Yesterday I visited Safed to brush up on touring the city. I met with local guide Medad Shalem. His mom and dad Yisrael and Phyllis wrote a useful small book 6 walking tours of Safed last updated in 1997.
I also stopped at the Livnot v'livanot cum tourist office in the Jewish Quarter located about 15 meters from the Ari Synagogue. They have maps and tour books including the one above.
Below is the description of the Battle for Safed on a sign at near the Citadel observation post. Note that there is a recording in English/Hebrew on the history of Safed at that location as well.
SAFED DURING THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
For hundreds of years Safed was an integrated city with Jews and Arabs living side by side.
On the eve of the War of Independence, the Jewish population constituted one tenth of the total residents.
They were concentrated in the Jewish Quarter, in the northwest part of the city.
Toward the end of the Mandate, and upon the withdrawal of the British from the city, the Palmach’s 3rd Battalion arrived in Safed and assumed defensive positions in the Jewish Quarter. These combatants were joined by the armored corps, IZL (Irguan Zvai Le’umi, underground movement) combatants and residents of the Jewish Quarter.
On April 16, 1948, the day of withdrawal, the British commander of Safed sent a message to Rabbi Moshe Podhorzer, head of the Community Council, stating, “…I am extremely worried that you and your children’s lives are at stake. We recommend that you at least evacuate your women and children with the protection of our army.” After consultation with Hagana Headquarters, the residents and the combatants decided to remain in the city.
On the 28th of April the “YIftach” Operation began in the upper and eastern Galilee. During this operation, a decision was taken to seize the Arab Quarter of Safed, since it was assumed that the Arab Quarter constituted the central force of the Arabs. The fortress adjacent to the park and the monument was under the control of the Arabs, and since control of the fortress guaranteed control of the city, the decision was made to seize the fortress.
On the night between May 5 and May 6 our forces opened fire on the fortress but failed: the high location and the topographical conditions made it’s seizure extremely difficult. On May 9, 1948, the fortress was attached once again. One of the soldiers described the battle, “The climb towards the exposed crest is extremely steep and covered in stones and thorns. The soldiers measure their way in the dark in the rain, in the mud with the firing shooting past their heads while grabbing thorn bushes to climb upward.”
On May 10th, the battle ended with the Jews capturing key positions in Safed. Although the Jews assured the Arabs in the city that they would not be hurt, most of the 10,000 Arab residents of Safed fled to neighboring towns and villages. This then paved the way for Jewish forces to take control of all of Safed and the surrounding areas.
Seen in retrospect, the Yiftach Operation was a tremendous success. It achieved all of its stated objectives and it liberated the Upper and Eastern Galilee areas for the Jews. To this day, when you visit Safed, you'll see remnants from the battle in 1948. Some of the older buildings still have the bullet marks that they suffered during this battle, and some of the military equipment has been left as a reminder of the fighting that took place in this historic and religiously significant city.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Visits to the Temple Mount Sunday-Thursdy 7:30 AM - 11 AM and 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
Take the rising pathway to the right of the Western Wall, which leads to the Temple Mount, one of the most historic and sublime sites in the world. In the Islamic world, this is the Haram es Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary, and one of its crowning architectural achievements. After David conquered Jerusalem, he purchased the flat rock at the top of Moriah from Arunah the Jebusite, who had used it as a threshing floor. Some historians theorize that the name Arunah, a dialect variation of the name Aaron, may indicate that Arunah was a Canaanite priest, and the site a Canaanite holy place. The Bible (2 Chron. 3) relates that "Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah." The more modest Second Temple (Solomon's was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.) was originally built by returnees from the Babylonian Captivity between 525 and 515 B.C., and later, shortly before the time of Jesus, Herod enlarged and rebuilt it into the most massive religious complex in the eastern Roman Empire. The vast Temple Mount you see here is an artificially created, flat, stone-paved platform, about 12 hectares (30 acres) in area, built by Herod to accommodate vast numbers of pilgrims in ancient times. Herod's temple complex was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. All structures on the Temple Mount today, including the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, are Islamic holy places and religious institutions built after the Muslim conquest of A.D. 638.
There is no charge to enter the Temple Mount compound. You must not, however, wear shorts or immodest dress in the compound. (If your outfit is too revealing, guards may be willing to provide you with long cotton wraps, or they may ask you to return another time with more modest clothing.) Visitors are allowed on the Temple Mount by permission of the Islamic religious authorities, and are asked to obey instructions given by the guards.
There is an admission fee of NIS 38 ($9.50/£4.75) to go inside the two mosques and the Islamic Museum. If the buildings are again open to foreign visitors, I highly recommend that you invest in the combined admission ticket, which may be purchased from a stone kiosk between Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. If visiting hours are lengthened, you may usually remain on the Temple Mount, but cannot enter the Dome of the Rock or the Al Aqsa Mosque during the midday prayers.
Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest place of prayer in the world for Muslims after Mecca and Medina, is the first large edifice you'll come to. Completed in approximately A.D. 720, it is among the oldest mosques in existence and also among the most beautiful -- a vast broad basilica originally nine naves wide (it was rebuilt somewhat smaller after the Crusades). It was in front of the graceful porticos of the Al Aqsa that King Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated in 1951, by gunmen who felt he was attempting to create a basis for eventual peace in the area. He died here in the presence of his then 15-year-old grandson, the late King Hussein of Jordan.
Note: Although at press time the interiors of the Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock were closed to visitors, the following information is provided in case they are reopened.
A mosque is a sacred enclosure open to air and light (as opposed to the dark interiors of pagan-era temples). Because a mosque is a sacred precinct, you must remove your shoes before entering. This tradition is very ancient, going back to the time when Moses, approaching the Burning Bush in the Sinai, heard the voice of God telling him to take off his shoes. You must also leave handbags and cameras outside, so you might want to come with a partner who can watch these things for you. Try to stash your wallet and identification papers into a pocket.
After passing through the portico, you will enter a broad open hall with chandeliers, its floor covered with Oriental rugs. The mosque's lofty ceilings, supported by a forest of varied columns, are embellished with early Islamic and Byzantine design. Up front, past rows of great marble pillars, is a wood-partitioned platform reserved for the Jordanian royal family. The extraordinary wooden-stair pulpit of the Al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's great artistic treasures for more than 7 centuries, was commissioned by Saladin for the rededication of Al Aqsa as a mosque after the Crusader occupation. Originally built by master artisans from Syria, it was destroyed when a mentally disturbed Australian tourist set fire to the Al Aqsa in 1969, and it has been painstakingly reconstructed by craftspeople retrained in techniques that have not been used for hundreds of years. A separate women's prayer chamber, in blue, is at the right. As you enter the Al Aqsa, you face south, in the direction of Mecca. Mihrabs, or prayer niches on the southern wall, remind worshipers of the qibla, or direction they must face during prayers, which are performed five times a day. During the five daily prayers, the Al Aqsa is filled with worshipers who in unison perform the rituals of prostration that accompany Islamic prayer. Non-Muslim visitors are not permitted inside mosques at these times. In between prayers, when visitors are allowed to enter, you will find a large, serene space, with perhaps a few individual worshipers at various places on the floor. Unlike most churches and synagogues, mosques contain no pews or chairs. Visitors are invited to view the architecture and design details of the building; however, they are requested not to engage in any prayers.
Leave Al Aqsa, reclaim your shoes and belongings, and turn right. You will only be permitted to walk to the end of the building, but at the far end of the vast pavement is a corner in the city walls. Some say this is the "pinnacle of the Temple" where Satan took Jesus to tempt him (Matt. 4:5). In the distance, you can get a marvelous view of the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley.
A stairway leads to the so-called Solomon's Stables, perhaps first misidentified by the Crusaders. Today, these subterranean chambers are popularly believed to have been the stables for King Solomon's thousands of horses. The "stables" are actually the substructure supporting this portion of Herod's vast, artificially created ceremonial platform that is the present surface of the Temple Mount. To add to the confusion about the site, many Muslims believe the "Solomon" referred to is the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman (Solomon) the Magnificent, who rebuilt the walls that surround the present Old City and did extensive repair work on the Dome of the Rock during his reign in the mid-1500s. (For security reasons, this area will probably be closed to visitors.)
Heading straight across Temple Mt. Plaza toward the Dome of the Rock, you'll pass El-Kas, the fountain where Muslims perform their ritual ablutions before entering the holy places. It is equipped with a circular row of pink marble seats, each of which has a faucet. The fountain is not for use by non-Muslims.
The exterior walls of the dazzling Dome of the Rock are covered with a facade of Persian blue tiles, originally installed by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the mid-16th century. In 1994, under the auspices of Jordan's king Hussein, the great dome was completely reconstructed and regilded with 80 kilograms (176 lb.) of 24-karat gold. The Dome of the Rock is reached by climbing the broad ceremonial stairs that lead to a decorative archway and a raised center portion of the Temple Mount complex. The Dome of the Rock's interior is every bit as lavish and intricate as the outside. Plush carpets line the floor, and stained-glass windows line the upper ceiling. Again, visitors must remove their shoes and leave them, along with their cameras and bags, on shelves before entering the shrine.
Everything in this beautiful Muslim sanctuary, built in A.D. 691, centers on the rock that occupies the middle of the shrine. According to Islamic tradition, this rock is the spot from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to view paradise during the Night Journey described in the 17th Sura of the Koran. Tradition holds that when the Prophet rose, the rock tried to follow, and although it failed, the cave beneath the rock was formed. Footprints of Muhammad are pointed out on the rock.
Next to the rock, a few strands of the Prophet Muhammad's hair are kept in a latticework wooden cabinet. A stairway leads under the rock to a cavelike chamber; according to tradition, this is the Well of the Souls, where it is said the souls of all the dead are gathered. Glass partitions have been erected to stop pilgrims from eroding the sacred rock -- for centuries it was chipped away by the faithful who wanted to bring home a memento.
Jewish tradition holds that on this rock occurred the supreme act of faith that stands at the very foundation of the Jewish religion: Abraham's near sacrifice of Isaac. Genesis 22 relates how Abraham, in approximately 1800 B.C., followed God's instructions to go to Moriah and sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son. Isaac, unaware of the dreadful command, followed in his father's steps and asked, "Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham responded, "God will provide for the sacrifice," as he built the altar on the rock and prepared to bind his son. At the final moment, the voice of God intervened and ordered Abraham to lower his knife. Approximately 900 years later, in 960 B.C., the Temple of Solomon was constructed either on or beside this rock. For the next millennium, the First and Second Temples were located on this site.
From the flat courtyard surrounding the two mosques you have a wonderful view. To the south are the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Valley of Kidron) and the UN Government House (Mount of Contempt) on the hill. To the east are the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives, the Russian Magdalene Church, with its many onion-shaped golden domes, and the Tomb of the Virgin. Midway up the Mount of Olives is a large modern white structure with many levels of arcades that seem built into the side of the slope. This is the vast Mormon Center, constructed in the 1980s and considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of contemporary architecture in Jerusalem. On the crest of the Mount of Olives, above the Church of Mary Magdalene, you'll see the high-steepled Russian Monastery and the Dome of the Ascension, marking the place from which Jesus ascended to heaven. Farther to the right and a bit downhill is the gray, tear-shaped dome of Dominus Flevit, which commemorates the spot where Jesus wept as he saw a vision of Jerusalem in ruins. Indeed, from the time of the city's destruction in A.D. 70 until the building of the Dome of the Rock in A.D. 691, Jews traditionally stood near this spot and viewed the actual ruins of the Temple Mount. To the right, on the southern crest of the ridge, is the modern Seven Arches Hotel, built during Jordanian times on the ancient Jewish cemetery of the Mount of Olives.
Your combined entrance ticket also admits you to the Islamic Museum, in the southwest corner of the Temple Mount complex, to the right of the Al Aqsa Mosque. The museum is filled with architectural details, including capitals and carved stonework from earlier structures on the Temple Mount as well as ornamental details from earlier periods of the Al Aqsa Mosque's existence.
Scheduling a Visit to the Temple Mount -- At press time, tourists could only visit the Temple Mount/Haram es Sharif from Sunday to Thursday from 7:30 to 11am and from 1:30 to 2:30pm. It is best to arrive at least an hour ahead of closing time. Although visitors may walk around on the Temple Mount, take photographs, and enjoy the vistas, for now entry into the Dome of the Rock, the Al Aqsa Mosque, and the Islamic Museum is not permitted. Longer visiting hours and permission to enter the buildings on the Temple Mount may be restored during the time span of this edition. The Temple Mount is always closed to non-Muslims on Friday and during the entire holy month of Ramadan.
There is no charge to enter the Temple Mount compound. You must not, however, wear shorts or immodest dress in the compound. (If your outfit is too revealing, guards may be willing to provide you with long cotton wraps, or they may ask you to return another time with more modest clothing.) Visitors are allowed on the Temple Mount by permission of the Islamic religious authorities, and are asked to obey instructions given by the guards.
There is an admission fee of NIS 38 ($9.50/£4.75) to go inside the two mosques and the Islamic Museum. If the buildings are again open to foreign visitors, I highly recommend that you invest in the combined admission ticket, which may be purchased from a stone kiosk between Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. If visiting hours are lengthened, you may usually remain on the Temple Mount, but cannot enter the Dome of the Rock or the Al Aqsa Mosque during the midday prayers.
Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest place of prayer in the world for Muslims after Mecca and Medina, is the first large edifice you'll come to. Completed in approximately A.D. 720, it is among the oldest mosques in existence and also among the most beautiful -- a vast broad basilica originally nine naves wide (it was rebuilt somewhat smaller after the Crusades). It was in front of the graceful porticos of the Al Aqsa that King Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated in 1951, by gunmen who felt he was attempting to create a basis for eventual peace in the area. He died here in the presence of his then 15-year-old grandson, the late King Hussein of Jordan.
Note: Although at press time the interiors of the Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock were closed to visitors, the following information is provided in case they are reopened.
A mosque is a sacred enclosure open to air and light (as opposed to the dark interiors of pagan-era temples). Because a mosque is a sacred precinct, you must remove your shoes before entering. This tradition is very ancient, going back to the time when Moses, approaching the Burning Bush in the Sinai, heard the voice of God telling him to take off his shoes. You must also leave handbags and cameras outside, so you might want to come with a partner who can watch these things for you. Try to stash your wallet and identification papers into a pocket.
After passing through the portico, you will enter a broad open hall with chandeliers, its floor covered with Oriental rugs. The mosque's lofty ceilings, supported by a forest of varied columns, are embellished with early Islamic and Byzantine design. Up front, past rows of great marble pillars, is a wood-partitioned platform reserved for the Jordanian royal family. The extraordinary wooden-stair pulpit of the Al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's great artistic treasures for more than 7 centuries, was commissioned by Saladin for the rededication of Al Aqsa as a mosque after the Crusader occupation. Originally built by master artisans from Syria, it was destroyed when a mentally disturbed Australian tourist set fire to the Al Aqsa in 1969, and it has been painstakingly reconstructed by craftspeople retrained in techniques that have not been used for hundreds of years. A separate women's prayer chamber, in blue, is at the right. As you enter the Al Aqsa, you face south, in the direction of Mecca. Mihrabs, or prayer niches on the southern wall, remind worshipers of the qibla, or direction they must face during prayers, which are performed five times a day. During the five daily prayers, the Al Aqsa is filled with worshipers who in unison perform the rituals of prostration that accompany Islamic prayer. Non-Muslim visitors are not permitted inside mosques at these times. In between prayers, when visitors are allowed to enter, you will find a large, serene space, with perhaps a few individual worshipers at various places on the floor. Unlike most churches and synagogues, mosques contain no pews or chairs. Visitors are invited to view the architecture and design details of the building; however, they are requested not to engage in any prayers.
Leave Al Aqsa, reclaim your shoes and belongings, and turn right. You will only be permitted to walk to the end of the building, but at the far end of the vast pavement is a corner in the city walls. Some say this is the "pinnacle of the Temple" where Satan took Jesus to tempt him (Matt. 4:5). In the distance, you can get a marvelous view of the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley.
