Jaffa, Tel Aviv’s “older sister” boasts bountiful biblical history, along with charming lanes, antiquities, quiet churches, galleries and a picturesque fishing port.

Jaffa is a place for beginnings, both of many tours of Israel, and in the Bible. Jonah’s journey, Tabitha’s restoration to life, and Peter’s conversion of Gentiles all began here. Thus, Jaffa, Tel Aviv’s “older sister” boasts bountiful biblical history, along with charming lanes, antiquities, quiet churches, galleries and a picturesque fishing port.

The Nahum Gutman Museum is housed in building where several writers once lived and in which the first workers’ newspaper was edited.

The Nahum Gutman Museum is housed in building where several writers once lived and in which the first workers’ newspaper was edited. Permanent exhibit of Gutman, the acclaimed artist, include paintings and sculptures, as well exhibits about the spiritual life in the Neve Tsedek neighborhood in the early 20th century

During the period between the 1920s and the 1940s, the part of Tel Aviv known as “The White City” was built. Tel Aviv is the largest open-air Bauhaus museum in the world, and a declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The city of Tel Aviv has always been a melting pot of cultures and artistic styles. In the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s Tel Aviv was a young, thriving city in the midst of economic, social, cultural and geographical change. It was during this period that the part of Tel Aviv known as “The White City” was built. The architects and designers of the city could not imagine that their choice of the Bauhaus style of architecture would eventually make Tel Aviv the largest open-air Bauhaus museum in the world. 

It was because of the “White City” that Tel Aviv was added to the list of 56 historical cities in the world in 2003, and became one of the few modern cities to be declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. 

The “White City” is a unique and beautiful residential neighborhood in the heart of Tel Aviv.  The neighborhood consisted of 4,000 buildings that were built during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s of which about 1,000 are still standing today.

The buildings, designed by the best architects in the city, drew on the Bauhaus style invented in post First World War Germany. Bauhaus design philosophy attempted to create a new, simple architectural language based on clean forms that met people’s everyday needs.

In Tel Aviv, the Bauhaus style gave rise to a typical Israeli style that was suitable for the hot Mediterranean climate and the city’s turbulent atmosphere. The simple, square white buildings sought austere beauty from the asymmetrical play between various geometric shapes. Round terraces were built alongside square windows, flat roofs, and tall pillars.  Ceilings were higher and rooms larger than usual and large windows overlooking the urban panorama were open to the pleasant evening breeze. In keeping with the Israeli tradition of warm hospitality, the terraces of these homes served as meeting places for the residents and their neighbors, as well as friends passing by. 

Visitors to Tel Aviv can visit these buildings in the area of Rothschild, Bialik, and Dizengoff streets, marvel at the beauty of the houses, and sense their great contribution to the city’s architecture. 

The impact of Bauhaus was not only in Tel Aviv. At the end of the 1920s a railroad was built to link Mandatory Palestine to Jordan. A white railway station at the border was built in the Bauhaus style with clean lines and a roof that rests upon square pillars, rounded on one side and square on the other. The station can be seen only within the framework of organized tours that leave from the area of the Israeli-Jordanian border. The graffiti on the walls add to its historical value. 

The Tel Aviv Art Museum is the largest art museum in Israel, with both permanent and periodically changing exhibits of artists from Israel and abroad. There is a sculpture exhibition in the plaza in front of the museum

The capital of the Negev, the Old City, the university, the Turkish railway station, and the Bedouin market represent only a part of the colorful mosaic offered by the city of Be’er Sheba, a city full of life and proud of itself, as you will be told by any of its 185,000 inhabitants.

Be’er Sheba, spelt Beersheba in most English translations of the Bible, is a major crossroads whose potential was felt by Abraham, father of the Jewish people, who arrived here 3,700 years ago. He dug a well to water his flock, made a covenant of peace with Abimelech, the king of Gerar in those days, and the two swore allegiance to one another. “Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath" (Genesis 21, Verse 21). To symbolize his ownership of the well, he planted a tamarisk tree. Thus the city of Be’er Sheba struck roots at that place and at that time. Abraham’s descendants continued to live here, in a place that was the cradle of monotheism.

Be’er Sheba is located at the intersection of two ancient important international road junctions: The "Way of the Sea" (Via Maris) which extended along the shoreline in the west, and the King’s Highway (the Valley Route) in the east. Consequently, the city is mentioned throughout biblical times as a wayside station, as a resting spot, as a border point and as a ritual center.

Tel Be’er Sheba, five kilometers east of the city, is usually identified with biblical Be’er Sheba. The site is fascinating, and contains the ruins of a walled city from the Israelite monarchic period. Due to the wonderful finds there, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 2005. In the Roman Period, the settlement spread to the area of present-day Be’er Sheba, and was located in the center of the Limes Palestinae, the Roman defense layout from Rafah (Rafi’akh) to the Dead Sea, which mainly consisted of fortresses built the borderline. When the Romans converted to Christianity, it served as the Episcopal residence (the residence of the Bishop) and several churches were built there. The Crusaders also built a fortress in the city, but when it was destroyed it remained desolate for a long time.

Modern-day Be’er Sheba was founded at the start of the twentieth century by the Ottomans, and was the only city that the Turks built in the Land of Israel. Remains of buildings from this period and from the time of the British Mandate can be seen in the Old City, located in the south of the city. These include the Governor’s House – the residence and office of the city’s governor, which was built in 1906 and today houses the Negev Museum of Art; the city’s first mosque also built in 1906; the Turkish railway station built during the First World War; the station manager’s house; the water tower that supplied the trains’ steam engines with water; the Saraya – the Government House (today the city’s police station); a public garden; and additional buildings that tell the fascinating story of Be’er Sheba under Turkish rule.

The Jewish city was established in 1949. It developed and turned into the center of the south and became the capital of the Negev. Today, it has museums, a zoo, historical sites, one of the largest universities in Israel, and on Thursdays – the famous Bedouin market.

The market was officially opened in 1905, and became a weekly event where the Bedouins sold various wares. Nowadays, the market has modern stalls (footwear, clothing, etc) alongside authentic Bedouin stalls where you can buy unique items such as copper products, glassware, jewelry, beads and precious stones, as well as mats, carpets, cushions, and the like. The market is variegated, vibrant, exceedingly charming, and colorful.

Another important hub is the Center for Ethiopian Craftsmanship where new immigrant women preserve the ancient handicraft traditions of Ethiopian Jewry as practiced in their home villages, and engage in modeling earthenware, embroidering, sculpting, and straw crafts.

Be’er Sheba is the gateway to the Negev – you can start from here on endless walks and car trips.

Kibbutz Sde Boker is the realization of the dream envisioned by David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister and defense minister, who loved the Negev and its expanses and wanted to settle the desert and make it bloom.

Kibbutz Sde Boker is the realization of the dream envisioned by David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister and defense minister, who loved the Negev and its expanses and wanted to settle the desert and make it bloom. The kibbutz, built in the northern Negev Mountains, was established in 1952 by a group of discharged soldiers and attracted the public’s attention when Ben Gurion moved to Sde Boker to live there with his wife Paula.

Ben Gurion’s vision has indeed been realized and today the Negev is a blossoming region, dotted with many communities and thriving farms. Sde Boker has retained Ben Gurion’s heritage. The hut in which he lived from the day he moved there until his death in 1973 is preserved exactly as it was when he lived there. The area around the hut has been developed and expanded for the benefit of visitors, including a display of Ben Gurion’s famous statements and photographs of the early days of the kibbutz. The hut also houses the Ben Gurion archive, which is actually his private library, containing over 5,000 books about all the things he loved. The adjacent hut, where his bodyguards lived, has been turned into a museum devoted to Ben Gurion’s special relationship with the Negev.

South of the kibbutz there is a campus named after Ben Gurion, which houses a desert research institute, a Ben Gurion heritage institute, a field school and a guest house, a high school where youth from all over the country study nature from nature itself, a reptile farm and a desert sculpture museum. The nearby Ben Gurion memorial site, where David and Paula Ben Gurion are buried, offers a beautiful view of the Nakhal Tsin rift.

Kibbutz Sde Boker has several sources of income: a vineyard and boutique winery, an inn and restaurant, art gallery and souvenir shop, and agricultural crops. Sde Boker is the starting point for many wonderful tours to fascinating Negev sites, such the Ein Ovdat (Avdat) National Park, whose features include the Nakhal Tsin canyons and springs, waterfalls, plentiful plant and animal life, the archeological site of the Nabatean city of Avdat, the Ein Eikev spring that flows year round and a Bedouin hospitality site.

Read more about Sde Boker and its surroundings

Avdat was founded by Nabatean traders as a way station on this Incense Route. Long before, the Israelites had wandered near here through the Wilderness of Zin.

As you stand among the ruins of the Negev Highland city of Avdat, the echoes of the bells tinkling on the bridles of the camels that passed this way in their caravans of hundreds, bringing the riches of the East – frankincense and myrrh – to market via the Mediterranean. Avdat was founded by Nabatean traders, the masters of those caravans as a way station on this Incense Route. Long before, the Israelites had wandered near here through the Wilderness of Zin.

