The remains of a Byzantine-period synagogue are on view at the Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park, adjacent to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve and the Arugot River. Five inscriptions were discovered on the synagogue floor: a list of the generations from Adam to Japheth; a list of months and signs of the zodiac; an oath swearing the reader to maintain the secrecy of the settlement; a dedication to those who funded the mosaic; and an additional dedication in Aramaic. The style and content of these inscriptions (including the fact that there are no pictures of people) indicate that the Ein Gedi community was an unusual one.

The oath, written in Aramaic, is of particular interest. A rough translation is: "Every person who causes strife between a man and his friend, or who speaks evil about his friend to the gentiles, or who steals objects belonging to his friend, or who reveals the secret of the town to the gentiles - He whose eyes wander throughout the Land and see the secrets will set His face to this man and to his descendents and will remove him from beneath the Heavens and the entire nation will say Amen and Amen Sela." Some scholars believe that this secret was the process of manufacturing perfume from persimmons, a product which brought Ein Gedi fame in the ancient world.

Other findings include a cache of 5000 coins (perhaps the synagogue treasury), discovered near the niche for the Holy Ark; a bronze goblet with a cover; gold threads and leaves; a tiny seven-branched silver candelabrum; and a 41-centimeter-high bronze candelabrum.

Directions: The Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park is located on Route 90 (Dead Sea), about a kilometer north of Kibbutz Ein Gedi, near the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve.

Average length of visit: 30 minutes

Best season to visit: Spring, winter, fall

Hours: April-September: 8:00-17:00

October-March: 8:00-16:00

Telephone (03) 776-2163

Admission fees: Individual: adults NIS 12, children NIS 6
Groups: adults NIS 11, children NIS 5
Combined entrance fee to the Nature reserve + Synagogue
Individual: adults NIS 26, children NIS 14
Groups: adults NIS 24, children NIS 13