A stairway leads to the so-called Solomon's Stables, perhaps first misidentified by the Crusaders. Today, these subterranean chambers are popularly believed to have been the stables for King Solomon's thousands of horses. The "stables" are actually the substructure supporting this portion of Herod's vast, artificially created ceremonial platform that is the present surface of the Temple Mount. To add to the confusion about the site, many Muslims believe the "Solomon" referred to is the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman (Solomon) the Magnificent, who rebuilt the walls that surround the present Old City and did extensive repair work on the Dome of the Rock during his reign in the mid-1500s. (For security reasons, this area will probably be closed to visitors.)
Heading straight across Temple Mt. Plaza toward the Dome of the Rock, you'll pass El-Kas, the fountain where Muslims perform their ritual ablutions before entering the holy places. It is equipped with a circular row of pink marble seats, each of which has a faucet. The fountain is not for use by non-Muslims.
The exterior walls of the dazzling Dome of the Rock are covered with a facade of Persian blue tiles, originally installed by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the mid-16th century. In 1994, under the auspices of Jordan's king Hussein, the great dome was completely reconstructed and regilded with 80 kilograms (176 lb.) of 24-karat gold. The Dome of the Rock is reached by climbing the broad ceremonial stairs that lead to a decorative archway and a raised center portion of the Temple Mount complex. The Dome of the Rock's interior is every bit as lavish and intricate as the outside. Plush carpets line the floor, and stained-glass windows line the upper ceiling. Again, visitors must remove their shoes and leave them, along with their cameras and bags, on shelves before entering the shrine.
Everything in this beautiful Muslim sanctuary, built in A.D. 691, centers on the rock that occupies the middle of the shrine. According to Islamic tradition, this rock is the spot from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to view paradise during the Night Journey described in the 17th Sura of the Koran. Tradition holds that when the Prophet rose, the rock tried to follow, and although it failed, the cave beneath the rock was formed. Footprints of Muhammad are pointed out on the rock.
Next to the rock, a few strands of the Prophet Muhammad's hair are kept in a latticework wooden cabinet. A stairway leads under the rock to a cavelike chamber; according to tradition, this is the Well of the Souls, where it is said the souls of all the dead are gathered. Glass partitions have been erected to stop pilgrims from eroding the sacred rock -- for centuries it was chipped away by the faithful who wanted to bring home a memento.
Jewish tradition holds that on this rock occurred the supreme act of faith that stands at the very foundation of the Jewish religion: Abraham's near sacrifice of Isaac. Genesis 22 relates how Abraham, in approximately 1800 B.C., followed God's instructions to go to Moriah and sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son. Isaac, unaware of the dreadful command, followed in his father's steps and asked, "Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham responded, "God will provide for the sacrifice," as he built the altar on the rock and prepared to bind his son. At the final moment, the voice of God intervened and ordered Abraham to lower his knife. Approximately 900 years later, in 960 B.C., the Temple of Solomon was constructed either on or beside this rock. For the next millennium, the First and Second Temples were located on this site.
From the flat courtyard surrounding the two mosques you have a wonderful view. To the south are the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Valley of Kidron) and the UN Government House (Mount of Contempt) on the hill. To the east are the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives, the Russian Magdalene Church, with its many onion-shaped golden domes, and the Tomb of the Virgin. Midway up the Mount of Olives is a large modern white structure with many levels of arcades that seem built into the side of the slope. This is the vast Mormon Center, constructed in the 1980s and considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of contemporary architecture in Jerusalem. On the crest of the Mount of Olives, above the Church of Mary Magdalene, you'll see the high-steepled Russian Monastery and the Dome of the Ascension, marking the place from which Jesus ascended to heaven. Farther to the right and a bit downhill is the gray, tear-shaped dome of Dominus Flevit, which commemorates the spot where Jesus wept as he saw a vision of Jerusalem in ruins. Indeed, from the time of the city's destruction in A.D. 70 until the building of the Dome of the Rock in A.D. 691, Jews traditionally stood near this spot and viewed the actual ruins of the Temple Mount. To the right, on the southern crest of the ridge, is the modern Seven Arches Hotel, built during Jordanian times on the ancient Jewish cemetery of the Mount of Olives.
Your combined entrance ticket also admits you to the Islamic Museum, in the southwest corner of the Temple Mount complex, to the right of the Al Aqsa Mosque. The museum is filled with architectural details, including capitals and carved stonework from earlier structures on the Temple Mount as well as ornamental details from earlier periods of the Al Aqsa Mosque's existence.
Scheduling a Visit to the Temple Mount -- At press time, tourists could only visit the Temple Mount/Haram es Sharif from Sunday to Thursday from 7:30 to 11am and from 1:30 to 2:30pm. It is best to arrive at least an hour ahead of closing time. Although visitors may walk around on the Temple Mount, take photographs, and enjoy the vistas, for now entry into the Dome of the Rock, the Al Aqsa Mosque, and the Islamic Museum is not permitted. Longer visiting hours and permission to enter the buildings on the Temple Mount may be restored during the time span of this edition. The Temple Mount is always closed to non-Muslims on Friday and during the entire holy month of Ramadan.
Dead Sea Sinkholes
Dead Sea Sinkholes:
The shorelines of the Dead Sea are dotted with hundreds of sinkholes clustered at twenty sites surrounding the sea. They are a more recent geological phenomenon in the region, first appearing in the 1980's. Their dimensions reach up to 10 metres in depth with a diameter of 25 metres. The sinkholes are distributed with a trend similar to the tectonic features of the Dead Sea rift. An important condition that contributes to the formation of sinkholes on the surface is the presence of a salt layer. Geologists with the Geological Survey of Israel believe that the Dead Sea sinkholes were formed when, as a result of the continuing drop in the water level of the Dead Sea, subsurface salt layers came into contact with groundwater, flowing through joints in the salt layer and dissolving the salt, leading to caverns which eventually result in the collapse of the overlain strata creating sinkholes on the surface. Another possibility the geologists put forth is that the decrease in the Dead Sea's water level led to a drop in hydrostatic pressure within pre-existing cavities, causing them to collapse. Sinkholes present a serious problem to the Dead Sea region, threatening resorts, hotels, as well as the potash and mineral plants on the southern basin.
Sinkholes are, by definition, circular depressions in the ground usually occurring
in karstic areas. They range in size from a few meters to hundreds of meters in
diameter, and from centimeters to hundreds of meters in depth. They may develop so
slowly as to be imperceptible or they may collapse instantaneously and
catastrophically! They are the result of ground collapse into subsurface voids formed
by water flow through soluble rocks (carbonates, salt, anhydrite etc). Sinkhole hazard assessment plays a vital role in human development of the land wherever sinkholes can occur. In order to protect human life and infrastructure, it is necessary to understand how sinkholes form and where there is a significant risk of sinkhole collapse, so that these areas can be avoided or properly engineered.
Since the early 1960s, large amounts of fresh water have been diverted from Lake
Kinneret and the Jordan River and this has resulted in a sharp drop in the DS level at rates of about 0.5 m/yr since the 1960s, 0.8 m/yr in 1980 and recently up to 1m/yr.
Sinkhole formation is associated with the hydrogeological situation in the region, the major factors of which are: (1) the salt layer, and (2) the aquifers of a different salinity and hydraulic conductivity, and their interaction with the salt layer either through fault conduits (Abelson et al., 2003(R5)) or alternatively along the salt edge (Ezersky, 2006(R5); Ezersky et al.; 2007(R3), Ezersky et al.; 2008(R1)). It is also possible that the two factors are related.
Sinkholes are formed by either cover collapse or cover suffosion (erosion that causes instability) into karst caverns developing along the salt edge where consolidate salt material is corrupted as result of dissolution. Refill of the karstic cave by the collapsing material worsens the hydraulic conductivity of soil and slows down the salt dissolution.
The timing of the appearance of sinkholes is controlled by the groundwater level
and the thickness and mechanical properties of the rocks.
Dead Sea Sinkholes
Dead Sea Sinkholes:
The shorelines of the Dead Sea are dotted with hundreds of sinkholes clustered at twenty sites surrounding the sea. They are a more recent geological phenomenon in the region, first appearing in the 1980's. Their dimensions reach up to 10 metres in depth with a diameter of 25 metres. The sinkholes are distributed with a trend similar to the tectonic features of the Dead Sea rift. An important condition that contributes to the formation of sinkholes on the surface is the presence of a salt layer. Geologists with the Geological Survey of Israel believe that the Dead Sea sinkholes were formed when, as a result of the continuing drop in the water level of the Dead Sea, subsurface salt layers came into contact with groundwater, flowing through joints in the salt layer and dissolving the salt, leading to caverns which eventually result in the collapse of the overlain strata creating sinkholes on the surface. Another possibility the geologists put forth is that the decrease in the Dead Sea's water level led to a drop in hydrostatic pressure within pre-existing cavities, causing them to collapse. Sinkholes present a serious problem to the Dead Sea region, threatening resorts, hotels, as well as the potash and mineral plants on the southern basin.
Sinkholes are, by definition, circular depressions in the ground usually occurring
in karstic areas. They range in size from a few meters to hundreds of meters in
diameter, and from centimeters to hundreds of meters in depth. They may develop so
slowly as to be imperceptible or they may collapse instantaneously and
catastrophically! They are the result of ground collapse into subsurface voids formed
by water flow through soluble rocks (carbonates, salt, anhydrite etc). Sinkhole hazard
assessment plays a vital role in human development of the land wherever sinkholes
can occur. In order to protect human life and infrastructure, it is necessary to
understand how sinkholes form and where there is a significant risk of sinkhole
collapse, so that these areas can be avoided or properly engineered.
Since the early 1960s, large amounts of fresh water have been diverted from Lake
Kinneret and the Jordan River and this has resulted in a sharp drop in the DS level at
rates of about 0.5 m/yr since the 1960s, 0.8 m/yr in 1980 and recently up to 1m/yr.
Sinkhole formation is associated with the hydrogeological situation
in the region, the major factors of which are: (1) the salt layer, and (2) the aquifers of
a different salinity and hydraulic conductivity, and their interaction with the salt layer
either through fault conduits (Abelson et al., 2003(R5)) or alternatively along the salt
edge (Ezersky, 2006(R5); Ezersky et al.; 2007(R3), Ezersky et al.; 2008(R1)). It is
also possible that the two factors are related.
Sinkholes are formed by either cover collapse or cover suffosion (erosion that causes instability) into karst caverns developing along the salt edge where consolidate salt material is corrupted as
result of dissolution. Refill of the karstic cave by the collapsing material worsens the
hydraulic conductivity of soil and slows down the salt dissolution.
The timing of the appearance of sinkholes is controlled by the groundwater level
and the thickness and mechanical properties of the rocks.
The shorelines of the Dead Sea are dotted with hundreds of sinkholes clustered at twenty sites surrounding the sea. They are a more recent geological phenomenon in the region, first appearing in the 1980's. Their dimensions reach up to 10 metres in depth with a diameter of 25 metres. The sinkholes are distributed with a trend similar to the tectonic features of the Dead Sea rift. An important condition that contributes to the formation of sinkholes on the surface is the presence of a salt layer. Geologists with the Geological Survey of Israel believe that the Dead Sea sinkholes were formed when, as a result of the continuing drop in the water level of the Dead Sea, subsurface salt layers came into contact with groundwater, flowing through joints in the salt layer and dissolving the salt, leading to caverns which eventually result in the collapse of the overlain strata creating sinkholes on the surface. Another possibility the geologists put forth is that the decrease in the Dead Sea's water level led to a drop in hydrostatic pressure within pre-existing cavities, causing them to collapse. Sinkholes present a serious problem to the Dead Sea region, threatening resorts, hotels, as well as the potash and mineral plants on the southern basin.
Sinkholes are, by definition, circular depressions in the ground usually occurring
in karstic areas. They range in size from a few meters to hundreds of meters in
diameter, and from centimeters to hundreds of meters in depth. They may develop so
slowly as to be imperceptible or they may collapse instantaneously and
catastrophically! They are the result of ground collapse into subsurface voids formed
by water flow through soluble rocks (carbonates, salt, anhydrite etc). Sinkhole hazard
assessment plays a vital role in human development of the land wherever sinkholes
can occur. In order to protect human life and infrastructure, it is necessary to
understand how sinkholes form and where there is a significant risk of sinkhole
collapse, so that these areas can be avoided or properly engineered.
Since the early 1960s, large amounts of fresh water have been diverted from Lake
Kinneret and the Jordan River and this has resulted in a sharp drop in the DS level at
rates of about 0.5 m/yr since the 1960s, 0.8 m/yr in 1980 and recently up to 1m/yr.
Sinkhole formation is associated with the hydrogeological situation
in the region, the major factors of which are: (1) the salt layer, and (2) the aquifers of
a different salinity and hydraulic conductivity, and their interaction with the salt layer
either through fault conduits (Abelson et al., 2003(R5)) or alternatively along the salt
edge (Ezersky, 2006(R5); Ezersky et al.; 2007(R3), Ezersky et al.; 2008(R1)). It is
also possible that the two factors are related.
Sinkholes are formed by either cover collapse or cover suffosion (erosion that causes instability) into karst caverns developing along the salt edge where consolidate salt material is corrupted as
result of dissolution. Refill of the karstic cave by the collapsing material worsens the
hydraulic conductivity of soil and slows down the salt dissolution.
The timing of the appearance of sinkholes is controlled by the groundwater level
and the thickness and mechanical properties of the rocks.
St. Joseph's Church Nazareth
St. Joseph's Church Nazareth
Free Entrance
Open Hours:
Winter - Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Summer - Saturday to Sunday, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
tel: 04-6572501
Youtube visit to St. Joseph’s Church and Workshop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOL_l8bfSDQ
Note: Please dress modestly and speak softly.
Even amid the hustle and bustle of the modern city that Nazareth is today, the ancient, tiny village where Jesus grew up can still be found, sometimes where you least expect it. Old Nazareth can even reveal itself within the imposing complex of the Basilica of the Annunciation – in the Church of St. Joseph.
Built in 1914, this church stands over the remains of an earlier house of worship, probably dating back to the sixth century. Below the sanctuary you will find caves, most likely used in Jesus’ day for the storage of grain, wine and oil.
This site marks the traditional home of Joseph and Mary. A baptistery with seven steps is adorned with mosaic, depicting a ladder-like design, perhaps indicating the spiritual ascent of those coming up from the water. Christian visitors are moved when they realize that early Christians may have entered the faith right here, even before any church stood in Nazareth.
The St. Joseph church is built where, according to tradition, used to be the carpentry workshop of Joseph, father of Jesus. Some of the traditions also claim this was Joseph's house.
This Franciscan church was established in 1914 over the ruins of more ancient churches and is located in the Basilica of Annunciation area. In the crypt (the lower level of the church) there’s an ancient water pit, mosaics, caves and barns from ancient Nazareth that has survived since the 1st and 2nd centuries B.C. One of the cave, according to tradition, was used as Joseph's workshop.
The church also reflects the Jewish roots of Christianity: in the past, the Christian prayers has accepted the Jewish bathe commandment and built ritual baths in the church to do so.
Description of the Church
The church is built in a Neo Romanski style, based on the foundations of the ancient Crusader church. It has 3 long halls ending with 3 enceintes on the east, built over Crusaders’ remains. The stairs are leading to the lower floor, where there’s crypt holding archeological remains from the Nazareth village times as well as the cave used as Joseph's workshop.
In 1950 the apses were decorated by an Italian artist. The main picture shows the holy family and an additional one is of Joseph only. Around the podium there’s an additional picture of the holy family. The windows decorations tell the story of the place as well.
History of the Church
The Crusaders built this church on the 12th century over earlier remains of another church from the Byzantine Times. This church was not commemorating the house of Joseph. this was probably a later tradition.
The Crusader Church was built in a style that was common in France in the 12th century: it had 3 arched enceintes and was divided to one big hall and 2 wings in a cross shape. The crypt on the lower level of the church was not changed during Crusader time.
After the Arabic occupation in the 13th century, the place was left in ruins for hundreds of years. In 1754 it was purchased by the Franciscans and they have built a chapel for St. Joseph. Later on, the Franciscans have managed to purchase the area surrounding the church as well. In 1908, archeological excavations were done there by Father Prof. Veo, who discovered the remains of the Byzantine Church from the 5th or 6th century.