At the visitor center a short film will introduce you to the mysteries of this site. Then you’ll visit a luxurious ancient bathhouse with a dressing room, two steam rooms, a furnace and a 210-foot-deep well. At the top of the city, you’ll discover a third-century guard tower with a Greek inscription, and a Nabatean shrine to their god Oboda (after whom Avdat was named). This temple eventually became a church, whose pillars frame a magnificent Negev desertscape.

Considering the surrounding desert, you’ll be amazed to find a wine-press here, revealing agricultural skills that tamed their harsh surroundings by harvesting every precious drop of water into a complex system of channels and cisterns. From the top of the hill, you can see the Ben Ari Farm research station, where today’s Negev farmers have studied ways to emulate these ancient achievements.

Avdat’s homes once covered not only the visitor path you now walk, but the entire slope below, now part of the 518-acre Avdat National Park. Once you’ve experienced Avdat, you’ll know why its ancient cultural, social and economic impact on the region has placed it, together with its Negev sister-cities of Mamshit and Shivta, on UNESCO’s prestigious list of World Heritage Sites.

On the edge of the Ramon crater sits the town of Mitspe Ramon. This pleasant, quiet town, built in the landscape of the largest of the Negev craters, between paths and cliffs, mountains and springs, has recently become a thriving tourism town.

On the edge of the Ramon crater, at a height of some 300 meters above it, sits the town of Mitspe Ramon. This pleasant, quiet town, built in the landscape of the largest of the Negev craters, between paths and cliffs, mountains and springs, has recently become a thriving tourism town. Mitspe Ramon was founded in 1951. A few decades ago, when desert tourism began to flourish, Mitspe Ramon developed along with it, offering visitors lodging in lovely guest rooms and many other tourism services.

Today Mitspe Ramon is an important stop for desert tourists. The southern part of town has a wide variety of hotels, hostels, campsites and a Bedouin inn. It is the starting point for jeep, bicycle or camel tours. Here one can rappel down the steep cliffs and get a real adrenaline rush.
 
The visitor's center on the edge of the crater offers an amazing view of the crater’s beauty and its treasures. The zoological garden houses local desert animals, including snakes, lizards and mammals. In the eastern part of Mitspe Ramon there is a large sculpture park, and to the west is a one-of-a-kind alpaca farm and a desert archery center. The crater itself is full of fascinating geological phenomena, charming nature spots, ancient historical sites, easy and difficult hiking paths and endless expanses of breathtakingly beautiful desert.

Read more about Mitspe Ramon and related topics

The Ramon Crater is the largest crater in the Negev. It is about 40 kilometers long and its maximum width is about 10 kilometers. There are interesting sites inside it, such as Ha-Minsara ("The Saw-Mill") and Nahal Nekarot, for which there are organized excursions for the whole family.

The legendary Incense Route is a 2,000 year old commercial success story. Valuable goods traveled the route, which started in Yemen to the East, crossed Saudi Arabia and Jordan to end in Israel in the Gaza port, where they were loaded onto merchant ships bound for Europe.

The legendary Incense Route is a 2,000 year old commercial success story.

At the time, without transportation, roads or maps, long caravans of camels traversed difficult trails navigating among robbers, looters, obstacles and narrow-minded rulers. Valuable goods traveled the route, which started in Yemen to the East, crossed Saudi Arabia and Jordan to end in Israel in the Gaza port, where they were loaded onto merchant ships bound for Europe. There the women of the Roman Empire could enjoy the perfumes of the frankincense and myrrh, the flavors of the eastern spices, and the useful salts for cooking and preserving foods.

The 2,400 kilometer Incense Route journey took about six months. The camel caravans including thousands of individuals, moved at a sluggish pace, passing through 56 stops, where they stopped, rested, took care of the animals and gathered strength for the day to come.

The Israeli section of the Incense Route covered about 150 kilometers. Across the Negev there are still ruins of the route, and many travelers set out to follow them in exploring the desert and try to experience the lifestyle of the masters of the desert. Several of the rest stops remain starting with the Arava's Moa on the Jordanian border, where the ruins of an inn, a guard post, agriculture, caves, storerooms, and an aqueduct are still evident. From here, the route continues northwest to Mamshit, a large city whose impressive ruins include an inn, churches, a bathhouse, rainwater collecting pools and other structures.

The next stop was the city of Ovdat, located high on a hill. Here too are ruins of a fortress, churches, an oil press, a ceramics workshop, homes, a bathhouse and even burial caves.

The caravan continued from Ovdat to Shivta, a small town with a well developed water system, pools, oil presses and a few churches. The next to last and northernmost stop was Halutsa, of which there remain the ruins of a theater and church, and from where the caravans headed straight to Gaza. A few minor stations were added along the way – Kasra, Nekarot, Makhmal and Grafon – as well as an additional inn, Ein-Saharonim, of which there is still a courtyard surrounded by workshops and a bath.

Along the route, there are reservoirs, guard towers, ritual sites, bathing facilities and milestones that marked the route.

Moa, Mamshit, Ovdat, Shivta and Haluza, as well as Ein-Saharonim, are all accessible with any vehicle. The route itself, through the desert is passable only in jeeps, although bicyclists and pedestrians can also enjoy the fascinating path. In 2005, UNESCO declared the Incense Route a world heritage site, and Israel invites you to the Negev and Arava to follow the footsteps of nomads and enjoy the impressive stories and splendid history that left behind a silent witness to a stormy age.

Massada, one of the most exciting places in Israel, is situated on the top of a mountain with steep sides and a flat top overlooking the desert panorama to the west and the Dead Sea to the east.

Massada is one of the most exciting and frequently-toured places in Israel, and relates a story of perseverance and power, faith and surrender, ambitions, and a tragic end.  Massada is a place where battles were waged with rocks and flaming arrows, as well as battles of the human spirit. 

Massada is situated on the top of a mountain with steep sides and a flat top like a parapet overlooking the desert panorama to the west and the Dead Sea to the east.  The thrilling story of the site reveals the courage of the defenders of Massada and their battle against the conquering Romans. 
The story, related against the background of the ancient panorama, is as thrilling as a Hollywood movie, and is filled with tension, struggle, and love.

The fortress of Massada was built in the year 30 BCE by King Herod, whose architectural feats have left their mark throughout the country.  At the beginning of the great revolt against Rome in the year 68 BCE, the site was conquered by a group of Jewish zealots, and Massada became their last stronghold.  In the year 72 the Romans besieged Massada and succeeded in reaching the steep fortress after constructing a huge earthen ramp on its western side.  In the year 73, the 960 Jewish zealots living at the top of Massada chose to commit suicide rather than to fall into the hands of the Romans alive. Their deeds left behind a saga of courage, heroism, and martyrdom. 

The remains of the fortress of Massada are well-preserved and have been reconstructed in an effort to pay homage to the site and its heroic inhabitants.
The most impressive structure on Massada is King Herod's northern palace, built on three rock terraces overlooking the gorge below.  Near the palace is a large Roman style bath house with a colorful mosaic floor and walls decorated with murals.  Many other buildings at the site - such as the luxurious western palace, the mikveh (Jewish ritual bath), storerooms, watchtowers, and synagogue relate the history of Massada, especially when viewed with artifacts such as storage containers, decorated pottery, scrolls, and coins. 

The beautiful embossments and murals that were discovered on the walls of buildings on Massada were restored by Italian experts to preserve them for years to come. This is the largest and most complete Roman siege camp that remains today.

Massada is extremely high, and can be ascended on foot by the winding "snake path" or by a cable car that runs from the tourist center at the feet of Massada to the top. 
The tourist center also features a movie about the story of Massada, a model of the site, and an exhibit of the archeological findings. 

A visit to Massada is a thrilling and exciting experience.  The chilling story and the archeological remains contribute to the special atmosphere of the site, and preserve its magnificent past.  In the year 2000 readers of Traveler Magazine rated Massada as the best tourist site of its type in the world, and in 2001 UNESCO declared Massada a World Heritage Site.   

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth in any land mass (417 meters below sea level, to be exact). The quantity of water that evaporates from it is greater than that which flows into it, such that this body of water has the highest concentration of salt in the world (340 grams per liter of water).

How far does one have to descend to reach the Dead Sea? About 400 meters below sea level. How deep is this salty lake? Almost the same (in the northern section). Fascinating? Absolutely! Every detail about the Dead Sea is fascinating.
Here are a few more: The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth in any land mass (417 meters below sea level, to be exact). The quantity of water that evaporates from it is greater than that which flows into it, such that this body of water has the highest concentration of salt in the world (340 grams per liter of water).

It is called the Dead Sea because its salinity prevents the existence of any life forms in the lake. That same salt, on the other hand, provides tremendous relief to the many ailing visitors who come here on a regular basis to benefit from its healing properties. All these and more make the Dead Sea so fascinating, so different and so interesting.

The Dead Sea can also be called “the lowest health spa in the world.” Sea salts are produced from the southern section for industry, and in the northern section promote tourism and good health. The composition of the salts and minerals in the water are what make it so unique and beneficial for the body.
The sea bed also has deposits of black mud that is easy to spread on the body and provides the skin with nourishing minerals. As if that were not enough, the bromide in the air is also beneficial to the body’s systems, thus making the Dead Sea a provider for good health and healing for vacationers from all over the world.

