jabesh (Jabesh-Gilead), remembering how Shaul saved them from the Ammonites in the early days of his reign, took his body down from the wall and buried it in their city under an oak tree, honoring the memory of the perished king with a seven-day fast.
Subsequently, Shaul's remains were transferred to his father's burial vault in the Zela area, next to Giva (Shmuel II, 21)
Another part of the park's appeal is that there you can also see some beautifully preserved streets, a theater and bathhouses from the Roman period.
This picturesque setting of Roman life from the period when Judea was being conquered by Rome was chosen as the location for the famous 1973 film Jesus Christ Superstar .
