Located uphill from a village of the same name, Sebastiya is a collection of ruins that includes an amphitheatre (which once held 7000, making it the largest in Palestine) and a Byzantine church, built upon a site considered to be the grave of John the Baptist. In the mid-4th century the grave was desecrated and the bones were partly burned; surviving portions were taken to Jerusalem and later to Alexandria where they were interred at a Coptic monastery. Sebastiya is 11km from Nablus; a taxi with waiting time will cost around 100NIS.
Sebastiya's old city has recently been restored and is a nice place to walk, and there are a couple of restaurants close to the ruins that cater to the tour buses that call in occasionally.