It is a truly priceless national treasure. The western shore (inside Israel’s borders) is dotted with organized beaches and bathing areas that provide convenient access to the water. Beside two of the therapeutic beaches (Neve Zohar and Ein Bokek) large tourism centers have been established, providing the most pampering tourism services.
You will find dozens of hotels, hostels and guest houses, restaurants and shopping centers, as well as surprising tourism enterprises that offer a wide range of challenging activities (jeep and bicycle tours, camel tours and Bedouin hospitality, rappelling and more), alongside art and cultural activities (galleries and artists’ studios), and of course the unique agriculture, adapted to the local climate.

The Dead Sea is on the edge of the Judean Desert, a hot, barren region at the foot of Ha-He’etekim cliff, which has also become an important center of desert tourism. The coastline is dotted many springs, surrounded by wild plant life. The special combination that has formed in this place, between desert landscapes and oases with plentiful water, plants and animals, attracts both the eye and the heart and draws many tourists to sites such as Mt. Sdom, Nakhal Darga, the Ein Gedi nature reserve and the Einot Tsukim (Ein Fashkha) reserve.

Alongside these breathtaking natural sites there are also some purely historic sites of considerable importance in Israel’s past, which preserve the ancient charm of this area. Among the most prominent sites are the Massada (Metsada) fortress, ancient Ein Gedi and the Kumran cave site where ancient scrolls were found, including the Dead Sea scrolls, which offer some insights into early Christianity and the Essenes sect that lived at the site and is considered the beginning of Christian monasticism.

The northwestern region of the Dead Sea is also a pilgrimage site for Christians who have visited here over the centuries especially during the Easter season. From here they go to the Jordan (the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism), and many still follow this tradition in our times. A tour of the Dead Sea region would not be complete without a visit to the amazing monasteries built on the cliff walls. In the fourth century ascetism became popular among Christians, who wanted to live their lives as Jesus had. Many believers wanted to devote themselves to God and the Judean Desert became a ideal destination for monks, who built phenomenal monasteries, some of them carved into the stone faces of the desert cliffs. Among these monasteries are St. George, Quruntul, Khozeba and Mar Saba. Some of the monasteries are still operating and even welcome visitors, who can gain their own impressions of the intensity of the desert and its wild beauty.

At the Tower of David Museum, not only do the captivating exhibits deepen your understanding of Jerusalem, its very stones are part of this city’s living history.

At the Tower of David Museum, not only do the captivating exhibits deepen your understanding of Jerusalem, its very stones are part of this city’s living history. The complex housing the museum, located at the Old City’s Jaffa Gate, spans the centuries: its nearly 500-year-old walls are part of the Turkish citadel; its name derives from a tower so massive that early Jerusalemites ascribed it to their great King David (ironically its builder was actually the much-maligned King Herod); the spire standing over it became a worldwide symbol for Jerusalem after the British General Allenby marched into Jerusalem beneath its shadow in 1917.

Your visit can begin with a breathtaking view of Old and New Jerusalem from the top of the tower for which the museum is named. Then you can explore the exhibits, where videos, dioramas and computer graphics come together to illuminate the complexities of a city unique in the annals of human history. Each ancient room has been revamped to showcase a different period, allowing the tempestuous events of 4,000 years to fall perfectly into place in your mind. The windows frame glimpses of modern Jerusalem, and with each doorway you exit, you look down into the citadel’s central courtyard, where archaeologists have unearthed remains dating from the Maccabees to the Middle Ages.

The museum also utilizes its unique space for multi-sensory exhibits by leading designers and artists from Israel and abroad, and for memorable private functions.

Read more about the Tower of David Museum and its surroundings

Every step you take in the Jewish Quarter brings you closer to discovering tangible remains of a dramatic chapter in Jewish history, especially of the period of its greatest grandeur: the time of the Second Temple.

Every step you take in the Jewish Quarter brings you closer to discovering tangible remains of a dramatic chapter in Jewish history, especially of the period of its greatest grandeur: the time of the Second Temple.
This period is richly commemorated at the Burnt House and the Herodian Mansions.

At the Burnt House, whose exact date of destruction – a month after the Second Temple fell – was determined by finds there, a stirring audio-visual presentation shares with visitors to the complexities of Jewish life at this time. At the Herodian Mansions, visitors discover how wealthy Jerusalemites were 2,000 years ago.
In the centuries that followed, Jerusalem once again flourished, as archaeologists discovered and restored in the heart of the quarter: the colonnaded Cardo, or main street of the city. Nearby are remnants of Jerusalem’s walls from the time of the First Temple, which fell to the Babylonians with its destruction in 586 BCE.

Into that rich and varied mix, comes evidence of the Jewish experience in the Middle Ages, when the Ramban Synagogue was founded, the Four Sephardic Synagogues restored to their former grandeur and attesting to vibrant community life, and the landmark Hurva Synagogue, now undergoing reconstruction. At the end of visit you’re in on the secret: the Jewish Quarter is more than the sum of its historical parts, it’s a magical blend of them all.

The City of David is the birthplace of the city of Jerusalem, the place where King David established his kingdom, and where the history of the People of Israel was written.

The City of David is the birthplace of the city of Jerusalem, the place where King David established his kingdom, and where the history of the People of Israel was written. It is within walking distance from the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall, and is one of the most exciting sites in Israel. Visitors come from all over the world to see the strongest physical connection between the stories of the Bible and reality, the place where the Holy City started.

In the year 1004 BCE, King David conquered the city from the Jebusites and established his capital there. It was here where the People of Israel were united under King David’s rule, here where the Holy Ark was bought and here where the First Temple was built by King Solomon, King David’s son.

Today the City of David is an archeological park that tells the story of the establishment of Jerusalem, its wars and hardships, its prophets and kings, and the history of the Jews during Biblical times. The remains of the city are present in the ancient stones and the thousands of shards that cover the pathways between the buildings. Among the archeological ruins are large elaborate houses that bear witness to the high social status of the city’s residents, Warren's Shaft leading to the water tunnel that was used to transport water from the Gikhon spring outside the city, and the remains of one of several towers that was used to defend the well. It is thought that King Solomon was anointed and crowned king of Israel at this site. Among the ruins found in the city were personal seals for signing letters and documents bearing the names their owners – people who were mentioned in the bible.

One of the most fascinating parts of the City of David is the tunnel of Shiloh - a 533-meter-long tunnel that was carved during the period of King Hezkiyahu. The tunnel extends from the city to the well at Shiloh, and is an astounding engineering feat. Its builders carved the tunnel through solid rock beginning from opposite ends and succeeded in making the two sides meet in the middle. Visitors can walk through the tunnel which is partially filled with water, and come out at the pools of Shiloh.

The City of David and its remains and historical significance have made it an important and exciting tourist site.

Read more about the City of David

Warrens Shaft is the name of the underground waterworks system dating from the age of the kings of Judea.

Warren’s Shaft is the name of the underground waterworks system dating from the age of the kings of Judea. The entrance crosses a tunnel descending to a vertical shaft, whose end lies on the level of the Gihon spring.

Warren’s shaft is possibly the Jebusite water system that David used to conquer to city, but it is thought that the inhabitants of the lnd at that time lacked the technology to build such a work. The shaft enabled people to draw water from the Gihon spring without leaving the city, important in times of war, and was rediscovered in the last century by a British officer, Captain Warren.

2 Samuel 5

6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, “Whoever would smite the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 9 And David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built the city round about from the Millo inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

The Revised Standard Version, (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.) 1973, 1977.

Hezekiah’s Tunnel, or the Siloam Tunnel, is one of the greatest adventures of a Jerusalem tour. It is a highlight of the visit to the City of David, where visitors experience an amazing engineering feat: the 1,500-foot-long-tunnel created by King Hezekiah in 701 BCE.

Hezekiah’s Tunnel, or the Siloam Tunnel, is one of the greatest adventures of a Jerusalem tour. It is a highlight of the visit to the City of David, the earliest remnants of Jerusalem, where visitors experience an amazing engineering feat: the 1,500-foot-long-tunnel created by King Hezekiah in 701 BCE to protect Jerusalem’s water source, the Gihon Spring, from the invading Assyrians (2 Chron. 32:2-4).

Near the exit of the tunnel, the British explorer Captain Charles Warren (who first rediscovered it in 1867) found an ancient Hebrew inscription describing the construction. It says a team of diggers started at each end, listening for the sound of each other's pickaxes, and eventually met in the middle!

As visitors slosh through the water, their flashlights pick up the marks of the ancient pickaxes, going in one direction until the meeting point and then going the other way. The water-walk takes about 45 minutes, and is recommended for visitors of all ages tall enough to wade through about two feet of flowing water. For land-lubbers, new excavations have revealed another tunnel, now dry but that still gives a sense of the greatness of Jerusalem's long ago laborers, monarchs and engineers.

Read more about Hezekiah’s Tunnel and the City of David

When King Solomon constructed his first Temple in Jerusalem, the hillside on which he did so became the most important cultic site of the monotheistic world, and is still reverenced by Jews and Muslims today.

When King Solomon constructed his first Temple in Jerusalem the hillside on which he did so became the most important cultic site of the monotheistic world, and is still reverenced by Jews and Muslims today. Solomon (960 - 900BCE) built the temple that David was not allowed to, using Phoenician craftsmen from the neighboring kingdom of Tyre (See the lengthy account of the process in 1 Kings). He also built a circular platform around the edge of the hill to hold the courtyards that encircled the cedar wood and bronze building, and the whole edifice was to have been the focus of Jewish worship for ever. However, after his reign the Northern Kingdom declared autonomy, after which time the Temple was used by the tribes of Judea and Benjamin only.

