CAESAREA, ISRAEL-An elderly man peered into the “looking glass of history” and began to ask a ghostly figure questions. The figure, dressed as King Herod, said nothing.

Frustrated, the man asked his question in a louder voice, thus attracting the attention of a guide named Vered Bavli.“You told me he would answer my questions,” the man protested to Bavli, “but he says nothing.

”She patiently reminded the man he was supposed to touch one of the 15 pre-programmed questions on a monitor of the interactive “looking glass” (a hi-tech computer and the only one of its kind in the world) which allows visitors to the ruins of this ancient port city a chance to talk to the historical characters (played by actors) who once ruled here.

“I have seen people scream at the screen before realizing they first had to touch one of the questions to get ananswer,” said the charming Bavli.

The “looking glass” is just one of the fascinating ways the people who now rule over Israel’s Caesarea National Park recreate the events that took place here over time, beginning with King Herod’s decision to build this sprawling complex during his reign, which lasted from 36 BC to 4 BC.

“We are very proud of this technology,” said Bavli of the “looking glass” computer, developed in Israel and now highly sought after by other museums around the world.

“We are also proud of our Time Tower and movie that retraces the history here. But don’t blink or you may miss a century or two,” laughed Bavli about the short 10 minute film that spans over 2,000 years of Caesarea’s history.

One person who gave the short Caesarea film two thumbs up was Star Wars creator/director George Lucas, who made a surprise visit to the site a few years ago.

“We were told a very important person would be visiting the park and when we realized who it was, we were thrilled. Especially when he said he liked the film,” said Bavli as she led a small group up some stairs to the Time Tower, which overlooks the once mighty harbour built by Herod, the last king of Israel, to impress his Roman friends, who included none other than Caesar Augustus, for whom the port city was named after.