Megiddo (Armageddon)

Megiddo is an ancient tell (mound) located in northern Israel, strategically overlooking the Jezreel Valley pass. Because it sat on a major trade and military route connecting Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was highly contested. The site contains approximately 26 layers of ruins spanning the Bronze and Iron Ages.

Megiddo is widely identified as the location of Armageddon, the prophesied site of the final battle at the end of the world in the Christian Book of Revelation. The name 'Armageddon' directly derives from 'Har Megiddo,' meaning the Mount of Megiddo. The site's history of constant warfare inspired these apocalyptic associations.

Megiddo was the site of several major ancient battles, most notably the Battle of Megiddo in 1457 BCE between Pharaoh Thutmose III and a coalition of Canaanite vassal states. In 1918, during World War I, the British General Edmund Allenby defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Megiddo. Allenby was later made Viscount Allenby of Megiddo.

Today, Megiddo is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a national park where tourists can view extensive excavated ruins. Major highlights include a massive underground water system with a 120-foot-deep shaft and the remains of ancient Canaanite and Israelite palaces and gates. The site has been extensively excavated since the early 1900s.