In 586BCE the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians as Israelites continued to be trapped between warlike Southern and Northern empires. The inhabitants of Judea were killed or taken into exile (excepting the farmers). It was only after fifty years and the auspicious intervention of Persia, the new inheritors of imperial power, that they had the opportunity to return and rebuild the Temple, the thought of returning having sustained many of them during their exile (See Ezra and Nehemiah).

This hastily constructed Temple stood until the Hasmonaeans shored it up in 186BCE, but was pulled down by Herod the Great in 20BCE who began a brand new building that was only finished sixty years after his death. He also constructed a much larger square platform around the hill to allow the Gentiles to go there without profaning the sacred areas towards the temple itself, and it is this platform that is the "Temple Mount" to this day.

This temple was destroyed by the Romans during the Jewish revolt in AD70, just six years after its completion. The platform was, however, allowed to remain andiIt became the basis for a temple to Jupiter in the new Hadrianic city of Aelia Capitolina, surviving until the Byzantine period when the area was turned into a rubbish dump, proving visibly to the recently pagan that God had turned his favor from Jew to Gentile Christian. Such was the state when Omar the first caliph marched triumphant into the city and, having forced the Christian Patriarch to crawl on his hands and kness from the Holy Sepulchre to the Mount as penance for desecrating it, built the Dome of the Rock where the temple had stood six hundred years previously.

Read more about Temple Mount and its surroundings

The Dome of the Rock, the magnificent octagon that dominates the city, is a shrine for Islam’s third most holy site and is the place where Abraham tried to sacrifice Ishmael.

This magnificent octagon that dominates the city is a shrine for Islam’s third most holy site. The piece of black stone it covers is at once the mountain where Abraham tried to sacrifice Ishmael (not Isaac as Jews and Christians believe), the site of the temple of Solomon, and the place from whence Mohammed departed skywards for his famous encounter with the heavenly—"The Night Journey". The building took three years to complete, from 688 to 691, and was erected as a deliberate snub to Christians and Jews, whose faith Islam had supposed to supersede. The location had shamelessly borrowed Judaism's heritage and most holy sight—the Temple Mount— the building was constructed to have a larger dome than that of the Holy Sepulchre's, and Syrian Christians were forced to Lay mosaics inside containing verses taken from the Koran about Christian misguided belief in the Trinity.

The Dome of the Rock has survived all earthquakes thus far, being built firmly on rock, and has never been destroyed, merely renovated. The new external tiling was put on in 1963 and the dome was re-gilded in 1993-94.

Genesis Chapter 22

 1 After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”  And he said, “Here am I.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; and he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the ass; I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord will provide; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

The Revised Standard Version, (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.) 1973, 1977.

The Western Wall was part of the most magnificent building Jerusalem had ever seen, built by Herod the Great as part of the plaza on which the Temple stood. Today, the Western Wall is an inseparable part of the Jewish People.

Visitors who stand at the Western Wall, looking up at the huge ancient stones – the last remnant of the Temple in Jerusalem – are almost always surrounded by people: some have come to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah, others to take pictures before a wedding, or to place a heartfelt prayer-note within the cracks between the stones. But they sense the presence not only of the here-and-now, but also of the untold numbers of people who for centuries streamed to this, the most sacred place in the world to the Jewish people.

The Western Wall was part of the most magnificent building Jerusalem had ever seen. It was one of four walls Herod the Great built to support the 1,555,000-square-foot plaza on which the Temple stood. It was almost 1,500 feet long – the rest can still be seen inside the Western Wall Tunnel. Originally it was some 90 feet high and reached some 60 feet into the ground.

But it is not because of its grand architecture that the Western Wall became an inseparable part of the Jewish People. Solomon, who built the First Temple, said it best with these words: “May Your eyes be open day and night toward this House, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall abide there;' may You heed the prayers which Your servant will offer toward this place. And when You hear the supplications which Your servant and Your people Israel offer toward this place, give heed in Your heavenly abode...” (1 Kings 8:17).

It was Abraham who first linked the Jewish people to Jerusalem, when he offered Isaac in sacrifice on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount, now above and behind the Wall.

The rock of the offering, over which the Dome of the Rock was built in the late seventh century, is known in Jewish tradition as the Foundation Stone of the world.

King David purchased this land; Solomon's First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE; Herod expanded the Second Temple, which was burned by the Romans in 70 CE, except legend says, for the Western Wall. It was then that Talmudic sages began to teach: "This is the Western Wall of the Temple, which is never destroyed for the shekhinah [the Divine presence] is in the west" (Bamidbar Rabah 11:63).

In the Middle Ages, the Wall received another name ­– the Wailing Wall, as Jews were observed here lamenting the Temple's destruction. A legend says that on Ninth of Av, the anniversary of the Temple's destruction, the dew glistening on the stones is the Wall itself shedding tears.

For 19 years, from 1948 until 1967, when Jerusalem was divided, Jews were separated from the Wall. But then, in the Six Day War, on June 7, 1967, Jerusalem was reunited. From then on, the Western Wall became not only a symbol of glories past and a place to leave a bit of oneself in the form of notes bearing prayers and blessings, but of the love and devotion of the Jewish People for their Holy City now and forever.

The Davidson Center, which is built in the basement of an eighth-century building, offers to take you back through the ages where you’ll meet colorful figures of Jerusalem’s exploration in days gone by.

The glass doors of the Davidson Center near the Western Wall in Jerusalem swish open silently to welcome you. When they close behind you, you enter another world. It is the world of this city’s glorious past, showcased through the prism of advanced visualization technology.

The center was built into the basement of an eighth-century building, scrupulously preserving and enhancing it. As you follow the winding ramp downward, artwork and archaeological finds take you back through the ages, and you’ll meet colorful figures of Jerusalem’s exploration in days gone by.

A ten-minute, high-definition digital video ingeniously interchanges the experience of Second Temple pilgrims with that of present-day visitors.

The realization that the historic and spiritual treasures depicted – the Temple Mount, the Western Wall and the Southern Wall – still stand only a few strides away adds to the power of the presentation. The center’s highlight is a three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of the Temple, based on ancient writings and excavations, and produced by a team from the Department of Urban Simulation at UCLA. Pictures generated every 41 millionths of a second give participants the eerie feeling that they are really walking up the staircase to the Temple and through its towering colonnades to stand before the grandeur of the Holy of Holies.

The center maintains regular visiting hours for groups and individuals, and is closed on Saturdays. The virtual reconstruction session is part of a guided tour pre-arranged through the Davidson Center.

Easily the most celebrated, yet most contentious, church in Christianity, Church of the  Holy Sepulchre contains the traditional sites of the crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus under one roof.

Easily the most celebrated, yet most contentious, church in Christianity. The Holy Sepulchre contains the traditional sites of the crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus under one roof.

The site was rediscovered by Queen Helena, Constantine's mother, who knocked the temple down and subsequently a huge basilica was built, which was dedicated on Easter day in the year 326.

The church was partially rebuilt in the next century by Justinian, and remained untouched until 1009, when the mad caliph Hakim destroyed virtually all of it. It was patched up by a Monk called Robert, but when the Crusaders came across from 1099 the church was rebuilt to only half of its original size, and thus it stands today.

Mark Chapter 15

22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). 23 And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour, when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

 33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Elo-i, Elo-i, lama sabach-thani?” which means, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

John Chapter 19

 38 After this Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ weight. 40 They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

The Revised Standard Version, (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.) 1973, 1977.

Yad Vashem, Israel’s main Holocaust memorial museum and holocaust archive, is situated on the green slopes of Har HaZikaron, the Memorial Mountain (Mount of Remembrance) in Jerusalem.

Yad Vashem, Israel’s main Holocaust memorial museum and holocaust archive, is situated on the green slopes of Har HaZikaron, the Memorial Mountain (Mount of Remembrance) in Jerusalem.

Israel’s holocaust commemoration project began in 1953 with the task of perpetuating the memory of holocaust victims and documenting the history of the Jewish people during the holocaust so that it will be remembered by future generations. This project was an important step for the young nation of Israel at the time and was significant for the citizens of Israel, particularly for the survivors of the ghettos and concentration camps.

The new Yad Vashem museum was opened to the public in 2005. The museum is designed in the shape of a prism penetrating the mountain. A railroad car hangs over the cliff on the road winding down from the mountain. The car was used to transport Jews who had been banished from their homes to the concentration camps, and now serves as a monument.

The museum is divided into nine galleries that relate the stories of the Jewish communities before the Second World War and the series of events beginning from the rise of the Nazis to power, the pursuit of the Jews, their eviction to the ghettos and ending with “the Final Solution” and mass genocide. The personal experiences and feelings of the victims of the holocaust constitute the groundwork for the museum’s exhibits. The exhibits include photographs, films, documents, letters, works of art, and personal items found in the camps and ghettos, and excerpts from children’s diaries.

In addition to the exhibits, Yad Vashem has other monuments including the Yizkor Tent (Hall of Remembrance), where the ashes of the dead are buried and an eternal flame burns in commemoration; Yad Layeled, the children’s memorial, commemorates the one and a half million Jewish children who were murdered in the holocaust; The Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations has over 2,000 trees which were planted in honor of non-Jews who endangered their lives in order to rescue Jews from the Nazis; The archives and library of Yad Vashem house the world’s largest repository of material about the holocaust; The Hall of Names contains over three million names of holocaust victims that were submitted by their families and relatives. Names can still be submitted by visitors to the memorial and added to the computerized archive.

