Meiron suffered relatively minor damage in the Galilee earthquake of 1837 . It was reported that during the earthquake the walls of the tombs of Rabbi Eleazer and Rabbi She-Maun were dislodged , but did not collapse . A number of European travellers came to Meiron over the course of the 19th century and their observations from the time are documented in travel journals . Edward Robinson , who visited Meiron during his travels in Palestine and Syria in the mid-19th century , describes it as " a very old looking village situated on a ledge of bristling rocks near the foot of the mountain . The ascent is by a very steep and ancient road ... It is small , and inhabited only by Muhammedans . " The tombs of Simeon bar Yochai , his son R. Eleazar , and those of Hillel and Shammai are located by Robinson as lying within a khan-like courtyard underneath low-domed structures that were usually kept closed with the keys held in Safad . Robinson indicates that this place was the focal point of Jewish pilgrimage activities by his time ; the synagogue is described as being in ruins
Galilee earthquake of 1837
Galilee earthquake of 1837
Meiron