Caesarea, on the "Golden Coast" of the Mediterranean, was first settled by the Phoenicians (Straton's Tower, and later by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Crusaders. Herod the Great built a large city here, and named it in honor of Caeser Augustus. Various procurators ruled Judea from here--Pontius Pilate is the most famous. It was in Caesarea that Peter converted the centurian Cornelius (Acts 10:19-48), and Paul was imprisoned for two years by the procurator Felix (Acts 23:22-26:32). Herod Agrippa I died here (Acts 12:19-23).
Arabs captured the city in 637 AD. The Crusaders came in 1101, but didn't fortify the city until 1241 AD. The Crusader City was destroyed in the 1270s.
The national park there allows you entrance to both the Roman theater (built during the time of Christ) and the moated Crusader city. The ruined port facilities built by Herod are also in this area, as are a
Hippodrome and Roman aqueducts.
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