Visiting the Yad Vashem museum is an emotional and heartrending experience, but viewing the exhibits and remembering the holocaust and its victims is important to the citizens and leaders of Israel and of other nations.

Read more about Yad Vashem and related topics

The Knesset is the House of Representatives of the State of Israel. The complex includes a plenary, conference rooms, works of art and a hall for State receptions. Visitors may join guided tours.

IDENTITY CARD

Official Name: The State of Israel
Form of Rule: Parliamentary Democracy
Capital: Jerusalem
Area: 21,643 square kilometres
Population: 7 million persons
Distribution by Religion: 76.5% Jews, 16% Moslems, 2% Christians, 1.5% Druze, 4% without religious classification
Official Languages: Hebrew, Arabic
Currency: New Shekel
GDP per Person: 22,944 (calculated according to purchasing power)
Quality of Life Classification: 22nd place in world
International Dialing Code: 972
Internet Suffix: il

Israel is a country in the Middle East, on the narrow region connecting Africa and Asia. The State of Israel occupies most of the region known as the Land of Israel.

Israel is a developed country, located in a region that is geographically and climatically diversified. There are snow-capped mountains in the north alongside dry wildernesses in the south, and desolate areas alongside modern lively cities.

Israel’s ethnic and religious mosaic is rich and fascinating, and it has numerous cultural institutions and entertainment centers. Thanks to its rich history and sanctity for the three monotheistic religions, it has many ancient and holy sites. Most of the year, the climate in Israel is pleasant, and you can tour the country the whole year round. However, it is recommended to visit during fall and spring (September – November, April – June), when the temperature is especially pleasant.

Further reading about the State's Emblems, the form of rule and the economy…

The first thing one notice as one walks into the entrance foyer of the Supreme Court building, is the narrow staircase leading -as it were - into the sky.

Rarely does a manifesto or philosophical treatise serve as a fitting guideline for a work of art. Usually, raping form so that it will prove a thesis leaves one - at least in architecture - with a product that is hardly usable, rarely comfortable, where form and function follow excess verbosity.

Not so the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court moved into its current home in 1992, from its Russian Compound location, where it existed for 44 years. Planned by the brother-sister architect duo of Ram and Ada Carmi, and erected through a donation by Dorothea De-Rothschild, it is richly but sparingly adorned with antiques, such as the ancient Hamat Gader synagogue mosaic A guided tour of this striking edifice is a tour into the minds of its planners who leaned heavily on the Bible and the precepts of Jewish thought in guiding their fashion, somehow managing to unite the disparate, rounding the square, if you will.

The first thing one notice as one walks into the entrance foyer of the Supreme Court building, is the narrow staircase leading -as it were - into the sky. A Jerusalem stone wall on one side, and a bare flat wall on the other, it symbolizes the aspiration from the land (laws) towards the heavens (justice). This same theme is repeated in the visual leitmotif of straight lines (''Your laws are straight,'' Psalms 119:113) and circles (''He leads me in the circles of Justice,'' Psalms 23:3).

The sky is a major presence in the courthouse, since skylight plays a predominant role, nullifying the need for artificial lighting, except when the sun goes down. The circular library - open to the public - opens on to a pyramid, through which light streams down through circular windows; the vast foyer, which leads into the five austere courtrooms (the largest in the middle, the smallest on the sides), is in a constant state of change, thanks to the changing shadows thrown onto the walls by the shifting sun; and the entire structure opens onto the Courtyard of the Arches - reminiscent of the courtyard of the Rockefeller Museum - down whose center flows an artificial spring (''Truth will spring up from the earth'' Psalms 85:12).

The courtrooms are simple and elegant, the judges and lawyers seated along two tables that between them form a circle. The chambers of the 13 judges (2 of whom are temporary, and six - including the president - of whom are women) are off-limits, with easy access directly into the courtrooms. And the building is conveniently situated between the Knesset (Israel's parliament, to which there is a dedicated walkway through the Rose Wahl Rose Garden) and the site of the future Prime Minister's office and residence - thus the judicial branch serving as a mediator between the executive branch and the legislative.

Not to be missed is the museum, which displays a collection of artifacts collected over the years from the Turkish period of rule, through the British Mandate period and to the present day. A video presentation explains the workings of the court as the country's highest court of appeal and its additional function as the High Court of Justice, to which people or entities may appeal against a government institution.

Guided tours in English every day at 12 noon. Tel: +972-2-675-9612.

*The article is courtesy of the Jerusalem Tourism Authority

Read more about the Supreme Court and related topics

The Israel Museum, the largest museum in Israel, includes an Art Wing, the Shrine of the Book, a Youth Wing, Archeology department and Judaica and Jewish Ethnography. The Art Wing includes permanent exhibits and temporary exhibits of Israeli artists and art from all over the world.

You can behold the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves at the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book. Its landmark dome gleams white against the adjacent black wall

As you stand among the 2,000 year-old ruins of Qumran, overlooking the Dead Sea, you’ll gain deeper appreciation for the Dead Sea Scrolls – the oldest Hebrew Bible ever found – discovered right on the edge of the Judean Wilderness in 1947. The archaeological remnants and the fascinating displays at the Qumran National Park visitor center recall the lifestyle of the Essenes, who left Jerusalem seeking spiritual purity. The message of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Christians is manifold. For example, they were part of a widespread movement also spearheaded by John the Baptist. Their writers lived similarly to early believers, who “had everything in common” (Acts 2:44). Their scriptural commentaries echo the way the Gospels interpreted the events of the day with prophetic references, and they had a special focus on ritual immersion, which would eventually develop into baptism.

You can behold the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves at the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book. Its landmark dome gleams white against the adjacent black wall, recalling the group’s belief in the battle of good against evil. Fountains play on the dome, recalling water baptism, and its shape evokes the cover of the jars that held the scrolls, which you’ll see inside in the exhibit “A Day at Qumran.” And the precious Isaiah Scroll at the heart of the exhibit proclaims the scrolls’ prophetic significance.   

Next to the Shrine of the Book, the model of Second Temple Jerusalem has recently been reopened. It depicts the Holy City at the time of Jesus, a time of tribulation and hope that is the essence of the story of Qumran and its scrolls, and of our biblical heritage.

Read more about the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Model of Second Temple Jerusalem occupies 21,500 square feet next to the Shrine of the Book. Ancient Jerusalem’s palaces, homes and more are depicted in intricate detail, crowned by the Temple, the spiritual center of the Jewish People. 

The Model of Second Temple Jerusalem, one of the capital’s best-loved visitor sites, first opened in 1966 on the grounds of a Jerusalem hotel. It was built at the behest of the hotel’s owner, Hans Kroch, in memory of his son Jacob who fell in Israel's War of Independence. But when construction activities around the hotel necessitated the model’s move, the Israel Museum welcomed it, and it was reopened in 2006. The 1:50 model now occupies 21,500 square feet next to the landmark Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest copies of the Hebrew Bible ever found, are displayed. Ancient Jerusalem’s palaces, homes, courtyards, gardens, theater and markets are all there in intricate detail, crowned by the Temple, the spiritual center of the Jewish People and the largest building project in the world of its day. 

A short film, screened in the new auditorium of the museum’s Dorot Foundation Information and Study Center, highlights the complexities of life in those days and is a companion piece to the Shrine of the Book and the model. The plot follows two fictional friends: one an acolyte of the sect that lived at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, the other a young Jerusalem priest, as each seeks his spiritual path in troubled times.

The model’s new setting allows visitors both to circumnavigate it and to view it from above, getting a glimmer of  the grandeur of this city, about which the sages said “ten measures of beauty were given to the world; nine were taken by Jerusalem.”

When you stand atop the ancient mound of Megiddo, with the remnants of 25 civilizations beneath your feet, each hill and valley you see tells a biblical tale. The Book of Revelation set the great battle of the End of Days against this backdrop, and called this place Armageddon.

When you stand atop the ancient mound of Megiddo, with the remnants of 25 civilizations beneath your feet, each hill and valley you see tells a biblical tale. Every army that ever crossed this land clashed in its shadow. No wonder the Book of Revelation set the great battle of the End of Days against this backdrop, and called this place Armageddon.

Megiddo stands at the very hub of history. It was a central stop on the greatest trading route of ancient world, which crossed the land bridge of Canaan to link the far reaches of the Fertile Crescent – Egypt in the south and Mesopotamia in the north. Joshua (Joshua 12:21), King Solomon (I Kings 9:15) and the ill-fated King Josiah (2 Kings 23:30) all beheld its walls, which finally fell to the invading Assyrians.

When you come to Tel Megiddo, now Megiddo National Park and a World Heritage Site, you can’t help but sense the power of the massive gates that held the Egyptian army at bay for months, and the gates above them attributed to King Solomon. You will look down on a round altar where Canaanite sacrifices were carried out, and understand what the Bible means when it talks about “high places” where the Canaanites – and the Israelites – sacrificed to idols (2 Kings 23:19).  The remains of the city the Assyrians built here some 2700 years ago are here as well, now scattered across the landscape.

