Vertical tabsMonastery name, type, categorySite Name: Sha'ar Ha'AliyaMonastery name: MonasteryMonastery type: CenobiumMonastery category: Village LocationCoordinates, ITM system: 196,330.00746,433.00 Coordinates, ICS system: 146,326.00246,433.00 Geographical region: Carmel Coastal PlainProvincial affiliation: Palaestina IBishopric: CaesareaTopographical location: Level groundDistance from nearest bishop-seat: 21 km (Acco-Ptolomais)Distance from nearest settlement: 0.5 km (Sycamina-Shiqmona)Distance from Roman roads: on the coastal road. Source of knowledgeHideEpigraphy Text number Summary 1 Mosaic inscription inside a double circle, on the pavement of the central hall. 2 Fragmentary commemorative mosaic inscription. Archaeological remainsExcavated siteExcavators: Name Dothan 1951 Bibliograpy: Dothan, M., 1954216-22 Dothan, M. , 195596-102 Abbreviation for Journals and SeriesState of certainty: Archaeologicaly definitive General descriptionState of preservation/which parts were uncovered: The structure excavated by Dothan was only partially preserved. The western part was exposed revealing mosaic pavements and one course of the walls remained. The eastern part had been destroyed by road construction works sometime earlier. Illustrative material: Illustrative_material Figures General descriptionCourtyards: A courtyard, paved with a coarse white mosaic, west of the structure measures ca. 12.50 m wide but the length was not discerned. A Greek inscription was located in front of the entrance to the northern hall. Churche/s: A church was not found during the excavation. However, a church structure had been identified some years before east of the road which apparently cut through the complex. Dothan surmised that the said church may have belonged to the monastery. Refectory: Two large halls separated by two smaller rooms (Dothan named the halls "aisles" and the two smaller rooms between them "nave") were uncovered in the excavation. The halls, decorated with intricate polychrome mosaic pavements were identical in size, measuring 5 x 8 m each. The size and elaborateness of the halls may suggest that these served for communal purposes, possibly one served as a refectory. A Greek inscription was found in the western part of the corridor. Small findsSmall finds: CategoryDescription Inscription - see under epigraphy PotteryShards dated to the 5-6th c.; a fragment of a bowl with a depiction of a saint (?) holding a staff and a cross. CoinsSeveral coins, dated to 5-6th c. OtherMany fragments of roof tiles. Detailed descriptionStructureMaterials applied (roofing): tiles ComponentsCourtyard/sMonastery church: Church typeDiakonikonLink to church sectionChurch location unknownGround floor RefectoryInscribed crosses Architectural evolutionPhase 1 Abandonment General outline: Dated to the Byzantine period. It was most likely founded sometime in the sixth century.Dating material: Based on pottery, coins and mosaics. Phase dateCentury: 6th c. General outline: Probably abandoned sometime in the first half of the seventh century. No finds later than Byzantine were reported.Phase dateCentury: 7th c. Post Arab conquest history: Abandoned
