Gazara
Gazara was, according to the Bible, a fortress of great strength in Judea that figures often in the Maccabean wars.
In Judean history, Gazara is recalled as the ancient Gezer, the fortress captured by a pharaoh, who gave it to his daughter when she married Solomon. In the Maccabean chronicles, this place was the location where Judas pursued Gorgias. It was fortified by the Greek general Bacchides. It was captured by Simon Maccabeus along with the city of Joppa and the Jerusalem citadel, which all belonged to the Seleucid empire. Simon built a palace at Gazara, and appointed his son, John, commander of his army. Recent excavations have uncovered the ruins of Simon's palace. Maccabean account also cited that Judeans started settling in Gazara, which has also been confirmed by archaeological evidence. A different account of Gazara's occupation is given in 2 Maccabees 10:32, where the capture is attributed to Judas. This event, however, caused the war with the Seleucid king Antiochus VII.
The fortress is identical with Tel Jezer, the ancient Gezer.