Another Megiddo highlight is the descent down 180 steps into the shaft and tunnel, hewn in an amazing engineering feat to channel spring water into the city in the eighth century BCE, during the reign of King Ahab.

Though no town existed here in Jesus’ day, a surprising illustration of the nativity story has become a popular photo op: stone feeding troughs in stables from the days of the Israelite kings are precisely the type of manger in which the baby Jesus was laid (Luke 2:7).

Right down the road from Megiddo, an amazing discovery was made in November 2005 in excavations prior to the expansion of a prison, of all things:  a mosaic floor bearing three inscriptions in Greek. Among them is one honoring a woman named Akeptos, “lover of God, who contributed the table to God, Jesus Christ as a memorial.” Archaeologists say that because the inscription mentions a table (and not an altar, a later custom) the Eucharist at the time must have still been conducted around a table, the way the first Christians did it. That may make this building unique in the Christian world, and we look forward to this site’s renovation, so Christian visitors can once again worship at what might be the oldest church ever found.

But nothing beats standing at the top of Tel Megiddo to take in the inspiring view:  Mount Carmel to the west, Mount Gilboa to the east, Samaria to the south and, to the north, just across the valley – Nazareth. What better place to pray over and ponder this incomparable rendezvous with past and future.

The Sea of Galilee, or Lake Kineret, is Israel’s largest fresh water reservoir. For this and other reasons, the Kineret has become an important national symbol and is also a first class tourism center.

At Capernaum – known as Jesus’ “own town” (Matt. 9:1) – “walking where Jesus walked” takes on thrilling new meaning.

At Capernaum – known as Jesus’ “own town” (Matt. 9:1) – “walking where Jesus walked” takes on thrilling new meaning. As you sit on the stone benches of Capernaum’s ancient synagogue, you’ll be reminded that right here, Jesus taught (Mark 1:21; John 6:59) and healed a man possessed by an evil spirit (Mark 1:23-27). It was the synagogue on this very spot, whose foundations you can still see, which Luke says was built by the centurion whose servant Jesus later healed (Luke 7:3-5). Jesus also raised from the dead the daughter of this synagogue’s leader (Luke 8:49-53).

The ruins that surround you here, from homes with ordinary tools of daily life to intricately decorated stone carvings, are powerful reminders of Jesus’ prediction about this town (Matt. 11:23). A highlight is Peter’s house, where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31). Peter’s house was a simple dwelling, like many others that archaeologists have unearthed in this small fishing and farming village. But unlike the others, here Christian pilgrims over the centuries left no less than 131 inscriptions on the walls. Jesus’ name appears frequently, as does Peter’s, along with crosses, pilgrims’ names and blessings. Eventually, in the mid-fourth century, a large church was built, whose mosaic floor you can still see, with Peter’s house as its centerpiece. Some years ago a modern church went up above the ruins. These walls, old and new, attest to the continuing reverence for the site of one of the best-loved healing stories of the Gospels, here in the heart of Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ Galilee ministry.

Read more about Capernaum and related topics

The quiet cove of Tabha on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee is the scene of many Gospel stories, including the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes.

The quiet cove of Tabha on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee is the scene of many Gospel stories, including the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes.
 
Early Christians marked the site of this miracle (Matt. 14:15-21; Mark 6:35-44; John 6:1-14) with a church containing magnificent mosaics. The small loaves and fishes mosaic, marking the place where Jesus uttered a blessing over the bread, has become a well-loved symbol of this place and the miracle.

Visitors love to take a walk along the Tabha-Capernaum promenade, built by the Tourism Ministry, to another part of the Tabha cove and the Church of Peter’s Primacy. This is the traditional site of the events of John 21 after the resurrection – Jesus cooking breakfast for the disciples, the miraculous catch of fish and Peter’s reconciliation. Tabha comes from a Greek word meaning “seven springs.” One, the Spring of Job, surges into the lake a short walk eastward along the promenade

Mount of Beatitudes is the hill upon which Jesus was said to have preached the "Sermon on the Mount". The lie of the land next to the church forms a natural amphitheatre and there is a  beautiful church on its crest.

As the name suggests this is the hill upon which Jesus was said to have preached the "Sermon on the Mount". The lie of the land next to the church forms a natural amphitheatre sloping down to the lake side, so it is more likely that Jesus stood at the bottom of the hill, but this does not detract from the beauty of the church on its crest.

Matthew Chapter 5

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.

The Revised Standard Version, (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.) 1973, 1977.

Read more about the Mount of Beatitudes and its surroundings

Gamla has it all: a dramatic saga, rugged landscape and magnificent vistas to match, and a wonderful foray into nature, including a waterfall and great raptors soaring overhead.

Gamla has it all: a dramatic saga, rugged landscape and magnificent vistas to match, and a wonderful foray into nature, including a waterfall and great raptors soaring overhead.

Gamla is the site of a Jewish city founded in the second-century CE Hasmonean times, located on a craggy basalt outcropping in the western Golan Heights.
One look at the hump-like shape of the hill is enough to understand why it was called Gamla, which comes from the Hebrew word for camel.  Two thousand years ago, the Jewish historian Josephus described the siege of the walled city of Gamla by the Roman general Vespasian, who marched across the Galilee to subdue the Golan in 67 CE at the beginning of the Great Revolt.
Seven months later, the Romans overcame the walls and streamed into the city. Josephus says the 9,000 remaining inhabitants fought their way to the edge of their town and threw themselves to their deaths into the gorge below when they realized they could not avoid capture. This element of the story has led to the site’s nickname, “the Masada of the north.”

Even a view of Gamla from the observation platform at the top of the trail is thrilling. You can clearly see the walls, the actual tower Josephus says the Romans undermined by pulling out the bottom stones, and the synagogue, one of the oldest ever found. Archaeologists discovered not only these architectural remains, but many other artifacts: the picks the Romans used to climb the walls, thousands of missile stones and arrowheads, as well as coins minted by the rebels stamped “For the salvation of Holy Jerusalem.” 

Good walkers will enjoy the fairly steep trail to the antiquities (about one hour down and, of course, longer coming back up). Quotes from Josephus’ account are inscribed on boulders along the trail. At the site itself you’ll get a closer look at the massive round tower, and the synagogue that was the heart and soul of the town that occupied these slopes two millennia ago. The trail also leads to the industrial zone of the community – its olive presses – which have been reconstructed to show visitors how they worked and help reveal elements of the daily life of this vibrant and prosperous community.

A short walk from the parking lot leads to the observatory built by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority next to Byzantine ruins. Here visitors and bird watchers can enjoy the sight of the Griffon vultures for which Gamla is famous, as they effortlessly catch the updrafts from the cliffs where they nest. From here you can also see the 150-foot high Gamla waterfall, to which another trail leads. A brochure in English showing all the trails comes with your entrance ticket; the rangers are happy to give advice on the best way to see the site.

To complement your experience, visit the archaeological museum at nearby Katzrin, which features a dramatic audio-visual presentation about Gamla among its displays.

A pleasant north wind greets visitors to Katsrin - the capital of the Golan Heights. Founded in 1977, it has become an urban, commercial and tourism center.

A pleasant north wind greets visitors to Katsrin - the capital of the Golan Heights. Founded in 1977, it has become an urban, commercial and tourism center. Katsrin is built in the heart of the Golan Heights and is a young city known for its landscapes and its quality of life. Its special location affords easy access to many nature reserves, historic and archeological sites, river beds and attractive visitor centers.

The city is named after the ancient town of Katsrin, whose ruins are located in the nearby Katsrin antiquities park. The ancient town was inhabited on and off from the Middle Bronze Age (about 4,000 years ago) and archeological digs found evidence of a Jewish village from the Talmudic period, which existed until the Moslem conquest just over 1,300 years ago. The remains of the ancient village are fascinating with reconstructed homes, complete with their interiors and the farming implements used by the inhabitants. The central site is a magnificent synagogue from the 6th century, evidence of a prosperous community. The park is full of beautiful rest spots, surrounded by fig trees and grape vines, and there is also a museum of modern basalt sculptures.

The Katsrin industrial zone houses a mineral water bottling plant and a large winery, among the most famous in Israel, and both have visitors’ centers that offer a glimpse of the water-bottling and wine-making processes. The Golan Antiquities Museum is located in the commercial center in Katsrin, with exhibits of archeological findings from the region as well as an impressive audiovisual presentation of the heroic defense of the town of Gamla against Roman forces in the 1st century. Also at the center is a doll museum depicting the history of the Jewish people up until the renewal of Jewish settlement of Israel and the Golan Heights in the late 19th century. Between the two museums are stores, pubs and restaurants, a few guest rooms and a field school that offers sleeping accommodations in hostel rooms as well as outdoor camping and guided tours.

The nature and historical sites near Katsrin include Nahal Zavitan, the Meshushim Pool with its unusual hexagonal rocks, Gamla, Nakhal Yehuda and Seleukia Springs.

This tranquil, mysterious pool located on the outskirts of the Druze town of Mas’adeh, has given rise to many stories over the centuries. It is aptly named Birket Ram – the “high pool” – due to its location in the northern Golan Heights, surrounded by mountains over 3,000 feet above sea level.

