Edmond de Rothschild Foundation opens historic site to the public for the first time in 800 years
Newly unearthed promenade walls and a Crusaders’ market dating back to the 13th century were unveiled in a festive event in the Israeli port city of Caesarea this week. The ancient sites are now accessible to the public for the first time in hundreds of years, the latest development in one of the largest archaeological projects ever undertaken in Israel.
The inauguration comes after extensive excavations and restoration work carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority with the help of funding from the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation and the Caesarea Development Corporation. The Foundation has invested roughly $42 million (NIS 150 million) in the Caesarea project, in a bid to restore numerous local archaeological sites with a view to transforming the area into Israel’s leading tourist attraction.
“Tonight’s event is dedicated to the unveiling of the Crusaders’ Wall Promenade built by the French King Louis IX 800 years ago,” Michael Karsenti, CEO of the Caesarea Development Corporation, told The Media Line. “For hundreds of years, it was buried beneath the ground and inaccessible up until now, after [lengthy] excavations.”
Located on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, Caesarea was built by Herod the Great more than 2,000 years ago. It has a long and rich history—stretching across Roman to Byzantine to Muslim to Crusader rule—as an important port city in the region.
Archaeologists have already made several important discoveries at the site, including uncovering this past February an extremely rare Roman mosaic dating back two millennia.
“Caesarea is one of the most amazing archaeological sites not only in Israel, but also among all the Roman Mediterranean [sites],” Dr. Peter Gendelman, a senior archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authorities who has conducted excavations in Caesarea since 1992, stressed to The Media Line. “Once it was one of the largest port cities of the Roman Empire.”
The newly excavated Crusaders’ Wall Promenade is part of a massive project aimed at transforming the ancient city into an attraction in Israel. Numerous guests attended the launch event, most notably Baroness Ariane de Rothschild, Chair of the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, who hopes that her organization’s generous contributions will paint Israel in a more positive light.
“I think it’s important that people know Israel through a different lens than the one that is always shown, so I’ve always pushed for what is best in Israel,” the Baroness said before distinguished guests at the event.
(From Left) Michael Karsenti, Guy Swersky, Baroness Ariane de Rothschild, Alice de Rothschild. (Credit: Victor Levy)
In an interview with The Media Line, she also noted that the investment furthers the family’s long-held desire to enhance economic and social development in Caesarea and the surrounding areas of Or Akiva and Jisser al-Zarqa.
“I think it’s fantastic to see the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel, to see that we can celebrate the Crusaders’ Wall. It represents generations of dedication to this site,” she said.