Israel/Jordan The Dead Sea is one of the most famous lakes in the world, thanks to its location at the heart of the Biblical Holy Land. Actually a salt lake, the Dead Sea is located at the lowest point on the surface of the Earth, and is so saline that it cannot support life. Many places of Biblical interest can be found along the shores of the lake, making it a must-see … [Read more...]
MOUNT EREMOS
Israel/Palestine (N/A) – Biblical Site of the Sermon on the Mount Mount Eremos, better known as the Mount of Beatitudes, is the hill which is traditionally associated with the Sermon on the Mount. Located (according to the Bible) between Capernaum and Gennesaret, Eremos has been recognized as the site of the Beatitudes since the late Roman era, but is not entirely certain. … [Read more...]
MOUNT ZION & MOUNT OF OLIVES
Israel/Palestine (765 m, 826 m) – Biblical Hills Surrounding Jerusalem Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives are two ancient hills which flank the old walled city of Jerusalem to the south and east respectively. Between them they almost perfectly flank the Temple Mount, the most sacred site in Judaism and also highly revered by both Christians and Muslims as well. Not … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF AIN JALUT (AIN JALUT BATTLEFIELD)
Ain Jalut, Israel (1260 AD) The Battle of Ain Jalut was one of the greatest defeats the Mongol armies ever faced, and marked the southeasternmost point the great empire ever reached. Fought between an advance army sent by Haluga Khan and a Mamluk slave army from Egypt under famed Muslim general Baibars, it was one of the most evenly matched battles of the various Mongol Wars … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF HATTIN (HATTIN BATTLEFIELD)
Hittin, Israel (1187 AD) The Battle of Hattin was one of the most important battles of the Middle Ages and the decisive turning point of the Crusades. It was the greatest victory of the greatest Muslim military commander of all time, Saladin, and marked the beginning of the end of the Christian Crusader kingdoms. It was particularly embarrassing defeat for the Christians, … [Read more...]
WALLED CITY OF JERUSALEM
Jerusalem, Israel As walled cities go, Jerusalem may be the most famous, most visited and most blood soaked in history. No fewer than five walls have been constructed over the millennia to defend this holiest of cities, not to mention over a dozen renovations and expansions, with varying degrees of success. The walls of Jerusalem witnessed major fighting on over two dozen … [Read more...]
ISRAEL MUSEUM & THE SHRINE OF THE BOOK
Jerusalem, Israel The Israel Museum is the national museum of the State of Israel and the greatest Jewish Museum in the world. A sprawling world-class complex, no other museum in the entire Middle East with the possible exception of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo boasts so large or diverse a collection as the Israel Museum. Designed to capture the immense, grandiose history … [Read more...]
MUSEUMS OF TEL AVIV
Tel Aviv, Israel The city of Tel Aviv is the cultural capital of Israel and, with the possible exception of New York City, Judaism in general. Tel Aviv is the heart of everything secular in Israel, from commerce to recreation to sports to the performing arts. Boasting more than sixty museums, Tel Aviv has among the highest number of museums per capita in the world, … [Read more...]
MODERN JERUSALEM
Jerusalem, Israel Modern Jerusalem is a sprawling metropolis with three-quarters of a million people, dwarfing the city built in ancient times. Jerusalem is also the epicenter of two millenia of religious tension and conflict between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In the nineteen centuries since the end of the Great Revolt, Jerusalem has changed hands more than a dozen … [Read more...]
MOUNT HERZL NATIONAL CEMETERY
Jerusalem, Israel Named for Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement, Mount Herzl is the location of Jerusalem’s memorial district. It is home to the national and military cemeteries, as well as to the Yad Vashem, the Israeli national Holocaust memorial. Many of modern Israel’s leaders and heroes are buried here, as well as heroes and victims of the Holocaust. … [Read more...]