This tranquil, mysterious pool located on the outskirts of the Druze town of Mas’adeh, has given rise to many stories over the centuries. Its slopes now beautifully cultivated by Druze farmers, it is aptly named Birket Ram – the “high pool” – due to its location in the northern Golan Heights, surrounded by mountains over 3,000 feet above sea level. Its origins are a puzzle, but most geologists believe it is the collapsed crater of a volcano.

A legend about the pool beautifully weaves together geography and human nature: A small hill near Birket Ram is known as Jebel el-Sheikha (“the hill of the sheikh’s wife”), while to the north rises majestic Mount Hermon, nearly 7,000 feet high and known as Jebel el-Sheikh (“the hill of the sheikh”). After many years together, the legend says, the sheikh stopped loving his wife, and Birket Ram is her eye, filled with tears.

According to one Druze tradition, Nebi (prophet) Yafouri was a mystic whose high moral standards are passed down in oral tradition through the generations.

According to one Druze tradition, Nebi (prophet) Yafouri was a mystic whose high moral standards are passed down in oral tradition through the generations. The gleaming white dome crowing his tomb stands out among apple orchards, verdant and heavy with fruit in summer and beautifully blossoming in spring, in a high valley with a magnificent view of Mount Hermon. 

Like most Druze holy places, the room containing the scarf-covered tomb is just a small part a larger complex. The original building, dating from around 1840, has several modern additions, including a large parking lot, which doubles as a playground for younger visitors and is studded with shady ash and mulberry trees. Another building contains a kitchen and long, family-style tables for shared meals. Busloads of Druze faithful come year-round to the tomb, but August 25 is the annual ziyara, or special pilgrimage day.

Nebi Yafouri’s tomb is located some 600 yards past Birket Ram on the way to the Druze town of Majdal Shams.

The Hula valley is a place of miracles and wonders. Heroic people working together with Mother Nature have made the Hula valley into a place filled with abundant green beauty.

The Hula valley is a place of miracles and wonders. Heroic people working together with Mother Nature have made the Hula valley into a place filled with abundant green beauty.

Until the 1950s large parts of the Hula valley were covered by the Hula Lake and its adjacent swamps. The project for draining the swamps contributed to settlement in the area and to the addition of large areas of agricultural land, leaving the central lake area as a nature reserve where fauna and flora characteristic of the area could remain. Visitors to the Hula Valley can see the plants and animals that are indigenous to the area as well as migrating birds. Films and audio-visual presentations are shown in the visitors' center, which tell about life in the area 50 years ago. 

At the beginning of the 1990s one of the areas of the valley became flooded again as the result of heavy rains. It was decided to develop the surrounding area and to leave the flooded area as it was. The new site – Agmon HaHula, became the second home for thousands of migrating birds that pass through the area in the autumn and spring, as well as the home of many native birds, making it a popular sight for bird-watchers from Israel and abroad. The Agmon HaHula has walking paths, observation points, and telescopes for observing the thousands of birds that inhabit the site. Visitors can also go on guided tours that offer explanations about the birds that inhabit the Hula Valley. 

Water is extremely abundant in the valley, including springs such as Ein Tina, the Jakhula, and the large northern rivers such as the Dan, Snir, Hermon and the Jordan. Because of the abundance of water the area is green and flowering, and contains numerous nature reserves such as HaTanur, Tel Dan, and the Banias. There are also national parks in the region such as Hurshat Tal.

There are many kibbutzim and moshavim in the Hula Valley, as well as the city of Kiryat Shmona. It has become one of the major tourism regions in Israel, offering activities throughout the year.  Visitors to the Hula Valley can choose from a large selection of guest rooms, country lodging facilities, luxury hotels, and hostels. There are also dozens of archeological sites such as Tel Hatzor, tourist attractions such as the Tel Hai Photography Museum, historical sites such as the Tel Hai Compound, and entertainment centers for children and families such as the Manara Cliffs and cable car.  

The ruins of the city of Hazor, “the head of all those kingdoms” (Joshua 11:10), was the scene of Joshua’s great victory over the Canaanites, and has become a symbol of the victory of the weak against the powerful.

The ruins of the city of Hazor, “the head of all those kingdoms” (Joshua 11:10), was the scene of Joshua’s great victory over the Canaanites, and has become a symbol of the victory of the weak against the powerful.
 
Overlooking the modern highway between the Sea of Galilee and Caesarea Philippi, Hazor, of the most important cities in the ancient Near East, controlled the ancient highway as well.

Visitors revel in the many remnants of Hazor’s biblical past: the ramparts of Ahab, and his sophisticated water system, the gates of Solomon (1 Kings 9:15), the Israelite citadel, and a High Place from the time of the Judges. The recently discovered staircase connecting the upper and lower cities highlights the huge dimensions of the city, and a gorgeous Hula Valley setting is revealed from the doorway of the beautifully restored royal palace.
With all these historical riches, Hazor has certainly earned its place on UNESCO’s prestigious list of World Heritage Sites.


Joshua Chapter 11

13 But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor only; that Joshua burned. 14 And all the spoil of these cities and the cattle, the people of Israel took for their booty; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any that breathed.

The Revised Standard Version, (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.) 1973, 1977.

Safed (Tsfat) is a picturesque city of spiritualists and artists, wrapped in mysticism and mystery, and steeped in sacred atmosphere. Visitors to Safed sense the city’s warm embrace as they wander through its alleyways with their artists’ studios and workshops.

A visit to the city of Safed (Tsfat) - with its magnificent mountaintop setting and fresh, clean mountain air - is a heavenly experience. 

The ancient Galilean city is the highest city in Israel, and commands a breathtaking view of the Galilee in the winter with its green mountains and the white snow-capped peak of Mount Hermon.  

Safed is a picturesque city of spiritualists and artists, wrapped in mysticism and mystery, and steeped in sacred atmosphere. Visitors to Safed sense the city’s warm embrace as they wander through its alleyways past charming stone houses with their artists’ studios and workshops.   

Safed is one of the four holy cities in Israel. It has been a spiritual center since the 1600s when it was the center of Kabbala (Jewish mysticism). The Kabbalist mystics lived, studied, taught, and wrote in the city and many of the graves are objects of veneration. 

The ancient picturesque alleyways of the Jewish quarter contain hidden niches and beautiful synagogues whose rich past emanates from the high ceilings, colorful decorations, and ancient Torah scrolls. 

The artists’ quarter is located in what was previously the Arab quarter of Safed.  Artists reside and work in their studios in the ancient and magnificent houses, and their paintings and artifacts fill the display windows and can be viewed while walking through the narrow alleyways.  

Safed also has exciting museums that relate the city’s history, luxurious hotels that preserve its antique character, and a huge Crusader fortress.  It also hosts numerous festivals that are rich in color and atmosphere. 

To visit Safed - with the grapevines growing up the arbors of its stone houses, the decorated iron gates, the beautiful panorama that is visible from the verandas, and the winding cobblestone alleyways, is like strolling through a painting.  It is a city for vacationers and tourists, a city of artists and rabbis, history and tradition. 

The gleaming white cliffs of Rosh Hanikra and the beautiful stretch of beach below are a magnificent sight to behold. But the real excitement begins when you board the cable-car for your two-minute ride down the 210-foot cliff.

The gleaming white cliffs of Rosh Hanikra and the beautiful stretch of beach below are a magnificent sight to behold. But the real excitement begins when you board the cable-car for your two-minute ride down the 210-foot cliff.

As you walk through the artificial tunnels and view caverns carved out by the pounding waves of the Mediterranean, you’ll enjoy the myriad shades of the water and the dramatic play of light and shadow it casts. The strange sounds the waves make as they rush in and out of the caves make it easy to believe the old legend that a pair of star-crossed lovers used to meet here, and the voice of the would-be bride can still be heard.

Rosh Hanikra is also the meeting point of the Israel and Lebanese border; you can see the tunnel dug here in 1943 to extend the Cairo-Haifa rail line to Beirut. A short audio-visual presentation, shown in the old tunnel itself, tells the story of the site.
Don’t miss the beautiful path that crosses the Rosh Hanikra beach and begins near entrance to the old tunnel (open on weekdays from an off-site entrance and on Saturdays from the site) and the “little train” tour.

Read more about Rosh Hanikra

Acre (Akko) is a meeting place for East and West, new and old, beauty and ruins, all adding to its uniqueness. The variety of tourism sites makes it a bustling city full of cultural events, and there is another interesting adventure or attraction around every corner.

The waves from the Mediterranean Sea crash against the walls of Acre’s old city, washing the steep, thick sandstone walls that have survived the centuries. The walls, fortresses and strongholds of the city bear the marks of many nations that left impressive buildings behind them, beautifying Acre to this day. Thanks to these buildings, UNESCO declared Acre a World Heritage Site in 2001.

A visit to Acre is part of the Israeli experience. The city is a meeting place for East and West, new and old, beauty and ruins, all adding to its uniqueness. The variety of tourism sites makes Acre a bustling city full of cultural events, and there is another interesting adventure or attraction around every corner.

Acre was one of this region’s important cities in ancient times. Various cultures made their home here, the Crusaders captured it and the Ottomans lived here for many centuries. Even Napoleon Bonaparte tried to lay his hands on Acre and conquer it, but after two months of siege and failed attempts to storm the city’s walls, he retreated in humiliation.