He published his findings in the book "Nazareth and its Two Entrances", written in French. The foundations for building the church on this specific spot was the cave in the crypt, which was used as a residency cave on earlier times.
The cave under the church were used by the early dwellers in the Roman period as a water and food storage place under the house, which is typical of the residential houses at that time.
The place was converted to a worship place in the Byzantine period, since the tradition identified the place as the workshop and home 0f the Holy family.
During the Crusaders period, in the 12th CAD, a church was built over the site of the Byzantine church. This was the
church of the Nutrition, or St. Joseph's House. It was destroyed by the Arabs (1263AD) after the defeat of the Crusaders.
During the Ottoman period the ruins of the Crusader church was acquired by the Franciscans in 1745, and the first chapel was built in 1754. The new church was rebuilt by the Franciscans in 1914 on top of the earlier churches and cave. Today it is frequently visited by pilgrims and other visitors.
NAZARETH
Christ’s city was Jewish until the 4th century A.D according to the historian Epiphanes. But, in fact, It lasted until the 7th century.
Nazareth nowadays is an Arabic city situated in the Lower Galilee, with a population of 70,000. Two thirds are Muslim and only a third are Christian: 14,000 Greek Orthodox, 9,000 Greek Catholic, and 1,000 Maronite Christians from Lebanon. Other Christians belong to the Coptic, Anglican, Baptist, and Armenian Churches. The process by which Nazareth has been transformed from a Christian city to a Muslim one began during the British Mandate period and accelerated since the establishment of the State of Israel.
Various theories exist as to the origin of Nazareth’s name. According to one theory, the name was derived from the word “Natzar” meaning “preserve” or “guard”. According to another theory it comes from the word “Netzer”, meaning “branch” or “scion”. Nazareth is thought to be the city of Christ’s parents, and Christians prefer the derivation from “Netzer”, which they believe indicate that Christ was a scion of the House of David, and thus the Messiah.
Joshua’s Time and the First Temple Periods (13th century - end of 8th century B.C)
Nazareth is not mentioned in either the Old Testament or the Talmud, but archaeological excavations show that it existed during the time of Joshua. This means that the village of Nazareth was established at some time during the Bronze Age (1550B.C – 1200B.C), and continued to exist at list until the the Kingdom of Israel was conquered and eliminated by the Assyrians in 720 B.C. Excavations yielded ostraca and scarabs from the mid 15th century B.C and ostraca from the Iron Age. Nazareth is probably not mentioned in the Old Testament and in the Talmud because it was a small village and due to its proximity to the larger Jewish town of Yafi’a.
The Second Temple Period (538 B.C - 70 A.D)
Nazareth was a small village throughout the Second Temple period. It is first mentioned in the New Testament, as Joseph and Mary’s town of residence. It is also mentioned in a Piut (a liturgical poem) from the Byzantine period and in an inscription found in Caesarea, as a village where priests from the Pitzatz family settled following the destruction of the Temple, along with other refugees from Jerusalem.
There was a synagogue in the old village which operated at least until the 5th century A.D. Scholars are divided as to its exact location. Excavations in Nazareth uncovered stone quarries with storage caves, as well as granaries, curved cells for wine storage, oil presses and water holes. The buildings uncovered in the village were built during the 1st century A.D.
Scholars are divided also about the size of Nazareth during the Second Temple period. Some are in the opinion that Christ’s Nazareth was a small village, with a population estimated at 400 – 800 inhabitants, and that it was so small because the local spring could not supply the water needed by a large town and its isolated location was unattractive. Others believe that Nazareth was already a large town, as evidenced by the remains of a Helenistic bath house.
The Roman & Byzantine Periods (70 A.D - 641 A.D)
The historian Epiphanes, living in the 4th century A.D, wrote that up till the time of Constantinus II (4th century A.D) Nazareth was only inhabited by Jews. A Jewish community continued to live in Nazareth during the 5th century until the end of the 6th century A.D. Excavations of the Byzantine layer uncovered a Jewish tombstone with the inscription “So’am Bar Menachem rest [his] soul”.
When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire during the reign of the Emperor Constantinus in the 4th century A.D, Christians began to show interest in Nazareth. The convert Joseph “Komas” (“Friend of the Emperor”) was instructed to build churches throughout the Galilee, Nazareth included.
Epiphanes wrote about it: “there in Nazareth and in Tzipori, no one could ever build a church because no pagans lived there, nor Samaritans nor Christians”. In other words, the majority of the Galilee population during Constantinus’ time was Jewish who objected to foreigners entering their cities or building churches in them. However, according to Menachem Zaharoni’s “Israel Guide”, the Lower Galilee volume, there was a Jewish-Christian community in Nazareth. Excavations held in 1955-1960 uncovered the remains of a 3rd century A.D synagogue underneath the Church of the Annunciation mosaic floor. The findings show that this synagogue was a place of gathering for Jewish-Christians, as evidenced from a 4th century inscription mentioning “Jesu son of God” and another inscription noting that this was Mary’s holy place.
The most famous of the churches built in Nazareth during the 5th century is the Church of the Annunciation. Antoninus Placatinus wrote in 570 A.D that the church was built on the site of a synagogue. It seems that this same Christian traveler, according to Zeev Vilnai’s “Ariel Encyclopedia”, enthused about Jewish Nazareth’s beautiful women.
The architect Gideon Harlap says that the granite columns in the synagogue court are similar to those found in Caesarea and on the Temple Mount, dated to the time of Herod.
When the Persians conquered the Galilee in 614, they were aided by an army of 20,000 Jewish volunteers who had had enough of the persecution and pogroms of the Byzantine rulers. There is a theory that the Jews of Nazareth helped the Persians destroy the Church of the Annunciation and St Joseph’s Church, which was built on the traditional site of Joseph’s carpentry. When the Byzantines re-conquered the Galilee in 630 they took revenge on the Jews for their support of the Persians. Apparently this was the end of the Jewish community in Nazareth. Many Jews were massacred and others fled from the massacre stayed in hiding or left for neighbouring countries.
The Arabic Period (641- 1099)
On the eve of the Arabic conquest, only Christians lived in Nazareth. According to evidence from 670 A.D, it was the Muslims who destroyed the Church of the Annunciation and St Joseph’s Church, both of which had great wealth. Following the Arab conquest (630-640 A.D) Christians left Nazareth, either willingly or by force. The Arabs changed its name to Se’ir, after the mountain Jebbel Se’ir west of the city.
The Crusader Period (1099 - 1260)
When Nazareth was conquered by the Crusaders in 1100, Christians returned to settle in it, and it became a Christian city and the seat of a bishop. The Christian population was comprised of foreigners who settled in Israel earlier and converted to Christianity, and of Byzantine and European pilgrims, monks and priests. The Crusaders rebuilt the Church of the Annunciation and restored St Joseph’s Church. A Crusader source from the year 1280 attests that the Jewish synagogue became the “Synagogue Church”.
In 1187, after their defeat in the Battle of Hattin, the Christians hid in the Church of the Annunciation for fear of the Muslims, but were all massacred. Later on the city returned to Crusader hands.
The Mameluke Period(1260-1516)
The Mamelukes (Muslims but not Arabs from Egypt) conquered Nazareth in 1263, demolished all the churches and cruelly murdered all the Christian inhabitants. Under the Mamelukes Nazareth became a small Muslim village.
The Ottoman Period (1516 - 1918)
At the beginning of the period, Franciscan monks settled in the ruins of the Church of the Annunciation, but were expelled by the Turks. At that time Nazareth was still a small Muslim village. A Franciscan pilgrim who visited Nazareth in 1533 wrote that near the site of the Church of the Annunciation there was a church which was formerly a synagogue.
The Druze Emir Fachar A-Din allowed the Franciscans to purchase the ruins of the Church of the Annunciation in 1620, and then Maronite Christians from Lebanon and Greek Orthodox Christians from the Jordan East Bank began to settle in Nazareth. Under Dahar El Omar ,a Bedouin sheik, who ruled the Galilee the number of Christians in Nazareth increased, the Franciscans completed the reconstruction of the Church of the Annunciation, and public buildings were built in the town.
Nazareth turned into a religious Christian centre in the 19th century and has since become a place of pilgrimage for Christians from all over the world. Many churches and monasteries have been built in the city. An English traveler visited in 1848 and wrote that there are no Jews in the city and that most of its inhabitants are Christian Arabs and a few European monks. In 1855 the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem invited French nuns to Nazareth, and they established a monastery and a school.
In 1877, the Synagogue Church was built within the market in the older part of Nazareth. This was a Greek Orthodox church that, according to one version, was constructed on the ruins of the ancient church that was built where the ancient synagogue once stood. The synagogue site was desecrated during the 17th century when an animal pen was built in it, and later on the building was turned into a weaving factory. The place was restored only in 1740, however scholars doubt it really was a synagogue due to its proximity to the ancient Jewish cemetery.
A pilgrims’ hotel was established by monks but it was damaged by an earth quake and then by a flood. The Russians built the Moscovia in the 19th century to aid residents in welfare and education.
The oldest mosque in Nazareth was built in 1814, although the Muslim quarter was built as early as 1729 in the Old City. Nazareth’s marketplace was built in the mid 19th century in the Old City and is one of the oldest market places in Israel. The remains of a Hamam (a Turkish bathhouse) were discovered in 1993.
As pilgrims turned Nazareth into a religious, cultural, and commercial centre, the population’s quality of life rose, as evidenced by the 19th century trend for painted ceilings. In 1890 the population numbered 7900. St Joseph’s Church was rebuilt in 1914. Just before World War I Nazareth’s population numbered between 9000 and 15000 residents.
The British Mandate Period(1918- 1948)
Nazareth was taken by the British in September 1918. In 1922 there were 23 Jews in the city who were employed by the Mandate Government. In 1926 most of the city’s population was Christian. A third of the population was Muslim, and a few Jews lived there as well. In 1930 the British made Nazareth the regional capital of the Galilee, accelerating its growth. The 79 Jews living in Nazareth in 1932 fled the city as soon as hostilities began on the eve of the War of Independence in 1947/48. At that time Nazareth already had a population of 17000.
The State of Israel
During the War of Independence, Kaukji established his army headquarters in Nazareth, and from there attacked the Jewish settlements. Refugees from neighbouring Arab villages fled to Nazareth and its population increased to 22000. Nazareth was conquered by the 7th Brigade during the “Dekkel” operation on 16 July 1948, and Kaukji’s army fled. Most of the refugees in Nazareth were Muslims who arrived before the Israeli conquest, and their settling in the city caused its Christians to gradually lose their majority.
In 1978 there were 40,000 inhabitants in Nazareth, 52% of whom were Christian. But by 1980 the Muslims became the majority in the city. This demographic change has caused tension between the Christians and Muslims in Nazareth. A disagreement about the future of the Shihab E-Din precinct broke out in 1990, when the Christians objected to the Muslim plan to build a mosque on the site (Shihab E-Din was killed in a battle against the Crusaders and was buried in Nazareth). The Vatican stepped in on the side of the Christians, and the city was on the verge of a religious war. At the end, Arik Sharon, then Israel’s Prime Minister, intervened and a square was built instead.
A Muslim mayor was elected in the 1998 city council elections, and Muslims have held majority in the council since then. Nazareth is nowadays a centre for Arabic political activity.
Life in Ancient Nazareth
Ancient Nazareth stretched mostly from St Joseph’s Church in the north, to the Church of the Annunciation in the south. A model of the 1st century A.D village of Nazareth was built in the new city, showing how people lived 2000 years ago, i.e., when Nazareth was Jewish. The village contains a reconstructed synagogue, a 2000 year old wine press, vineyards and olive groves. The workers in the village wear period costumes and the exhibits include presentations on wine making, olive harvesting, oil making, sheep shearing and wool spinning and weaving. There is also a pen and a presentation on sheep herding, milking, and dairy production. An archaeological tour can be taken in the village as well.
Free Entrance
Open Hours:
Winter - Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Summer - Saturday to Sunday, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
tel: 04-6572501
Youtube visit to St. Joseph’s Church and Workshop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOL_l8bfSDQ
Note: Please dress modestly and speak softly.
Even amid the hustle and bustle of the modern city that Nazareth is today, the ancient, tiny village where Jesus grew up can still be found, sometimes where you least expect it. Old Nazareth can even reveal itself within the imposing complex of the Basilica of the Annunciation – in the Church of St. Joseph.
Built in 1914, this church stands over the remains of an earlier house of worship, probably dating back to the sixth century. Below the sanctuary you will find caves, most likely used in Jesus’ day for the storage of grain, wine and oil.
This site marks the traditional home of Joseph and Mary. A baptistery with seven steps is adorned with mosaic, depicting a ladder-like design, perhaps indicating the spiritual ascent of those coming up from the water. Christian visitors are moved when they realize that early Christians may have entered the faith right here, even before any church stood in Nazareth.
The St. Joseph church is built where, according to tradition, used to be the carpentry workshop of Joseph, father of Jesus. Some of the traditions also claim this was Joseph's house.
This Franciscan church was established in 1914 over the ruins of more ancient churches and is located in the Basilica of Annunciation area. In the crypt (the lower level of the church) there’s an ancient water pit, mosaics, caves and barns from ancient Nazareth that has survived since the 1st and 2nd centuries B.C. One of the cave, according to tradition, was used as Joseph's workshop.
The church also reflects the Jewish roots of Christianity: in the past, the Christian prayers has accepted the Jewish bathe commandment and built ritual baths in the church to do so.
Description of the Church
The church is built in a Neo Romanski style, based on the foundations of the ancient Crusader church. It has 3 long halls ending with 3 enceintes on the east, built over Crusaders’ remains. The stairs are leading to the lower floor, where there’s crypt holding archeological remains from the Nazareth village times as well as the cave used as Joseph's workshop.
In 1950 the apses were decorated by an Italian artist. The main picture shows the holy family and an additional one is of Joseph only. Around the podium there’s an additional picture of the holy family. The windows decorations tell the story of the place as well.
History of the Church
The Crusaders built this church on the 12th century over earlier remains of another church from the Byzantine Times. This church was not commemorating the house of Joseph. this was probably a later tradition.
The Crusader Church was built in a style that was common in France in the 12th century: it had 3 arched enceintes and was divided to one big hall and 2 wings in a cross shape. The crypt on the lower level of the church was not changed during Crusader time.
After the Arabic occupation in the 13th century, the place was left in ruins for hundreds of years. In 1754 it was purchased by the Franciscans and they have built a chapel for St. Joseph. Later on, the Franciscans have managed to purchase the area surrounding the church as well. In 1908, archeological excavations were done there by Father Prof. Veo, who discovered the remains of the Byzantine Church from the 5th or 6th century.
He published his findings in the book "Nazareth and its Two Entrances", written in French. The foundations for building the church on this specific spot was the cave in the crypt, which was used as a residency cave on earlier times.
The cave under the church were used by the early dwellers in the Roman period as a water and food storage place under the house, which is typical of the residential houses at that time.
The place was converted to a worship place in the Byzantine period, since the tradition identified the place as the workshop and home 0f the Holy family.
During the Crusaders period, in the 12th CAD, a church was built over the site of the Byzantine church. This was the
church of the Nutrition, or St. Joseph's House. It was destroyed by the Arabs (1263AD) after the defeat of the Crusaders.
During the Ottoman period the ruins of the Crusader church was acquired by the Franciscans in 1745, and the first chapel was built in 1754. The new church was rebuilt by the Franciscans in 1914 on top of the earlier churches and cave. Today it is frequently visited by pilgrims and other visitors.
NAZARETH
Christ’s city was Jewish until the 4th century A.D according to the historian Epiphanes. But, in fact, It lasted until the 7th century.
Nazareth nowadays is an Arabic city situated in the Lower Galilee, with a population of 70,000. Two thirds are Muslim and only a third are Christian: 14,000 Greek Orthodox, 9,000 Greek Catholic, and 1,000 Maronite Christians from Lebanon. Other Christians belong to the Coptic, Anglican, Baptist, and Armenian Churches. The process by which Nazareth has been transformed from a Christian city to a Muslim one began during the British Mandate period and accelerated since the establishment of the State of Israel.
