In 1986, during a severe drought that lowered the water levels of the Sea of Galilee, two fishermen brothers, Moshe and Yuval Lufan, stumbled upon an astonishing discovery—a 2,000-year-old fishing boat buried in the mud. Now famously known as the “Jesus Boat,” this ancient vessel dates back to between 120 BCE and 40 CE, the exact era when Jesus and his disciples lived and preached along the shores of Galilee.
Measuring 8.2 meters long, 2.3 meters wide, and 1.2 meters high, it perfectly matches the type of boat described in Gospel stories, capable of holding around 13 men. While there is no direct evidence that Jesus ever stepped into this particular boat, its design and construction are identical to those used by fishermen in His time.
Shelley Wachsmann, who led the excavation, noted, “When we found it, it was like a ghost rising from the mud. This is a boat that could have sailed when Jesus walked the shores.” The boat’s frame was pieced together from a patchwork of different wood types, indicating it had been extensively repaired over time—a testament to how precious such vessels were in the first century.
Expert historian Dr. Rina Avner adds, “It is the only surviving example of the kind of boat that played a vital role in the lives of people on the Sea of Galilee, including fishermen like Peter and Andrew.” Today, this extraordinary relic is preserved and displayed at the Yigal Allon Museum, offering a rare, tangible connection to the world of Jesus and the stories that have shaped history for centuries.