The fascinating history that has passed through the streets of Acre, the legacy left behind by its conquerors, the buildings that adorn the city and the places of worship built there are just part of the experience this city offers. Among the high-walled alleys and underground passages there is a huge mosque and a Christian monastery, an inn and Turkish baths, halls built by the Knights Templar, with an extraordinary Templar tunnel and fascinating archeological findings. These are joined by intriguing museums and many churches, a row of hotels near the inviting beaches, a marina, restaurants and a picaresque fishing port.

Every year Acre hosts colorful festivals that attract thousands of visitors and tourists from around the world. Between the ancient alleyways a lively open market hums with activity, especially on weekends. The market is also the home of one of Israel’s most famous hummus restaurants, where one sometimes has to wait in line for a table for two. Nearby, in the fishing port, there are excellent fish restaurants that serve the best of the previous night’s catches. Not far away from the city is a beautifully manicured Bahai Garden, build by members of the Bahai religion in Israel. It is a real pleasure to wander the garden’s paths and enjoy the meticulously designed flower beds.

Acre is interesting and charming, good for a glimpse of the past, a festival or just a romantic evening stroll along the city walls over the sea.

Israel’s third largest city and one of its prettiest, Haifa has a lot to offer visitors. It has the country’s largest port, a particularly active beach and is the home of the World Center of the Bahai Faith.

Israel’s third largest city and one of its prettiest, Haifa has a lot to offer visitors. It has the country’s largest port, a particularly active beach and is the home of the World Center of the Bahai Faith. Surrounded by abundant nature sites, the city contains an interesting mix of modern neighborhoods and older districts; churches and mosques; mountain and sea. 
 
Haifa is a multi-faceted city with several unique characteristics making it an attractive place to visit. Its proximity to the sea and its active port contribute to its prominence. The bustling port area draws merchants, shoppers and tourists. The beautiful beaches are popular for sports and recreation, and are filled with people during summer weekends. In addition, because of their excellent surfing conditions, the beaches serve many of Israel’s top sailing enthusiasts and host sailing competitions and other sporting events.

With residents from the three largest religions as well as from various minority faiths, Haifa is also a symbol of outstanding co-existence and tolerance. Nine percent of the population consists of Arabs (Moslems and Christians) who reside mostly in three neighborhoods: Khalisa, Abas and the famous Wadi Nisnas whose charming alleyways have turned it into a tourist spot. The annual Holiday of Holidays marking the city’s special lifestyle is held there.

The Christian presence in Haifa, with its many churches, also contributes to the city’s image.  A Maronite church is located next to Kikar Paris (Paris Square); adjacent to that is the Carmelite church dedicated to the Prophet Elijah; and not far from there is Saint Mary’s Greek Orthodox Parish Church. The Sacre Coeur Catholic School on Allenby Street has a well-tended garden and building, in front of which are impressive statues of Saint Mary. Atop the Carmel, holy to Christians, is the Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery.  In the monastery’s Baroque-style church is a cave considered by Christian tradition to be the grave of the Prophet Elijah, and in the monastery is a small museum dedicated to his life.  On site is also a hostel which serves the many pilgrims who visit the city.

This does not complete the city’s religious mosaic. Israel’s only Ahmadi Muslim community is based in Haifa’s Kababir neighborhood. The Ahmadiyya is an Indian sect of Islam, founded in the late nineteenth century, which promotes peace among nations and opposes religious coercion. Their large mosque houses a prayer hall and a first-floor exhibit of their history and significant contributions.

Haifa’s reputation for tolerance extends to the Bahai Faith whose World Center is located in the city. The Bahais originated in the Bab sect which separated from Iran’s Shi’ite Islam in 1844. The Bahai World Center, an expansive and well-designed complex on the slope of the Carmel, is famous for its magnificent gardens. It includes the exquisitely landscaped “Hanging Gardens” which run about a kilometer along the Louis Promenade until Ha-Gefen Street. At the center is the impressive, gold-domed Shrine of the Bab, the burial place of the Bab, the founder of the faith. One can enjoy some enchanting spots while strolling through the beautiful gardens by day, but with the special lighting, an evening visit provides equal pleasure and a peaceful, romantic atmosphere.

At the foot of the Bahai Gardens lies the picturesque German Colony, founded in the nineteenth century by German Templars who came to establish a Christian community in the Holy Land. The pretty stone houses lend charm and romance to the neighborhood and reflect its special qualities. Some of the houses have been preserved, and some still have the names of the original residents etched onto them. The German Colony attracts many visitors, and it is worth wandering through it to enjoy its beauty and get a sense of its colorful past.

Those interested in experiencing the city by foot will enjoy one of the “Step Tours”, four marked walking routes which begin on Yefe Nof (Panorama) Street and proceed down to the beach area. 
Other options are nature routes which descend the mountain along one of the rivers – Ezov, Akhuza, Lotem and Si’akh. From the coast, one can go up the mountain via the cable car or the Carmelit, Israel’s only subway (underground) which ends at the Carmel district. Here, one should visit Gan ha’Em (“Mother’s Park”) and walk along the Louis Promenade with its spectacular view of the city which hugs the sea.

Haifa also boasts many institutions devoted to culture, art and science which offer an array of festivals and activities. Several types of museums are located in Haifa, including: the Dagon Grain Silo; the National Maritime Museum; the National Museum of Science and Technology; the Haifa Museum of Art; the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum; the Railway Museum; the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art; the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum; and the Israel Oil Industry Museum.

The annual Haifa Film Festival features high quality local and international films, drawing those in the profession (directors, screenwriters, actors, etc.) as well as thousands of visitors who fill the streets and the auditoriums. 

Haifa is also home to the Technion, Israel’s first institution of higher education, and to the University of Haifa, attended by students from Israel and overseas. The university is situated near the Carmel Nature Reserve, known for its year-round views of greenery and its intoxicating beauty. The Khai-Bar Wildlife Preserve was established within the Carmel Nature Reserve to reintroduce nearly extinct animals to nature. 

Throughout the Carmel are hundreds of hiking, automobile and bicycle paths, and amazing charming spots waiting to be discovered.

Beauty, grandeur, and inspired design, combined with the painstaking gardening of generations, create the unique atmosphere of the Bahai Shrine and Gardens in Haifa.

Beauty, grandeur, and inspired design, combined with the painstaking gardening of generations, create the unique atmosphere of the Bahai Shrine and Gardens in Haifa. This is the site where members of the Bahai faith have established their shrine and world center because of its significance to the Bahai faith. 

The Bahai faith had its origins in the in Iran, where its followers severed themselves from the existing Moslem Shi’ite faith. Its founder, Baha'u'llah, was exiled from his homeland at the end of the 19th century, and came to Akko (Acre) and Haifa after suffering persecution in neighboring Moslem countries.  He was impressed with the beauty of Mount Carmel and expressed the desire that the Bab, the forerunner of the faith, would be buried there. About 20 years later, the bones of the Bab were interred in Haifa on the site that then developed into the center for the Bahai faith.

The shrine, with its golden dome, Italian marble walls, and granite pillars, was built in 1953 and has become one of the major tourist sites in Haifa. Its 40-meter high dome is covered with 14,000 gold-coated bricks. The shrine has nine sides representing the nine major religions of the world.  It is surrounded by several other unique buildings, including the Universal House of Justice - the seat of the nine members of the high Bahai council, and the building that houses the archives of the Bahai faith. 

The impressive gardens surrounding the shrine were designed and inspired by the doctrines of the Bahai faith. They succeed in blending in and creating harmony with the surrounding slopes of Mount Carmel. The gardens extend over 19 terraces, the highest of which contains the Persian Gardens, with their topiary sculpted into eight-pointed stars. Stone steps lead down the slope to the breathtaking Hanging Gardens below. 

The gardens are designed in nine concentric circles that look like waves extending out from the shrine at their center. The gardens combine works of stone and metal as well as fountains, shrubbery, and expansive lawns. The main path is surrounded along its entire length by colorful, well-kept gardens that blend in with the natural flora and enliven the surrounding panorama of the mountainside while creating a small nature reserve. The garden has earned the name “The Eighth Wonder of the World,” and its beauty offers visitors a feeling of calm and enchantment during the day, while special lighting converts the garden to a romantic quite place at night.  

Read more about the Bahai Gardens and related topics

Next, explore the venerable Church of the Holy Sepulchre, site of the crucifixion and tomb of Jesus according to Christian tradition. You will notice the many Christian denominations represented in the church, distinguished by their dress and liturgy –  Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox,  Armenian,  Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian Orthodox , each in their own corner of the ancient complex. Explore some of the other interesting churches in the Old City, including the Russian Orthodox Church with its basement ruins, and the tranquil Ethiopian courtyard and humble chapel. 

Wander through the Old City markets, steeping yourself in its sights, sounds and aromas, and try your hand at hunting and bargaining for treasures.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Start out with an overview, literal and figurative, of the Holy City, Israel’s capital, as you explore the Tower of David Museum, showcasing the history of Jerusalem from its beginning to modern times.   

Continue to the Jewish Quarter which was home to European and Sephardic Jews during the centuries under Ottoman rule, and visit the 2,700-year-old Broad Wall, the Herodian Mansions and the Cardo.  

Finish the day at the City of David, including Warren’s Shaft, the new Visitors Center and Hezekiah’s Tunnel, through which water has flowed since the days of King Hezekiah some 2,700 years ago. 

Overnight in Jerusalem