Various theories exist as to the origin of Nazareth’s name. According to one theory, the name was derived from the word “Natzar” meaning “preserve” or “guard”. According to another theory it comes from the word “Netzer”, meaning “branch” or “scion”. Nazareth is thought to be the city of Christ’s parents, and Christians prefer the derivation from “Netzer”, which they believe indicate that Christ was a scion of the House of David, and thus the Messiah.
Joshua’s Time and the First Temple Periods (13th century - end of 8th century B.C)
Nazareth is not mentioned in either the Old Testament or the Talmud, but archaeological excavations show that it existed during the time of Joshua. This means that the village of Nazareth was established at some time during the Bronze Age (1550B.C – 1200B.C), and continued to exist at list until the the Kingdom of Israel was conquered and eliminated by the Assyrians in 720 B.C. Excavations yielded ostraca and scarabs from the mid 15th century B.C and ostraca from the Iron Age. Nazareth is probably not mentioned in the Old Testament and in the Talmud because it was a small village and due to its proximity to the larger Jewish town of Yafi’a.
The Second Temple Period (538 B.C - 70 A.D)
Nazareth was a small village throughout the Second Temple period. It is first mentioned in the New Testament, as Joseph and Mary’s town of residence. It is also mentioned in a Piut (a liturgical poem) from the Byzantine period and in an inscription found in Caesarea, as a village where priests from the Pitzatz family settled following the destruction of the Temple, along with other refugees from Jerusalem.
There was a synagogue in the old village which operated at least until the 5th century A.D. Scholars are divided as to its exact location. Excavations in Nazareth uncovered stone quarries with storage caves, as well as granaries, curved cells for wine storage, oil presses and water holes. The buildings uncovered in the village were built during the 1st century A.D.
Scholars are divided also about the size of Nazareth during the Second Temple period. Some are in the opinion that Christ’s Nazareth was a small village, with a population estimated at 400 – 800 inhabitants, and that it was so small because the local spring could not supply the water needed by a large town and its isolated location was unattractive. Others believe that Nazareth was already a large town, as evidenced by the remains of a Helenistic bath house.
The Roman & Byzantine Periods (70 A.D - 641 A.D)
The historian Epiphanes, living in the 4th century A.D, wrote that up till the time of Constantinus II (4th century A.D) Nazareth was only inhabited by Jews. A Jewish community continued to live in Nazareth during the 5th century until the end of the 6th century A.D. Excavations of the Byzantine layer uncovered a Jewish tombstone with the inscription “So’am Bar Menachem rest [his] soul”.
When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire during the reign of the Emperor Constantinus in the 4th century A.D, Christians began to show interest in Nazareth. The convert Joseph “Komas” (“Friend of the Emperor”) was instructed to build churches throughout the Galilee, Nazareth included.
Epiphanes wrote about it: “there in Nazareth and in Tzipori, no one could ever build a church because no pagans lived there, nor Samaritans nor Christians”. In other words, the majority of the Galilee population during Constantinus’ time was Jewish who objected to foreigners entering their cities or building churches in them. However, according to Menachem Zaharoni’s “Israel Guide”, the Lower Galilee volume, there was a Jewish-Christian community in Nazareth. Excavations held in 1955-1960 uncovered the remains of a 3rd century A.D synagogue underneath the Church of the Annunciation mosaic floor. The findings show that this synagogue was a place of gathering for Jewish-Christians, as evidenced from a 4th century inscription mentioning “Jesu son of God” and another inscription noting that this was Mary’s holy place.
The most famous of the churches built in Nazareth during the 5th century is the Church of the Annunciation. Antoninus Placatinus wrote in 570 A.D that the church was built on the site of a synagogue. It seems that this same Christian traveler, according to Zeev Vilnai’s “Ariel Encyclopedia”, enthused about Jewish Nazareth’s beautiful women.
The architect Gideon Harlap says that the granite columns in the synagogue court are similar to those found in Caesarea and on the Temple Mount, dated to the time of Herod.
When the Persians conquered the Galilee in 614, they were aided by an army of 20,000 Jewish volunteers who had had enough of the persecution and pogroms of the Byzantine rulers. There is a theory that the Jews of Nazareth helped the Persians destroy the Church of the Annunciation and St Joseph’s Church, which was built on the traditional site of Joseph’s carpentry. When the Byzantines re-conquered the Galilee in 630 they took revenge on the Jews for their support of the Persians. Apparently this was the end of the Jewish community in Nazareth. Many Jews were massacred and others fled from the massacre stayed in hiding or left for neighbouring countries.
The Arabic Period (641- 1099)
On the eve of the Arabic conquest, only Christians lived in Nazareth. According to evidence from 670 A.D, it was the Muslims who destroyed the Church of the Annunciation and St Joseph’s Church, both of which had great wealth. Following the Arab conquest (630-640 A.D) Christians left Nazareth, either willingly or by force. The Arabs changed its name to Se’ir, after the mountain Jebbel Se’ir west of the city.
The Crusader Period (1099 - 1260)
When Nazareth was conquered by the Crusaders in 1100, Christians returned to settle in it, and it became a Christian city and the seat of a bishop. The Christian population was comprised of foreigners who settled in Israel earlier and converted to Christianity, and of Byzantine and European pilgrims, monks and priests. The Crusaders rebuilt the Church of the Annunciation and restored St Joseph’s Church. A Crusader source from the year 1280 attests that the Jewish synagogue became the “Synagogue Church”.
In 1187, after their defeat in the Battle of Hattin, the Christians hid in the Church of the Annunciation for fear of the Muslims, but were all massacred. Later on the city returned to Crusader hands.
The Mameluke Period(1260-1516)
The Mamelukes (Muslims but not Arabs from Egypt) conquered Nazareth in 1263, demolished all the churches and cruelly murdered all the Christian inhabitants. Under the Mamelukes Nazareth became a small Muslim village.
The Ottoman Period (1516 - 1918)
At the beginning of the period, Franciscan monks settled in the ruins of the Church of the Annunciation, but were expelled by the Turks. At that time Nazareth was still a small Muslim village. A Franciscan pilgrim who visited Nazareth in 1533 wrote that near the site of the Church of the Annunciation there was a church which was formerly a synagogue.
The Druze Emir Fachar A-Din allowed the Franciscans to purchase the ruins of the Church of the Annunciation in 1620, and then Maronite Christians from Lebanon and Greek Orthodox Christians from the Jordan East Bank began to settle in Nazareth. Under Dahar El Omar ,a Bedouin sheik, who ruled the Galilee the number of Christians in Nazareth increased, the Franciscans completed the reconstruction of the Church of the Annunciation, and public buildings were built in the town.
Nazareth turned into a religious Christian centre in the 19th century and has since become a place of pilgrimage for Christians from all over the world. Many churches and monasteries have been built in the city. An English traveler visited in 1848 and wrote that there are no Jews in the city and that most of its inhabitants are Christian Arabs and a few European monks. In 1855 the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem invited French nuns to Nazareth, and they established a monastery and a school.
In 1877, the Synagogue Church was built within the market in the older part of Nazareth. This was a Greek Orthodox church that, according to one version, was constructed on the ruins of the ancient church that was built where the ancient synagogue once stood. The synagogue site was desecrated during the 17th century when an animal pen was built in it, and later on the building was turned into a weaving factory. The place was restored only in 1740, however scholars doubt it really was a synagogue due to its proximity to the ancient Jewish cemetery.
A pilgrims’ hotel was established by monks but it was damaged by an earth quake and then by a flood. The Russians built the Moscovia in the 19th century to aid residents in welfare and education.
The oldest mosque in Nazareth was built in 1814, although the Muslim quarter was built as early as 1729 in the Old City. Nazareth’s marketplace was built in the mid 19th century in the Old City and is one of the oldest market places in Israel. The remains of a Hamam (a Turkish bathhouse) were discovered in 1993.
As pilgrims turned Nazareth into a religious, cultural, and commercial centre, the population’s quality of life rose, as evidenced by the 19th century trend for painted ceilings. In 1890 the population numbered 7900. St Joseph’s Church was rebuilt in 1914. Just before World War I Nazareth’s population numbered between 9000 and 15000 residents.
The British Mandate Period(1918- 1948)
Nazareth was taken by the British in September 1918. In 1922 there were 23 Jews in the city who were employed by the Mandate Government. In 1926 most of the city’s population was Christian. A third of the population was Muslim, and a few Jews lived there as well. In 1930 the British made Nazareth the regional capital of the Galilee, accelerating its growth. The 79 Jews living in Nazareth in 1932 fled the city as soon as hostilities began on the eve of the War of Independence in 1947/48. At that time Nazareth already had a population of 17000.
The State of Israel
During the War of Independence, Kaukji established his army headquarters in Nazareth, and from there attacked the Jewish settlements. Refugees from neighbouring Arab villages fled to Nazareth and its population increased to 22000. Nazareth was conquered by the 7th Brigade during the “Dekkel” operation on 16 July 1948, and Kaukji’s army fled. Most of the refugees in Nazareth were Muslims who arrived before the Israeli conquest, and their settling in the city caused its Christians to gradually lose their majority.
In 1978 there were 40,000 inhabitants in Nazareth, 52% of whom were Christian. But by 1980 the Muslims became the majority in the city. This demographic change has caused tension between the Christians and Muslims in Nazareth. A disagreement about the future of the Shihab E-Din precinct broke out in 1990, when the Christians objected to the Muslim plan to build a mosque on the site (Shihab E-Din was killed in a battle against the Crusaders and was buried in Nazareth). The Vatican stepped in on the side of the Christians, and the city was on the verge of a religious war. At the end, Arik Sharon, then Israel’s Prime Minister, intervened and a square was built instead.
A Muslim mayor was elected in the 1998 city council elections, and Muslims have held majority in the council since then. Nazareth is nowadays a centre for Arabic political activity.
Life in Ancient Nazareth
Ancient Nazareth stretched mostly from St Joseph’s Church in the north, to the Church of the Annunciation in the south. A model of the 1st century A.D village of Nazareth was built in the new city, showing how people lived 2000 years ago, i.e., when Nazareth was Jewish. The village contains a reconstructed synagogue, a 2000 year old wine press, vineyards and olive groves. The workers in the village wear period costumes and the exhibits include presentations on wine making, olive harvesting, oil making, sheep shearing and wool spinning and weaving. There is also a pen and a presentation on sheep herding, milking, and dairy production. An archaeological tour can be taken in the village as well.
Northern Negev Tour
The Original Be’eri Site
The original Kibbutz Be’eri was one of the “11 points” settlements established on Moatzi Yom Kippur October 6, 1947 by the 100 18-20 year old from the youth movements Noar Oved, Tsophim (Scouts) and Iraq Pioneers. Be’eri is the pen name of Berl Katznelson for whom the kibbutz is names. The land was originally the Arab village of Nahabir. The kibbutz was involved in the War of Independence. After the war the kibbutz moved to more suitable land 3 km south east of the original site. Today the remaining buildings are the water tower and security building.
Note: Nahbir – the site were Kibbutz Be’eri was founded, as part of 11 points established in the Negev after Yom Kippur in 1946. Kibbutz Be’eri was first called Nahbir, the same as the Arabic name of the area, which beans “badlands.” Later on it was renamed for the literary name of Berl (Be’eri) Katznelson, who had passed away at the time. All that remains of the old Be’eri is the security building riddled with bullet holes, the kibbutz water tower, the communications trenches and water pipe line marker.
During its first few years, the Kibbutz made a living by sending its members out to work at the Dead Sea Works, planting forests and roads. At home, they developed agricultural enterprises including, a dairy farm, orchards and field crops.
Today it is part of the Eschol Regional Council and has a population of 780.
Bitronot Be’eri Reserve – this large nature reserve covers an area of some 5,000 dunams. Because it resembles a crater it is sometimes referred to as the “Be’eri Crater.” Nahal Sahaf (Wadi Nehabir), a tributary of Nahal Habesor, penetrates the loess soil, drains the area and creates an area that is bisected as if with a saw. “Bitronot” can be translated as “badlands.” And in fact, it is difficult to work these lands for agriculture due to the dense network of channels that cut deeply through the soil, which is why these are the only lands that the Arabs were willing to sell to the JNF
ANZAC Memorial
About four kilometers to the north lies the ANZAC Monument, commemorating the ANZAC soldiers who died in the Third Battle of Gaza in World War I
ANZAC memorial – About 4 km. northwest of Kibbutz Be’eri is a memorial to the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Armed Corps who fell in the battle for Gaza during World War I. The memorial, which is shaped like the letter “A,” was built in 1967 on the 50th anniversary of the capture of Gaza by the British troops. The memorial looks out over the battlefields of the First World War
The Be’eri Sulfur Mines – Sulfur deposits in the area of Be’eri were discovered during the First World War by soldiers from Australia and New Zealand who were staying in the region. In 1933 a Jewish-British company lead by the geologist Williams began excavating the sulfur and carried out preliminary work. In 1946, after some 10,000 tons of sulfur had exhausted the deposits, the mine and the nearby factory closed. To date one can see the abandoned factory building, a deep water cistern and the strong smell of sulfur.
"Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the LORD out of the heavens…" (Gen. 19:24) Note: Often the quote is “brimstone” and fire...brimstone is yellow, elemental sulfur.
The Black Arrow Heritage Site
Our first stop was the Black Arrow, an amazing heritage site located off Road No. 232 and next to the entrance to Kibbutz Mefalsim (west of Sderot). It was named for an action in Gaza carried out in 1955, after an Israeli in Rehovot was murdered by infiltrating Arabs called ’fedayeen.’ From the site we could easily see Gaza, and the border between us, about a kilometer away and surrounded by a sophisticated electronic fence.
The Black Arrow sheds light on an exciting early era in IDF history: the years between 1953 and 1956, when paratroopers carried out 70 operations against terrorists. At the time, the army did not yet have firm military traditions; new and innovative methods of fighting that the paratroopers initiated during that period later became standard IDF practice. Each rock tells its own story of a daring operation, mainly in Hebrew, but an audio guide offers information in English.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Abba Eban explained the provocations to the Security Council on October 30:
During the six years during which this belligerency has operated in violation of the Armistice Agreement there have occurred 1,843 cases of armed robbery and theft, 1,339 cases of armed clashes with Egyptian armed forces, 435 cases of incursion from Egyptian controlled territory, 172 cases of sabotage perpetrated by Egyptian military units and fedayeen in Israel. As a result of these actions of Egyptian hostility within Israel, 364 Israelis were wounded and 101 killed. In 1956 alone, as a result of this aspect of Egyptian aggression, 28 Israelis were killed and 127 wounded.
One reason these raids were so intolerable for Israel was that the country had chosen to create a relatively small standing army and to rely primarily on reserves in the event of war. This meant that Israel had a small force to fight in an emergency, that threats provoking the mobilization of reserves could virtually paralyze the country, and that an enemy's initial thrust would have to be withstood long enough to complete the mobilization.
Note: Unit 101 and Battalion 890 re Qibya Unit 101 was a special forces unit of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), founded and commanded by Ariel Sharon on orders from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion in August 1953.[1] It was created in order to better deal with a spate of Arab fedayeen attacks against Israelis, which the IDF was unsuccessful in halting.[2]
The unit was merged into Battalion 890 during January 1954, mainly because they killed dozens of unarmed citizens during the raid known as Qibya massacre into the village of Qibya.[1][3] Beside the Sayeret Matkal, they are considered to be the unit with the most influence on the Israeli infantry oriented units—including both special and conventional units.[3]
Armistice House
On our way out of the site we saw the small restored building known as Armistice House. It was here that, until 1967, Egypt, the UN and Israel arranged for the exchange of prisoners.
Nebiya Mari
Now we headed for Nebiya Mari, named for Col. Mari. Born in the small Druse village of Hurfeish, Mari was indisputably one of the finest officers in the IDF. After his death, the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, made up of area kibbutzim and moshavim, decided to forge a connection with the Druse in Galilee where Hurfeish is located. The result was this unusual memorial site, whose lookout offers a stunning view of Gaza City. Nearby stands the olive tree that Nebiya’s parents planted in their garden when their son was born.
According to our guide, Shaul Gefen from Kibbutz Dorot, every year Druse from Galilee meet here with Negev settlers at a moving ceremony in memory of Col. Mari. Despite its location near Gaza, no ceremony has ever been canceled.
