Also commonly known as Zefat, this city first gained importance in the 16th century as the center for Kabbala, the central mystical system in Judaism, although Safed is mentioned as far back as the Roman revolt in A.D. 70. Several important Kabbala scholars including Joseph Caro and Isaac ben Solomon Luria lived and taught in Safed. Jews began to settle in Safed in large numbers at the end of the 13th Century after they were expelled from Spain. The city itself is considered mystical due to its associations with the Kabbala, and its shelter among the hills of northern Israel, sparing the city from many invasions. Several ancient synagogues survived in Safed and are places of pilgrimage for Jews. Another pilgrimage site is the village of Meron, just outside Safed. The tomb of Rabbi bar Yochai as well as the tombs of the Talmudic sages Hillel and Shammai lie at the top of Mt. Meron.
