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ZACHARY WONG, EL-ARAJ EXPEDITION

BASILICA OF BETHSAIDA. Several early Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land reported visiting a memorial basilica built over the so-called “House of Peter” at Bethsaida. At El-Araj, archaeologists have excavated a large sixth-century basilical church and an even older monastic complex that might fit the description. Architectural details and the church’s iconography, including chancel screen fragments and crosses impressed on pottery, underscore Christian worship at the site.