Nir Am Reservoir
Large reservoir at Kibbutz Nir Am developed by the Jewish National Fund, filled with purified sewage and used for irrigation.
NIR AM reservoir is a reservoir with a storage capacity of 1.5 million cubic meters. It is fed with recycled water from the "Shafdan". The reservoir will provide water for the irrigation systems of the kibbutzim of Nir-Am and Mefalsim that, together, use 2.6 million cubic meters of water a year, of which 1.4 million cubic meters are in the summer alone. The reservoir will be filled during the months of October to March, and the water will be used from May through the summer months.
Note: Shafdan Treatment Facility: The centerpiece of this innovation is the Shafdan wastewater treatment plant in the densely-populated Greater Tel Aviv region. This plant alone treats 130 m\illion cubic meters of water annually. The water quality is high, making it suitable for all forms of irrigation, including for oranges, carrots, potatoes, lettuce, wheat and flowers. On a personal note: My daughter and her family live in the Western Negev and their hot houses use the treated water from Shafdan to grow peppers, cherry tomatoes and other vegetables for export. A special 90 km. pipeline has been built to the Negev, carrying water from reservoirs and other sources specifically for purposes of agriculture, in addition to the drinking water pipelines.
The Shafdan facility is in Rishon LeTzion, Israel. The additional water it creates could reduce the cost of fresh food. The new technique of introducing fish into the water reservoirs has proven to be an enormous asset in the preservation, clearness and quality of the water. The quantity and types of fish will be determined by biologists.
Water from the Nir Am area played a crucial role in Negev settlement, which grew in relative leaps and bounds from 1939 to 1946. The two Negev water carriers established in early 1947 both led out of Nir Am; the settlements were supplied by hundreds of kilometers of 15-cm. pipes which had put fires out in the London blitz during World War II.
So miraculous was the blooming desert created by Negev settlements that members of a United Nations Commission visiting Nir Am in the summer of 1947 couldn’t believe their eyes. Commission chairman Justice E. Sandstrom, certain the flowers he saw couldn’t possibly be rooted in the soil, decided to find out for himself whether he and his committee were being duped and plucked a gladiolus (sword-lily) right out of the ground!
Note: Nir Am Kibbutz: NIR AM (Heb. נִיר עָם; "The People's Plowed Field"), kibbutz in southern Israel, 6 mi. (10 km.) N.E. of *Gaza, affiliated with Iḥud ha-Kevuẓot ve-ha-Kibbutzim. Its founding in 1943 by immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, most of them *Youth Aliyah graduates, constituted a step in the expansion of Jewish settlement toward the Negev. Abundant groundwater reserves were discovered soon after, and in 1947 the first pipeline leading to the Negev outposts was laid from the Nir Am – *Gevar'am area. In the Israeli *War of Independence (1948), the kibbutz became the headquarters, hospital, and supply center for the settlements in the south and Negev, cut off for several months from the rest of Israel. The kibbutz economy was based on intensive field crops, citrus groves, and dairy cattle, as well as a factory for fine cutlery. In addition, the kibbutz developed a tourist industry, including a resort, water museum, paintball, an environmental activities site, and catering. In 2002 its population was 301.
Note: The first “Negev Pipeline” 1947 Opening of a 6 inch (0.15 meter) 190 KM pipeline to the northern Negev:
The first 'Negev pipeline', became operative in 1947 and assured a reliable if limited supply of water to most of the settlements in the Negev (although several settlements still had to rely on local wells). This modest pipeline transported water from wells in the northwestern Negev, an area relatively rich in underground water. The first stage consisted of 190 km. of 6"-diameter pipes supplying one million cubic meters (MCM) annually. Later on this line was converted to a 20"-diameter pipeline supplying 30 MCM annually. The significance of this pipeline was that the concept of transporting water from farther north to sustain the southern arid section of the country was now firmly established.
The Black Arrows Memorial - Northwest Negev
Perched on a hill overlooking a portion of the patrol road and electronic fence surrounding the Gaza Strip - and affording a view over the Palestinian neighborhoods and Mediterranean beyond - the Western Negev Black Arrows memorial site is overwhelming.
The sheer size of the site and the number of soldiers and civilians memorialized in the groups of enormous white rocks placed around the site forcefully brings home some of the heavy Israeli losses incurred in military and terrorist action over a three year period in the 1950s.
The Black Arrow Association was founded by a group of veteran paratroopers who served during that dramatic and painful period of reprisal actions. The not-for-profit Black Arrow Association set out to create a military heritage site to preserve the memory of comrades killed in battle, many of whom having died a short distance from the site that has developed into a most powerful salute to their bravery.
The site is dedicated to the military heritage of the paratroopers during 'the period of reprisals.' From the end of the 1948 War of Independence to the outbreak of the Sinai campaign in 1956 hundreds of Israelis were killed and more than one thousand wounded in terrorist attacks inside the State of Israel.
Since the beginning of the 1950s, groups of soldiers from neighboring countries and armed Arab marauders known as 'fedayoun,' spawned fear, death and destruction, particularly in the border villages some of which were settled by new immigrants from North Africa, groups of Holocaust survivors as well as members of Zionist youth movements.
One of the Israelis murdered was a young kibbutz member from that part of the Negev. In April of 1956 kibbutz Nir Am member Roi Rutenberg was murdered in an ambush at his home, a short distance from the present day Black Arrow site. On a small hill overlooking the Western Negev kibbutz, a black horse and rider stand out against the skyline in memory of Rutenberg.
Reprisal actions were initiated by the Israel Defense Forces. In the three years prior to the Sinai campaign, Israeli forces carried out 70 forages into Egyptian-held Gaza and the then Jordanian-held West Bank in retaliation for acts of infiltration, theft and murder carried out in Israel by enemy soldiers and gangs of fedayoun.
Unit 101 was created in the summer of 1953 and those who served in the unit were revered. One of the most famous of the l01s was former Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon.
On each of the large rocks spread out over the extensive Black Arrow site, a plaque gives details of each of those raids. Audio information stations can be found at vantage points throughout the site, the in-depth explanations provided both in Hebrew and English.
For the first five months after their inception the 101s operated alone and were then merged with paratrooper battalion 890, and carried out the remaining actions as one combined unit. In 1956 they were joined by the advanced training battalion of the NAHAL – an acronym in Hebrew for 'combat pioneer youth.'
"These paratrooper battalions restored self-respect and self-confidence to the State of Israel and to the IDF in particular, and the commanders battle cry of "follow me" became a national motto," explains Moti Blustein, a seasoned guide and veteran member of nearby Kibbutz Niram.
Blustein, a salt of the earth Israeli with an impressive handlebar moustache, proves to be a walking, talking almanac when discussing the Black Arrow site and surrounding region, even though he spends a great deal of his time guiding Israelis in far away places the likes of Morocco, Spain, China and countries in the Former Soviet Union.
Moti takes us to the main section of the Black Arrow site. Over a low wall one receives a breathtaking vista of the central and northern neighborhoods of Gaza, and in the not so far distance, the sun shines on the Mediterranean.
Pointing out various large buildings in the near distance, Moti explains in detail what it is that one can see so clearly. Not only see, but also hear. Gaza is close enough for one to hear calls for prayer coming out of the Palestinian mosques, to hear car horns beeping in the busy streets of the commercial areas – to actually feel Gaza.
"That building over there," says Moti pointing to a grayish-looking large complex, "is Shifa Hospital where the leadership of Hamas were hiding in the cellars during Operation Cast Lead. Everybody knew they were there but because it is a hospital it was left untouched."
As Moti points out a few other much heard about Palestinian neighborhoods and explains what it meant for the local residents to live under constant threat from the Kassam rockets fired from such close quarters, an Israeli patrol jeep drives slowly along the sophisticated electronic fence.
The jeep kicks up huge clouds of dust and Gaza disappears – temporarily.
"There were days when going to visit Palestinians we befriended in Gaza was so natural that we didn't discuss it in particular," says the white-haired kibbutz member, wistfully looking across the short distance between the Black Arrow site and the Palestinian homes about a kilometer away.
The original Kibbutz Be’eri was one of the “11 points” settlements established on Moatzi Yom Kippur October 6, 1947 by the 100 18-20 year old from the youth movements Noar Oved, Tsophim (Scouts) and Iraq Pioneers. Be’eri is the pen name of Berl Katznelson for whom the kibbutz is names. The land was originally the Arab village of Nahabir. The kibbutz was involved in the War of Independence. After the war the kibbutz moved to more suitable land 3 km south east of the original site. Today the remaining buildings are the water tower and security building.
Note: Nahbir – the site were Kibbutz Be’eri was founded, as part of 11 points established in the Negev after Yom Kippur in 1946. Kibbutz Be’eri was first called Nahbir, the same as the Arabic name of the area, which beans “badlands.” Later on it was renamed for the literary name of Berl (Be’eri) Katznelson, who had passed away at the time. All that remains of the old Be’eri is the security building riddled with bullet holes, the kibbutz water tower, the communications trenches and water pipe line marker.
During its first few years, the Kibbutz made a living by sending its members out to work at the Dead Sea Works, planting forests and roads. At home, they developed agricultural enterprises including, a dairy farm, orchards and field crops.
Today it is part of the Eschol Regional Council and has a population of 780.
Bitronot Be’eri Reserve – this large nature reserve covers an area of some 5,000 dunams. Because it resembles a crater it is sometimes referred to as the “Be’eri Crater.” Nahal Sahaf (Wadi Nehabir), a tributary of Nahal Habesor, penetrates the loess soil, drains the area and creates an area that is bisected as if with a saw. “Bitronot” can be translated as “badlands.” And in fact, it is difficult to work these lands for agriculture due to the dense network of channels that cut deeply through the soil, which is why these are the only lands that the Arabs were willing to sell to the JNF
ANZAC Memorial
About four kilometers to the north lies the ANZAC Monument, commemorating the ANZAC soldiers who died in the Third Battle of Gaza in World War I
ANZAC memorial – About 4 km. northwest of Kibbutz Be’eri is a memorial to the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Armed Corps who fell in the battle for Gaza during World War I. The memorial, which is shaped like the letter “A,” was built in 1967 on the 50th anniversary of the capture of Gaza by the British troops. The memorial looks out over the battlefields of the First World War
The Be’eri Sulfur Mines – Sulfur deposits in the area of Be’eri were discovered during the First World War by soldiers from Australia and New Zealand who were staying in the region. In 1933 a Jewish-British company lead by the geologist Williams began excavating the sulfur and carried out preliminary work. In 1946, after some 10,000 tons of sulfur had exhausted the deposits, the mine and the nearby factory closed. To date one can see the abandoned factory building, a deep water cistern and the strong smell of sulfur.
"Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the LORD out of the heavens…" (Gen. 19:24) Note: Often the quote is “brimstone” and fire...brimstone is yellow, elemental sulfur.
The Black Arrow Heritage Site
Our first stop was the Black Arrow, an amazing heritage site located off Road No. 232 and next to the entrance to Kibbutz Mefalsim (west of Sderot). It was named for an action in Gaza carried out in 1955, after an Israeli in Rehovot was murdered by infiltrating Arabs called ’fedayeen.’ From the site we could easily see Gaza, and the border between us, about a kilometer away and surrounded by a sophisticated electronic fence.
The Black Arrow sheds light on an exciting early era in IDF history: the years between 1953 and 1956, when paratroopers carried out 70 operations against terrorists. At the time, the army did not yet have firm military traditions; new and innovative methods of fighting that the paratroopers initiated during that period later became standard IDF practice. Each rock tells its own story of a daring operation, mainly in Hebrew, but an audio guide offers information in English.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Abba Eban explained the provocations to the Security Council on October 30:
During the six years during which this belligerency has operated in violation of the Armistice Agreement there have occurred 1,843 cases of armed robbery and theft, 1,339 cases of armed clashes with Egyptian armed forces, 435 cases of incursion from Egyptian controlled territory, 172 cases of sabotage perpetrated by Egyptian military units and fedayeen in Israel. As a result of these actions of Egyptian hostility within Israel, 364 Israelis were wounded and 101 killed. In 1956 alone, as a result of this aspect of Egyptian aggression, 28 Israelis were killed and 127 wounded.
One reason these raids were so intolerable for Israel was that the country had chosen to create a relatively small standing army and to rely primarily on reserves in the event of war. This meant that Israel had a small force to fight in an emergency, that threats provoking the mobilization of reserves could virtually paralyze the country, and that an enemy's initial thrust would have to be withstood long enough to complete the mobilization.
Note: Unit 101 and Battalion 890 re Qibya Unit 101 was a special forces unit of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), founded and commanded by Ariel Sharon on orders from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion in August 1953.[1] It was created in order to better deal with a spate of Arab fedayeen attacks against Israelis, which the IDF was unsuccessful in halting.[2]
The unit was merged into Battalion 890 during January 1954, mainly because they killed dozens of unarmed citizens during the raid known as Qibya massacre into the village of Qibya.[1][3] Beside the Sayeret Matkal, they are considered to be the unit with the most influence on the Israeli infantry oriented units—including both special and conventional units.[3]
Armistice House
On our way out of the site we saw the small restored building known as Armistice House. It was here that, until 1967, Egypt, the UN and Israel arranged for the exchange of prisoners.
Nebiya Mari
Now we headed for Nebiya Mari, named for Col. Mari. Born in the small Druse village of Hurfeish, Mari was indisputably one of the finest officers in the IDF. After his death, the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, made up of area kibbutzim and moshavim, decided to forge a connection with the Druse in Galilee where Hurfeish is located. The result was this unusual memorial site, whose lookout offers a stunning view of Gaza City. Nearby stands the olive tree that Nebiya’s parents planted in their garden when their son was born.
According to our guide, Shaul Gefen from Kibbutz Dorot, every year Druse from Galilee meet here with Negev settlers at a moving ceremony in memory of Col. Mari. Despite its location near Gaza, no ceremony has ever been canceled.
Nir Am Reservoir
Large reservoir at Kibbutz Nir Am developed by the Jewish National Fund, filled with purified sewage and used for irrigation.
NIR AM reservoir is a reservoir with a storage capacity of 1.5 million cubic meters. It is fed with recycled water from the "Shafdan". The reservoir will provide water for the irrigation systems of the kibbutzim of Nir-Am and Mefalsim that, together, use 2.6 million cubic meters of water a year, of which 1.4 million cubic meters are in the summer alone. The reservoir will be filled during the months of October to March, and the water will be used from May through the summer months.
Note: Shafdan Treatment Facility: The centerpiece of this innovation is the Shafdan wastewater treatment plant in the densely-populated Greater Tel Aviv region. This plant alone treats 130 m\illion cubic meters of water annually. The water quality is high, making it suitable for all forms of irrigation, including for oranges, carrots, potatoes, lettuce, wheat and flowers. On a personal note: My daughter and her family live in the Western Negev and their hot houses use the treated water from Shafdan to grow peppers, cherry tomatoes and other vegetables for export. A special 90 km. pipeline has been built to the Negev, carrying water from reservoirs and other sources specifically for purposes of agriculture, in addition to the drinking water pipelines.
The Shafdan facility is in Rishon LeTzion, Israel. The additional water it creates could reduce the cost of fresh food. The new technique of introducing fish into the water reservoirs has proven to be an enormous asset in the preservation, clearness and quality of the water. The quantity and types of fish will be determined by biologists.
Water from the Nir Am area played a crucial role in Negev settlement, which grew in relative leaps and bounds from 1939 to 1946. The two Negev water carriers established in early 1947 both led out of Nir Am; the settlements were supplied by hundreds of kilometers of 15-cm. pipes which had put fires out in the London blitz during World War II.
So miraculous was the blooming desert created by Negev settlements that members of a United Nations Commission visiting Nir Am in the summer of 1947 couldn’t believe their eyes. Commission chairman Justice E. Sandstrom, certain the flowers he saw couldn’t possibly be rooted in the soil, decided to find out for himself whether he and his committee were being duped and plucked a gladiolus (sword-lily) right out of the ground!
Note: Nir Am Kibbutz: NIR AM (Heb. נִיר עָם; "The People's Plowed Field"), kibbutz in southern Israel, 6 mi. (10 km.) N.E. of *Gaza, affiliated with Iḥud ha-Kevuẓot ve-ha-Kibbutzim. Its founding in 1943 by immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, most of them *Youth Aliyah graduates, constituted a step in the expansion of Jewish settlement toward the Negev. Abundant groundwater reserves were discovered soon after, and in 1947 the first pipeline leading to the Negev outposts was laid from the Nir Am – *Gevar'am area. In the Israeli *War of Independence (1948), the kibbutz became the headquarters, hospital, and supply center for the settlements in the south and Negev, cut off for several months from the rest of Israel. The kibbutz economy was based on intensive field crops, citrus groves, and dairy cattle, as well as a factory for fine cutlery. In addition, the kibbutz developed a tourist industry, including a resort, water museum, paintball, an environmental activities site, and catering. In 2002 its population was 301.
Note: The first “Negev Pipeline” 1947 Opening of a 6 inch (0.15 meter) 190 KM pipeline to the northern Negev:
The first 'Negev pipeline', became operative in 1947 and assured a reliable if limited supply of water to most of the settlements in the Negev (although several settlements still had to rely on local wells). This modest pipeline transported water from wells in the northwestern Negev, an area relatively rich in underground water. The first stage consisted of 190 km. of 6"-diameter pipes supplying one million cubic meters (MCM) annually. Later on this line was converted to a 20"-diameter pipeline supplying 30 MCM annually. The significance of this pipeline was that the concept of transporting water from farther north to sustain the southern arid section of the country was now firmly established.
The Black Arrows Memorial - Northwest Negev
Perched on a hill overlooking a portion of the patrol road and electronic fence surrounding the Gaza Strip - and affording a view over the Palestinian neighborhoods and Mediterranean beyond - the Western Negev Black Arrows memorial site is overwhelming.
The sheer size of the site and the number of soldiers and civilians memorialized in the groups of enormous white rocks placed around the site forcefully brings home some of the heavy Israeli losses incurred in military and terrorist action over a three year period in the 1950s.
The Black Arrow Association was founded by a group of veteran paratroopers who served during that dramatic and painful period of reprisal actions. The not-for-profit Black Arrow Association set out to create a military heritage site to preserve the memory of comrades killed in battle, many of whom having died a short distance from the site that has developed into a most powerful salute to their bravery.
The site is dedicated to the military heritage of the paratroopers during 'the period of reprisals.' From the end of the 1948 War of Independence to the outbreak of the Sinai campaign in 1956 hundreds of Israelis were killed and more than one thousand wounded in terrorist attacks inside the State of Israel.
Since the beginning of the 1950s, groups of soldiers from neighboring countries and armed Arab marauders known as 'fedayoun,' spawned fear, death and destruction, particularly in the border villages some of which were settled by new immigrants from North Africa, groups of Holocaust survivors as well as members of Zionist youth movements.
One of the Israelis murdered was a young kibbutz member from that part of the Negev. In April of 1956 kibbutz Nir Am member Roi Rutenberg was murdered in an ambush at his home, a short distance from the present day Black Arrow site. On a small hill overlooking the Western Negev kibbutz, a black horse and rider stand out against the skyline in memory of Rutenberg.
Reprisal actions were initiated by the Israel Defense Forces. In the three years prior to the Sinai campaign, Israeli forces carried out 70 forages into Egyptian-held Gaza and the then Jordanian-held West Bank in retaliation for acts of infiltration, theft and murder carried out in Israel by enemy soldiers and gangs of fedayoun.
Unit 101 was created in the summer of 1953 and those who served in the unit were revered. One of the most famous of the l01s was former Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon.
On each of the large rocks spread out over the extensive Black Arrow site, a plaque gives details of each of those raids. Audio information stations can be found at vantage points throughout the site, the in-depth explanations provided both in Hebrew and English.
For the first five months after their inception the 101s operated alone and were then merged with paratrooper battalion 890, and carried out the remaining actions as one combined unit. In 1956 they were joined by the advanced training battalion of the NAHAL – an acronym in Hebrew for 'combat pioneer youth.'
"These paratrooper battalions restored self-respect and self-confidence to the State of Israel and to the IDF in particular, and the commanders battle cry of "follow me" became a national motto," explains Moti Blustein, a seasoned guide and veteran member of nearby Kibbutz Niram.
Blustein, a salt of the earth Israeli with an impressive handlebar moustache, proves to be a walking, talking almanac when discussing the Black Arrow site and surrounding region, even though he spends a great deal of his time guiding Israelis in far away places the likes of Morocco, Spain, China and countries in the Former Soviet Union.
Moti takes us to the main section of the Black Arrow site. Over a low wall one receives a breathtaking vista of the central and northern neighborhoods of Gaza, and in the not so far distance, the sun shines on the Mediterranean.
Pointing out various large buildings in the near distance, Moti explains in detail what it is that one can see so clearly. Not only see, but also hear. Gaza is close enough for one to hear calls for prayer coming out of the Palestinian mosques, to hear car horns beeping in the busy streets of the commercial areas – to actually feel Gaza.
"That building over there," says Moti pointing to a grayish-looking large complex, "is Shifa Hospital where the leadership of Hamas were hiding in the cellars during Operation Cast Lead. Everybody knew they were there but because it is a hospital it was left untouched."
As Moti points out a few other much heard about Palestinian neighborhoods and explains what it meant for the local residents to live under constant threat from the Kassam rockets fired from such close quarters, an Israeli patrol jeep drives slowly along the sophisticated electronic fence.
The jeep kicks up huge clouds of dust and Gaza disappears – temporarily.
"There were days when going to visit Palestinians we befriended in Gaza was so natural that we didn't discuss it in particular," says the white-haired kibbutz member, wistfully looking across the short distance between the Black Arrow site and the Palestinian homes about a kilometer away.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
A Wonderful Christian Tour Itinerary with notes
MARILYN FARBER GROUP
DAY ONE Friday NOVEMBER 5 – Arrival- Nazareth and Cana
Pick up Group at Sheikh Hussein Bridge
Lunch – Village of Naim @Sahara Restaurant – Voucher
Foot of Givat Moreh - Miracle: Luke 7:11-17 - Jesus brings back to life Widow’s son
Nazareth Church of the Annunciation
Luke 1:26-38 and Matthew, 1:18-21, Luke 4:15-13 (Mt. Precious, just outside Nazareth) –walk UP the path for best view. Mt Precipice is reached by car following the signs of "Mt Precipice" on the highway that bypasses Nazareth towards Jewish Nazereth Illit.
Cana Church MASS and Wedding Vows – fixed time
John 2:1-11 (First Miracle – water to wine), John 4:46 (Second Miracle – Cure of the Nobleman’s son)
Overnight – Tiberias Royal Plaza - One of the four Jewish holy cities (along with Hebron, Jerusalem and Safed – established in 19 CE).
DAY TWO Saturday November 6 Sea of Galilee and Mt. Tabor
Wake up calls/breakfast – Remind all of modest dress
Mount of Beatitudes
Matthew 5: 1-13 – can read all the way through chapter 7.
Capernaum-Home Town of Jesus Capernaum - from Hebrew: Kefar (village) + Nachum (a name of the prophet from the old testament). Josephus, War 3.519, Matt 4:12-17 (Jesus leaves Nazareth and settles in Capernaum), Mark 1:29-31 (Cure of Simon’s mother-in-law) Matthew 9:1-8 (Cure of the Paralyzed man), Luke 4:31, Luke 4:23, Mark 2:1 (Matt 9:1), Mark 9:33, Matt 8:5, Luke 5: 12-16 (Cure of the Leper) Luke 7:1-10 (Cure of the centurion’s servant), John 4:46, Matt 11:23, Luke 10:15, John 2:12, John 6: 17, 24, 59.
Tabgha-Matthew 14:13-21
Primacy of Peter- John 2:1.
Boat Ride of Sea of Galilee – Daniel Carmel Boats
Matthew 8:23-27 (Calming of the Sea), Matthew 14:22-23 (Jesus walks on water)
Lunch - @Ein Gev
Yardenit – Optional Baptism $10 to rent robe and towel and use changing room – NO Lockers…need to safe guard valuables.
Matthew 3: 11-16
Mount Tabor – Church of the Transfiguration
Judges 4: 5-16 (Victory of Barak under order of Judge Deborah, Mark 9:2-8 (Jesus transfiguration) , Luke 9:37-43 (Jesus cures epileptic boy at village of Daburiyah – large Arab village south of Tabor)
Overnight Tiberias –Royal Plaza Hotel
DAY THREE Sunday November 7 - Jericho and Dead Sea
Wake up calls/breakfast – have guests prepare for swimming at Dead Sea – swim suits/towels/sun screen
Check out Tiberias – Royal Plaza Hotel
Jericho – need to connect with Palestinian Guide. Book of Joshua 6: 1-27 (Battle of Jericho) Luke 19:81-10, story of Zacchaeus (name means pure) the short tax collector climbing the sycamore tree to see Jesus pass.
Lunch – Jericho @ Templation
Qumran – National Park pass, wonderful shopping, get voucher for swimming at Kalya (usually only available if you have lunch at Qumran.)
Kalya- Swimming in Dead Sea – Kalya? Need Voucher or agreement from Qumran – if not eating lunch at Kalya – check with Eli Shalom or Yinon Ben Hod.
Overnight Jerusalem – Dan Panorama
DAY FOUR Monday November 8 – Jerusalem
Wake Up Calls/Breakfast – Remind Guests of modest clothes and good walking shoes with rubber grip soles- skirt and a shawl for women, no shorts for men.
Drive up via Mount Scopus to….
Mount of Olives: Acts 1: 9-12,
Ascension Chapel – Mosque and Church – Ring doorbell, entrance fee.
Luke 24:50-51
Pater Noster: Luke 11:1-4 named for the “Our Father” prayer taught to Jesus to his Disciples Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 8:30-11:45, 3-5; closed Sunday
Use observation point just south of the stairs down to Dominus Flavit
Walk down Palm Sunday Road (Luke 19:37-40) (Note: The road is very steep and narrow, so wear good walking shoes with a good rubber grip.)
Dominus Flavit Luke 19:37-42, Chapel (Roman Catholic/Franciscan) “The Lord Wept” Architect of the Holy Land Franciscan Monk Antonio Barluzzi (1954)
Garden of Gethsemane Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32, Luke 22:39-46, John 18:1-2
Church of all Nations Matthew 14:32-42
Lunch - Nafoura (Christian Quarter – go inside Jaffa Gate- take first Left)
St. Peter In Gallicantu – Voucher- Matthew 26:31-35, Mark 14:30 [Gallus cantat, meaning “at the cock’s crow.”]
Room of the Last Supper:[Upper Room, Coenaculum or Coenacle] Mark 14:15, Luke 22:12, Acts 1:14 (Holy Spirit appears on Pentacost)
King David’s Tomb
Dormition Abbey
Communion at Garden Tomb (02) 627-2745 Time must be booked and confirmed. Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to noon and 14:00 to 17:30.
Overnight – Dan Panorama Hotel
DAY FIVE Tuesday November 9 – Jerusalem
Wake up Calls/Breakfast
Start at Lion’s Gate:
Walk Via Dolorosa
Church of St. Anne and Bethesda Pool (John 5:2-18- healing the paralyzed man)): Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-noon and 2-5pm (until 6pm in summer); closed Sunday
End up at Holy Sepulchre
Meet bus at Mamila
Bethlehem (Nisan Shop) Need to make connection
Lunch at Nisan in Bethlehem – MASS at Chapel of St. Jerome’s Cave (fixed time)
Ein Kerem -Church of St. John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22 and Josephus - Herod has John imprisoned for denouncing his marriage, and he is later executed.) and Church of the Visitation (Magnificat Luke 1: 46-55 – song sang by Mary when congratulated by Elizabeth, mother of John)
Overnight Dan Panorama
DAY SIX Wednesday November 10 - Departure
Check out Dan Panorama
Drive to Airport
Appendix
Sheikh Hussein Bridge (Irbid-Beit Shean) -Hours of Operation of the Passenger Terminal:
Sunday to Thursday: 06:30 – 21:00 Friday and Saturday: 08:00 – 20:00. Passengers come out from building on left of parking lot – sliding door. Bathrooms, small snack bar and money charging service (reputedly bad rate of exchange.)
Church of the Annunciation: The current church is a two-story building constructed in 1969 over the site of an earlier Byzantine-era and then Crusader-era church. Inside, the lower level contains the Grotto of the Annunciation, believed by many Christians to be the remains of the original childhood home of Mary. The first shrine was probably built sometime in the middle of the 4th century, comprising an altar in the cave in which Mary had lived. A larger structure was commissioned by Emperor Constantine I, who had directed his mother, Saint Helena, to found churches commemorating important events in Jesus Christ's life. The Church of the Annunciation was founded around the same time as the Church of the Nativity (the birthplace) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (the tomb). Some version of it was known to have still been in existence around 570 AD, but it was destroyed in the 7th century after the Muslim conquest of Palestine.
Capernaum: Mathew 4:13, 18:22; Mark 1:21; - Capernaum was the center of Jesus activities in the Galilee and his town during that time. Jesus taught in the local synagogue. It was also the home town of the apostles Peter, James, Andrew and John, and the tax collector Matthew.
The town of Capernaum stretched for two-thirds of a mile along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Its harbor for fishing boats extended for over half a mile.
Capernaum existed for more than a thousand years, from the second century B.C. until the eleventh century A.D.
Fishing was the town’s major industry. Many residents were also engaged in such supporting enterprises as tying fishing nets and repairing boats. In addition to fishing, agriculture thrived in the fertile basaltic soil of the region.
Capernaum was the major center of trade and commerce in Galilee. The international trade route from Egypt through Palestine to Syria and Mesopotamia, passed near Capernaum. Located only three miles west of the eastern border ofGalilee at the Jordan River, the town became a port of entry and customs checkpoint. A collector of customs frompassing caravans, Matthew would also collect fees for fish caught in the lake, levied by Herod Antipas who, in effect, owned the lake.
Roman military personnel were stationed at Capernaum under the command of a centurion. Recent excavations indicate that a military garrison was quartered east of the town. These mercenary troops enjoyed a complete bath installation and other excellent facilities. This would have been the residence of the centurion who built the synagogue in which Jesus taught (Matt 8:1-13; Luke 7:1-10). This garrison served Harod Antipas, the governor of Galilee, under Roman authority.
Historical and Biblical Significance
After being rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus moved with his mother and brothers to Capernaum, making it the base of His ministry (Matt 4:12-16).
A fourth century synagogue of white limestone stands in Capernaum. The foundation of this synagogue is constructed of black basaltic stone, probably dating to the first century synagogue built by the Roman centurion who was stationed in Capernaum (Luke 7:5). At the request of this centurion, and encouraged by the synagogue elders, Jesus healed the centurion’s servant.
Although Peter was born in Bethsaida (John 1:44), he lived in Capernaum. Apparently his move there was related to his marrying a woman of Capernaum (Mark 1:29-30).
Capernaum forms the southwestern corner of the "evangelical triangle" on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. It was in this region, in Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida, that Jesus performed most of His Galilean miracles. In spite of the miracles Jesus had performed there, Jesus rebuked Capernaum for its lack of repentance (Matt 11:23-24).
In Capernaum, Jesus healed the paralytic who had been lowered through the roof of the house in which Jesus had been teaching (Mark 2:1-12).
It was in Capernaum that the "Beelzebub confrontation" occurred, an event that changed the focus of Jesus’ subsequent ministry.
Tabgha- “Seven Springs” - It is the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Mark 6:30-46) and the fourth resurrection appearance of Jesus (John 21:1-24) in Christianity. The Monk Bargil Pixner of the Dormition Abbey helped build the current Church.
Primacy of Peter – (Drive out of Tabgha, turn right, park, go down steps on right) The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, north of the Church of the Multiplication. was built on rocks at the shore of the Sea of Galilee, traditionally considered to be the place where Jesus appeared the fourth time after his resurrection (John 21:1-24), during which, according to Catholic beliefs, Jesus again conferred primacy to Simon Peter.
Jericho - Jericho is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with evidence of settlement dating back to 9000 BC – meaning of the name – RAECH (Fragrance- was major exporter of BALSAM- noted among ancient writers—Theophrastus, Strabo, Pliny—for its medicinal and highly agreeable aromatic qualities.
or YARECH (Lunar). Jericho is located 258 metres (846 ft) below sea level in an oasis in Wadi Qelt in the Jordan Valley. The nearby spring of Ein es-Sultan produces 1,000 gallons of water per minute (3.8 m3/min), irrigating some 2,500 acres (10 km2) through multiple channels and feeding into the Jordan River, 6 miles (10 km) away. Annual rainfall is 6.4 inches (160 mm), mostly concentrated between November and February.
Mt. of Olives: Acts 1, 9-12. This passage identifies the Mt of Olives as the site of ascension:
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey".
Chapel of the Ascension, The ruins of the chapel is located in the suburb of A-Tur, on the east side of the main road of the top of Mount of Olives, at 830M above sea level. It is easily accessible, and you can park close to its entrance. Near the Ascension chapel is the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension, which is another traditional site of the ascension. It is located near a tall tower inside the village of A-Tur.The building blends the architectural features of the Crusader style with traits belonging to the Muslim tradition. The chapel rises on the site of an ancient paleo-Christian sanctuary, near the top of the Mount of Olives. The original building was surrounded by a double portico forming a circle. Destroyed by the Persians in the 614, it was rebuilt by the Crusaders in the form of a small, octagonal temple (twelfth century). Having come under the control of Muslims, to whom it has belonged since the thirteenth century, the building was converted into a mosque and completely transformed by walling in the arches and roofing over the octagon with a little dome of evident Islamic character. On a rock inside can be seen a footprint which is identified according to Christian tradition as the print that Jesus (pbuh) left as he ascended to Heaven: "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (Luke, 24: 50-51).
According to Luke, Jesus ascended to heaven near Bethany, which is identified as a village on Mount of Olive "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven".
Byzantine period
The church was built here at the end of the 4th Century as a memorial chapel, marked by Constantine's mother, Helena. The Byzantine design was round (12 Meters in perimeter. Inside the structure was a a double row of columns with an open roof, laid out in two concentric circles (6M and 2M in perimeter). It existed until the 7th Centry, and was destroyed by the Persians. It then was rebuilt, and existed until the 10th Century, but destroyed again during the Arab conquest.
Crusaders period: The site was rebuilt by the Crusaders in the 12th C based on the original Byzantine design. The church was built from two concentric octagon-shaped structures - an external 12M x 12M structure, and a central 2x2M temple. It was built over the round Byzantine bases. The inner chapel was surrounded by columns and arches, which supported an open cape.
The compound had a secondary military function - one of the fortresses along the road to Jericho that protected the pilgrims.
Mamlukes and Ottoman period: In 1187 Saladin captures the city and converts it to a mosque. Since the chapel was mainly used by Christians, a second structure was built during the Ottoman period on the south side of the compound and the mosque was relocated to it. In 1835 the Crusader structure was converted to an enclosed room, by covering the cape and adding walls between the columns. The reconstruction was conducted by the Armenian Christians, who hold celebrations in this site on the eve of the feast of ascension, 40 days after Easter.
Modern times A Russian Orthodox church was built nearby in 1870, marking another site of the ascension. Archaeological excavations were conducted here by the Franciscans during 1959-1964. The present structure is based on the Crusader design, with small changes conducted after the retreat of the Crusaders at the end of the 13th Century.
To the right of the entrance is the tower of the adjacent mosque. To the left of the gate are remains of the Crusader church - a base and several layers of the wall. On the walls are a set of hooks that were used by the pilgrims to cover the yard with tents during the ascension celebrations.
Pater Noster: One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Our Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'" - Luke 11:1-4
The 4th-century Byzantine church has been partially reconstructed and provides a good sense of what the original was like. The half-restored church has the same dimensions as the original; the garden outside the three doors outlines the atrium area.
The unroofed church has steps leading down into the cave, which was partially collapsed when discovered in 1910. It is an interesting medley of ancient rock cuttings, concrete supports and marble furnishings. The cave cuts partly into a 1st-century tomb.
Left of the church's south door is an area paved with mosaics and identified as a baptistery. The 19th-century cloister is in a European style and upholds the tradition of multilingual plaques bearing the Lord's Prayer - 62 tiled panels display the prayer in 62 different languages, from Aramaic to Japanese to Scots Gaelic. The tomb of the Princesse de la Tour d'Auvergne is on the south side of the cloister.
The lane to the right of the convent's entrance leads to the Russian Church of the Ascension, established 1887. Its white tower can be seen from the Old City on a clear day. Byzantine tomb chapels with some lovely Armenian mosaics are preserved in the small museum.
Walk Down Palm Sunday Road - When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
Luke 19:37-40 NIV
Church of All Nations (Basilica of the Agony) The current church rests on the foundations of two earlier ones, that of a small 12th century Crusader chapel abandoned in 1345, and a 4th century Byzantine basilica, destroyed by an earthquake in 746. In 1920, during work on the foundations, a column was found two meters beneath the floor of the medieval crusader chapel. Fragments of a magnificent mosaic were also found. Following this discovery the architect immediately removed the new foundations and began excavations of the earlier church. After the remains of the Byzantine era church were fully excavated plans for the new church were altered and work continued on the current basilica from April 19, 1922 until June, 1924 when it was consecrated. Architect- Franciscan Monk Antonio Barluzzi.
Two types of stone were used in the construction of the church: the interior utilizes a stone from the quarries at Lifta, north-west of Jerusalem; and the exterior, a rose colored stone from Bethlehem.
The facade of the church is supported by a row of Corinthian columns set below a modern mosaic depicting Jesus Christ as mediator between God and man. The designer of the facade mosaic was Professor Giulio Bargellini. The bubble-domed roof, thick columns, and facade mosaic, give the church a Byzantine look architecturally.
St. Peter In Gallicantu The shrine belongs to the Augustinians of the Assumption (the Assumptionists), a Catholic religious congregation founded in France in 1845.
The Belvedere [Terrace right of the Church]
The visit of the site normally begins at the Belvedere, which offers a splendid view of the ancient City of David and its surrounding hills: Mt. Moriah, Mt. Scopus, Mt. of Olives, Mt. of Scandal, Mt. of Evil Counsel, Mt. Zion, and, on a clear day, the Mountains of Moab in Jordan. The view of the valley reminds visitors of many of the people mentioned in the Old Testament, like David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and so many others, and it offers a view of the Valley of Gehenna. It allows Christians to imagine the city of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus and to situate many of the events mentioned in the New Testament. The Belvedere also offers an impressive view of the Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and of modern-day Silwan.
Mosaics on the 4 facades
Each of the mosaics on the four facades illustrates an aspect of what Jesus meant when he told Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin that he was the Messiah: North façade: Jesus gives Peter the keys of the Kingdom: “I will give you the keys” (Mt 16:19) East façade: Bearing his heart on his chest (typical of early 20th-century religious art), Jesus opens his arms to welcome the weary: “Come to me all you who are weary” (Mt 11:28). South façade: Jesus is lowered into a dungeon to await his religious trial before Caiaphas: “I was plunged into a deep pit” (Ps 88:7). West façade: Jesus is mocked and buffeted at Caiaphas’ (Mk 14:65).
The Church
A. Main entrance
1. Bronze doors: Front panel: After the Last Supper, Jesus foretells St. Peter’s denial, just as he and his disciples were about to leave for Gethsemane: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times” (Lk 22:34). Peter protests. Back panel: Crest with the letters A R T, signifying Adveniat Regnum Tuum (Thy Kingdom Come), the motto of the Assumptionists, the guardians of the shrine.
2. Stone lintel (over the bronze door) “May the Lord bless your coming and your going” (Ps 121). The same text, but in Greek, is found next to the church (under the pergola) in a mosaic that was once in the atrium of the crypt of the 7th-century church.
3. Byzantine mosaic (on right wall) Earth goddess Gaea (center) surrounded by various types of birds. Undoubtedly damaged by 8th-century iconoclasts, the mosaic was rediscovered in 1992 on the property of St. Peter in Gallicantu and restored by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
4. Byzantine mosaic (on the ground, beneath the Gaea mosaic) Probably part of the floor of the 5th-century church. It is in situ.
B. Upper Church
1. Large mosaic (center): In the lower portion of the mosaic, Jesus faces the high priest and the Sanhedrin during his religious trial. He has just stated that he is the Messiah and that he will come again in glory with the clouds of heaven. Caiaphas (on the right) tears his garments in anger, declaring the statement blasphemous. The Sanhedrin condemns Jesus as deserving to die. In the upper portion of the mosaic, 4 angels, carrying the cross of Jesus to his heavenly Father, ask if he deems it an acceptable sacrifice for the salvation of the world. Perplexed and disturbed, the Father ponders possible alternatives to the death of his Son before giving an affirmative answer, as suggested by St. Augustine (De Trinitate, XIII, 10 ¶ 13; De Agone Christi. XI, 12).
2. Cupola: mosaic and stained glass In the center of the stained glass window, Jesus is depicted coming in power and glory at the end of time to judge the world. As described in Mt 24:30, his sign of the cross (the stained glass window) appears in the heavens, and “his angels, blasting their trumpets, gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” The 12 apostles join him, sitting on 12 thrones for the judgment of the 12 tribes of Israel (the world) (Mt 19:28).
3. Side chapels
a. Left side:
- Mosaic: 3 repentant men: St. William, hermit; St. Dismas, the “good thief”; St. Dositheus, monk. - Icon: Jesus the Messiah: Jesus has just finished his discourse on the “Bread of Life” in the synagogue of Capernaum ((Jn 6:22-59). Most of his listeners find it too much to take and leave (group on the left). Jesus then turns to his apostles (group on the right), telling them that they too may leave if they wish. Anticipating Jesus’ eventual public affirmation before Caiaphas, Peter (holding a key) replies: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. You are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6: 68-9).
b. Right side:
Mosaic: 3 repentant women: St. Pelagia; St. Mary Magdalene; St. Mary of Egypt.
4. Transepts
Right transept (top): The Last Supper which Jesus took with his disciples the night before he died. (Bottom): St. John the Evangelist Left transept (top): Though Peter’s faith had just wavered, Jesus looked at him with compassion. This prompted Peter to remember Jesus’ prediction that he would deny him three times. Peter went out and wept bitterly. (Bottom): After sinning and repenting, Peter, wearing a tiara, strengthens the faith of his brothers. Rear transept: Mary Queen of Martyrs. Mary suffered greatly when she saw her son dying on the cross.
5. Stairway to the middle level: Byzantine mosaic
The mosaic fragment – on the left wall of the landing – was removed from the top of the rock, beneath the tiles on which one stands to view it. It was probably part of the floor on the upper level of the 5th-century church.
C. Lower Church
1. Rock formation: The middle church, whose rear wall is the very rock formation of the hillside, brings to mind the scene of Peter’s denial in the courtyard of the high priest, as well as Peter’s subsequent repentance and reconciliation.
2. Opening over the “deep pit”: An opening in the floor joins the “deep pit” below with the middle church. Since the Byzantine period, at least four churches have been built over this sacred pit. Three Byzantine crosses are engraved in the orifice.
3. Icons:
Left side: Peter’s denial: “I do not know the man” (Lk 22:57). Center: Peter’s repentance: “He went out and wept bitterly) (Lk 22:62). Right side: Peter’s reconciliation: “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you” (Jn 21:17). This scene, the counterpart of the triple denial, takes place after the Resurrection on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Peter affirms three times that he loves Jesus.
4. Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament (on upper right)
The bronze tabernacle in the form of a tent signifies that, in giving the Eucharist to his followers, Jesus “made his dwelling [pitched his tent] among us” (Jn 1:14). The chapel is reserved for private prayer only.
D. Underground caves
1. Grotto (guard room)
When these underground caves were rediscovered in 1889, their physical characteristics, particularly the holes pierced in the pillars and walls, their proximity to Caiaphas’ palace, and their contiguity with the Sacred Pit (deep pit), all suggested the public jail where, according to a 4th century Jerusalem tradition not recorded in the gospels, Jesus would have been scourged not only by Pilate but also by Caiaphas, and where the apostles Peter and John would have been held and scourged for preaching the name of Jesus in the temple area after the Resurrection (Acts 4:1-3; 5:17-18; 5:40). Aided by the context, Christians recall here some of the painful sufferings endured by Jesus during his Passion, regardless of where they took place, as well as by the apostles, the first believers in his name.
2. Bronze statue of the Suffering Servant
The statue portrays Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, held captive and praying for the sins of many, as he may have done in the Sacred Pit below.
3. Sacred Pit (dungeon)
On the east side, an opening, 5 steps, and a 10-foot drop beneath them, as well as different chisel marks on the top and bottom portions of the cavity’s walls, all suggest that the floor might originally have been at a higher level and have served as a mikveh (Jewish ritual bath). Subsequently, the floor would have been dug deeper in order to convert the mikveh to a cistern/dungeon. The orifice in the vault was possibly pierced at the time of the conversion, though the date of the latter remains unknown. Excavations in 1889 uncovered 3 Byzantine crosses engraved in the orifice at the top, 7 red and 4 black oxide crosses on the walls, and the silhouette of a praying figure on the lower south wall. These findings, along with the ruins of a church and a significant number of mosaics, coins and religious objects, testify to the presence of a 5th century church. Struck by the overall appearance of the pit and prompted by its proximity to Caiaphas’ palace – thought to have been located in this general area – the Byzantines insisted on constructing a church over the pit, despite the added difficulties and costs of building cliff-side, rather than choosing an easier site just a few yards higher up the hill. But what exactly did the Byzantines wish to commemorate in this holy place? Undoubtedly, an event linked to the Passion, either Jesus’ captivity as he awaited trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, or the tears of Peter as he wept bitterly.
E. Outside archaeological areas
1. Excavations behind the church
The normal exit from the church is through the door next to the bronze statue. Upon leaving the building, the tour continues to the left. One passes over the remains of what were probably the foundations of the Byzantine church. To the right, there are various cisterns, possible mikvaot (Jewish ritual baths), and what must have been an ancient mill.
2. Ancient stepped street (holy stairs)
Discovered in 1897, this ancient stepped street once linked the wealthy upper portion of the city with its poorer lower section where two of the population’s main water supplies were located: the Gihon Spring and the Pool of Siloam. It is difficult to date the street exactly because it has often been repaired over the centuries. However, it is not impossible that it existed in Jesus’ time, in which case he undoubtedly passed over it whenever he came to Jerusalem. He probably took it twice the night before he died, first, when, having left the Upper Room after the Last Supper, he crossed the Kidron Valley on his way to Gethsemane, and, second, following his arrest there, when he returned as a captive to await his religious trial before Caiaphas.
3. Courtyard on the north side of the church
Bronze monument on east side of patio: Peter denies Jesus (Luke 22:57). In the presence of a Roman soldier, 2 women question Peter as he sits next to the fire warming himself. He states that he does not know the man. The cock (on the column) is about to crow. Mosaic with Greek inscription (on the upper level under the pergola). The mosaic is a fragment from the floor in the atrium of the crypt after the church’s reconstruction in the 7th century. It lies near the spot where it was found by archaeologists. The inscription, from Psalm 121, reads: “May the Lord guard your coming and your going.” The same verse is now found in Latin on the stone lintel over the main entrance of the present upper church.
4. Model of Jerusalem in the Byzantine period (4th to 6th century)
On the hill next to the shop, a model of Jerusalem in the Byzantine period represents a glorious moment in the expansion of Christianity when, in the 4th century, the Roman persecutions had come to an end and Christians, for the first time, were able to build churches commemorating various episodes in the life of Jesus. The model reveals the relief of the city with its hills and its valleys, its streets and its gates, its basilicas and its churches. Seven major churches are represented:
1. The Basilica enclosing the tomb of Jesus. 2. The Church of Holy Sion 3. The Church of St. Mary of the Sheep Pool 4. The Church of St. John the Baptist 5. The Church of Siloam 6. The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu 7. 7. The Church of St. Mary, the Mother of God (the Nea)
The Gift Shop
The Gift Shop features handicraft from several monasteries of the Holy Land, some of which depend on the sale of this handicraft for their subsistence. It offers a variety of articles, from pottery, olive-wood carvings and hand-weave, to embroidered stoles and tableware, bronze and dolomite reproductions, statuary and icons, as well as a selection of books, postcards, maps and other souvenirs of the Holy Land, all at reasonable prices. A coffee shop offers light refreshments. Clean restrooms as well as an elevator to take the handicapped down to the upper level of the church are also available.
Room of the Last Supper [Upper Room or Coenculum] This place, sacred in Christian tradition, is believed to be the site of the Last Supper where Christ established the rite of the Eucharist. In the same place, seven weeks later, the Holy Ghost appeared to Mary and the Apostles at the Pentecost. The ceiling of the Upper Room is supported by three pillars which divide the room into three naves. With implicit reference to the Last Supper, a delicate Crusader capital (SW corner) reflects the belief that the pelican, if unable to find food for her young, will offer them flesh from her breast.
David’s Tomb
The site was apparently not viewed as David's Tomb until the 12th century. According to Benjamin of Tudela, writing about 1173,
Dormtion Abbey or Hagia Maria Sion Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Jerusalem on Mt. Zion just outside the walls of the Old City near the Zion Gate. It was formerly known as the Abbey of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, but the name was changed in 1998 in reference to the church of Hagia Sion that formerly stood on this spot.
The property was acquired by the German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II and given to the German Holy Land Society (Deutscher Verein vom Heiligen Land) for the benefit of German Catholics. This is a German Benedictine monastery on Mt. Zion. In 1906, the first group of monks arrived; in 1910, the church was consecrated.
Church of St. Anne and Bethesda Pool -The Church of St. Anne (Roman Catholic) is a beautiful 12th-century Crusader church, erected over the traditional site of the birthplace of Anne (Hannah), the mother of Mary. It is an excellent example of Romanesque architecture.
St. Anne's Church was built between 1131 and 1138 to replace a previous Byzantine church. Shortly after its construction, it was enlarged by moving the facade forward by several meters.
In 1192, Saladin turned the church into a Muslim theological school, which is commemorated in an inscription above the church's entrance. Eventually abandoned, the church fell into ruin until the Ottomans donated it to France in 1856. It was subsequently restored, but most of what remains today is original. The Church is run by the White Fathers' community who arrived in the Holy Land in 1876.
The church is right next to the Bethesda Pool, believed to be the site where Jesus healed a paralytic (John 5:1-15). Here you can see ruins of a Roman temple to the god of medicine and remains of a Byzantine church built over the temple.
As the church is just a few hundred feet east of the Sanctuaries of the Flagellation and the Condemnation, at the beginning of the Via Dolorosa, you might want to visit it before following the stations of the cross.
Saint Anne's acoustics, designed for Gregorian chant, are so perfect that the church is virtually a musical instrument to be played by the human voice. Pilgrim groups come to sing in the church throughout the day, and you, too, are welcome to prepare a song of any religion--only religious songs are permitted. The church's acoustics are most amazing when used by a soprano or a tenor solo voice.
St. Anne's Church is located in the Muslim Quarter, near the Lion's Gate. Enter through a wooden doorway leading to a hidden garden enclave.
DAY ONE Friday NOVEMBER 5 – Arrival- Nazareth and Cana
Pick up Group at Sheikh Hussein Bridge
Lunch – Village of Naim @Sahara Restaurant – Voucher
Foot of Givat Moreh - Miracle: Luke 7:11-17 - Jesus brings back to life Widow’s son
Nazareth Church of the Annunciation
Luke 1:26-38 and Matthew, 1:18-21, Luke 4:15-13 (Mt. Precious, just outside Nazareth) –walk UP the path for best view. Mt Precipice is reached by car following the signs of "Mt Precipice" on the highway that bypasses Nazareth towards Jewish Nazereth Illit.
Cana Church MASS and Wedding Vows – fixed time
John 2:1-11 (First Miracle – water to wine), John 4:46 (Second Miracle – Cure of the Nobleman’s son)
Overnight – Tiberias Royal Plaza - One of the four Jewish holy cities (along with Hebron, Jerusalem and Safed – established in 19 CE).
DAY TWO Saturday November 6 Sea of Galilee and Mt. Tabor
Wake up calls/breakfast – Remind all of modest dress
Mount of Beatitudes
Matthew 5: 1-13 – can read all the way through chapter 7.
Capernaum-Home Town of Jesus Capernaum - from Hebrew: Kefar (village) + Nachum (a name of the prophet from the old testament). Josephus, War 3.519, Matt 4:12-17 (Jesus leaves Nazareth and settles in Capernaum), Mark 1:29-31 (Cure of Simon’s mother-in-law) Matthew 9:1-8 (Cure of the Paralyzed man), Luke 4:31, Luke 4:23, Mark 2:1 (Matt 9:1), Mark 9:33, Matt 8:5, Luke 5: 12-16 (Cure of the Leper) Luke 7:1-10 (Cure of the centurion’s servant), John 4:46, Matt 11:23, Luke 10:15, John 2:12, John 6: 17, 24, 59.
Tabgha-Matthew 14:13-21
Primacy of Peter- John 2:1.
Boat Ride of Sea of Galilee – Daniel Carmel Boats
Matthew 8:23-27 (Calming of the Sea), Matthew 14:22-23 (Jesus walks on water)
Lunch - @Ein Gev
Yardenit – Optional Baptism $10 to rent robe and towel and use changing room – NO Lockers…need to safe guard valuables.
Matthew 3: 11-16
Mount Tabor – Church of the Transfiguration
Judges 4: 5-16 (Victory of Barak under order of Judge Deborah, Mark 9:2-8 (Jesus transfiguration) , Luke 9:37-43 (Jesus cures epileptic boy at village of Daburiyah – large Arab village south of Tabor)
Overnight Tiberias –Royal Plaza Hotel
DAY THREE Sunday November 7 - Jericho and Dead Sea
Wake up calls/breakfast – have guests prepare for swimming at Dead Sea – swim suits/towels/sun screen
Check out Tiberias – Royal Plaza Hotel
Jericho – need to connect with Palestinian Guide. Book of Joshua 6: 1-27 (Battle of Jericho) Luke 19:81-10, story of Zacchaeus (name means pure) the short tax collector climbing the sycamore tree to see Jesus pass.
Lunch – Jericho @ Templation
Qumran – National Park pass, wonderful shopping, get voucher for swimming at Kalya (usually only available if you have lunch at Qumran.)
Kalya- Swimming in Dead Sea – Kalya? Need Voucher or agreement from Qumran – if not eating lunch at Kalya – check with Eli Shalom or Yinon Ben Hod.
Overnight Jerusalem – Dan Panorama
DAY FOUR Monday November 8 – Jerusalem
Wake Up Calls/Breakfast – Remind Guests of modest clothes and good walking shoes with rubber grip soles- skirt and a shawl for women, no shorts for men.
Drive up via Mount Scopus to….
Mount of Olives: Acts 1: 9-12,
Ascension Chapel – Mosque and Church – Ring doorbell, entrance fee.
Luke 24:50-51
Pater Noster: Luke 11:1-4 named for the “Our Father” prayer taught to Jesus to his Disciples Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 8:30-11:45, 3-5; closed Sunday
Use observation point just south of the stairs down to Dominus Flavit
Walk down Palm Sunday Road (Luke 19:37-40) (Note: The road is very steep and narrow, so wear good walking shoes with a good rubber grip.)
Dominus Flavit Luke 19:37-42, Chapel (Roman Catholic/Franciscan) “The Lord Wept” Architect of the Holy Land Franciscan Monk Antonio Barluzzi (1954)
Garden of Gethsemane Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32, Luke 22:39-46, John 18:1-2
Church of all Nations Matthew 14:32-42
Lunch - Nafoura (Christian Quarter – go inside Jaffa Gate- take first Left)
St. Peter In Gallicantu – Voucher- Matthew 26:31-35, Mark 14:30 [Gallus cantat, meaning “at the cock’s crow.”]
Room of the Last Supper:[Upper Room, Coenaculum or Coenacle] Mark 14:15, Luke 22:12, Acts 1:14 (Holy Spirit appears on Pentacost)
King David’s Tomb
Dormition Abbey
Communion at Garden Tomb (02) 627-2745 Time must be booked and confirmed. Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to noon and 14:00 to 17:30.
Overnight – Dan Panorama Hotel
DAY FIVE Tuesday November 9 – Jerusalem
Wake up Calls/Breakfast
Start at Lion’s Gate:
Walk Via Dolorosa
Church of St. Anne and Bethesda Pool (John 5:2-18- healing the paralyzed man)): Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-noon and 2-5pm (until 6pm in summer); closed Sunday
End up at Holy Sepulchre
Meet bus at Mamila
Bethlehem (Nisan Shop) Need to make connection
Lunch at Nisan in Bethlehem – MASS at Chapel of St. Jerome’s Cave (fixed time)
Ein Kerem -Church of St. John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22 and Josephus - Herod has John imprisoned for denouncing his marriage, and he is later executed.) and Church of the Visitation (Magnificat Luke 1: 46-55 – song sang by Mary when congratulated by Elizabeth, mother of John)
Overnight Dan Panorama
DAY SIX Wednesday November 10 - Departure
Check out Dan Panorama
Drive to Airport
Appendix
Sheikh Hussein Bridge (Irbid-Beit Shean) -Hours of Operation of the Passenger Terminal:
Sunday to Thursday: 06:30 – 21:00 Friday and Saturday: 08:00 – 20:00. Passengers come out from building on left of parking lot – sliding door. Bathrooms, small snack bar and money charging service (reputedly bad rate of exchange.)
Church of the Annunciation: The current church is a two-story building constructed in 1969 over the site of an earlier Byzantine-era and then Crusader-era church. Inside, the lower level contains the Grotto of the Annunciation, believed by many Christians to be the remains of the original childhood home of Mary. The first shrine was probably built sometime in the middle of the 4th century, comprising an altar in the cave in which Mary had lived. A larger structure was commissioned by Emperor Constantine I, who had directed his mother, Saint Helena, to found churches commemorating important events in Jesus Christ's life. The Church of the Annunciation was founded around the same time as the Church of the Nativity (the birthplace) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (the tomb). Some version of it was known to have still been in existence around 570 AD, but it was destroyed in the 7th century after the Muslim conquest of Palestine.
Capernaum: Mathew 4:13, 18:22; Mark 1:21; - Capernaum was the center of Jesus activities in the Galilee and his town during that time. Jesus taught in the local synagogue. It was also the home town of the apostles Peter, James, Andrew and John, and the tax collector Matthew.
The town of Capernaum stretched for two-thirds of a mile along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Its harbor for fishing boats extended for over half a mile.
Capernaum existed for more than a thousand years, from the second century B.C. until the eleventh century A.D.
Fishing was the town’s major industry. Many residents were also engaged in such supporting enterprises as tying fishing nets and repairing boats. In addition to fishing, agriculture thrived in the fertile basaltic soil of the region.
Capernaum was the major center of trade and commerce in Galilee. The international trade route from Egypt through Palestine to Syria and Mesopotamia, passed near Capernaum. Located only three miles west of the eastern border ofGalilee at the Jordan River, the town became a port of entry and customs checkpoint. A collector of customs frompassing caravans, Matthew would also collect fees for fish caught in the lake, levied by Herod Antipas who, in effect, owned the lake.
Roman military personnel were stationed at Capernaum under the command of a centurion. Recent excavations indicate that a military garrison was quartered east of the town. These mercenary troops enjoyed a complete bath installation and other excellent facilities. This would have been the residence of the centurion who built the synagogue in which Jesus taught (Matt 8:1-13; Luke 7:1-10). This garrison served Harod Antipas, the governor of Galilee, under Roman authority.
Historical and Biblical Significance
After being rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus moved with his mother and brothers to Capernaum, making it the base of His ministry (Matt 4:12-16).
A fourth century synagogue of white limestone stands in Capernaum. The foundation of this synagogue is constructed of black basaltic stone, probably dating to the first century synagogue built by the Roman centurion who was stationed in Capernaum (Luke 7:5). At the request of this centurion, and encouraged by the synagogue elders, Jesus healed the centurion’s servant.
Although Peter was born in Bethsaida (John 1:44), he lived in Capernaum. Apparently his move there was related to his marrying a woman of Capernaum (Mark 1:29-30).
Capernaum forms the southwestern corner of the "evangelical triangle" on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. It was in this region, in Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida, that Jesus performed most of His Galilean miracles. In spite of the miracles Jesus had performed there, Jesus rebuked Capernaum for its lack of repentance (Matt 11:23-24).
In Capernaum, Jesus healed the paralytic who had been lowered through the roof of the house in which Jesus had been teaching (Mark 2:1-12).
It was in Capernaum that the "Beelzebub confrontation" occurred, an event that changed the focus of Jesus’ subsequent ministry.
Tabgha- “Seven Springs” - It is the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Mark 6:30-46) and the fourth resurrection appearance of Jesus (John 21:1-24) in Christianity. The Monk Bargil Pixner of the Dormition Abbey helped build the current Church.
Primacy of Peter – (Drive out of Tabgha, turn right, park, go down steps on right) The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, north of the Church of the Multiplication. was built on rocks at the shore of the Sea of Galilee, traditionally considered to be the place where Jesus appeared the fourth time after his resurrection (John 21:1-24), during which, according to Catholic beliefs, Jesus again conferred primacy to Simon Peter.
Jericho - Jericho is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with evidence of settlement dating back to 9000 BC – meaning of the name – RAECH (Fragrance- was major exporter of BALSAM- noted among ancient writers—Theophrastus, Strabo, Pliny—for its medicinal and highly agreeable aromatic qualities.
or YARECH (Lunar). Jericho is located 258 metres (846 ft) below sea level in an oasis in Wadi Qelt in the Jordan Valley. The nearby spring of Ein es-Sultan produces 1,000 gallons of water per minute (3.8 m3/min), irrigating some 2,500 acres (10 km2) through multiple channels and feeding into the Jordan River, 6 miles (10 km) away. Annual rainfall is 6.4 inches (160 mm), mostly concentrated between November and February.
Mt. of Olives: Acts 1, 9-12. This passage identifies the Mt of Olives as the site of ascension:
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey".
Chapel of the Ascension, The ruins of the chapel is located in the suburb of A-Tur, on the east side of the main road of the top of Mount of Olives, at 830M above sea level. It is easily accessible, and you can park close to its entrance. Near the Ascension chapel is the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension, which is another traditional site of the ascension. It is located near a tall tower inside the village of A-Tur.The building blends the architectural features of the Crusader style with traits belonging to the Muslim tradition. The chapel rises on the site of an ancient paleo-Christian sanctuary, near the top of the Mount of Olives. The original building was surrounded by a double portico forming a circle. Destroyed by the Persians in the 614, it was rebuilt by the Crusaders in the form of a small, octagonal temple (twelfth century). Having come under the control of Muslims, to whom it has belonged since the thirteenth century, the building was converted into a mosque and completely transformed by walling in the arches and roofing over the octagon with a little dome of evident Islamic character. On a rock inside can be seen a footprint which is identified according to Christian tradition as the print that Jesus (pbuh) left as he ascended to Heaven: "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (Luke, 24: 50-51).
According to Luke, Jesus ascended to heaven near Bethany, which is identified as a village on Mount of Olive "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven".
Byzantine period
The church was built here at the end of the 4th Century as a memorial chapel, marked by Constantine's mother, Helena. The Byzantine design was round (12 Meters in perimeter. Inside the structure was a a double row of columns with an open roof, laid out in two concentric circles (6M and 2M in perimeter). It existed until the 7th Centry, and was destroyed by the Persians. It then was rebuilt, and existed until the 10th Century, but destroyed again during the Arab conquest.
Crusaders period: The site was rebuilt by the Crusaders in the 12th C based on the original Byzantine design. The church was built from two concentric octagon-shaped structures - an external 12M x 12M structure, and a central 2x2M temple. It was built over the round Byzantine bases. The inner chapel was surrounded by columns and arches, which supported an open cape.
The compound had a secondary military function - one of the fortresses along the road to Jericho that protected the pilgrims.
Mamlukes and Ottoman period: In 1187 Saladin captures the city and converts it to a mosque. Since the chapel was mainly used by Christians, a second structure was built during the Ottoman period on the south side of the compound and the mosque was relocated to it. In 1835 the Crusader structure was converted to an enclosed room, by covering the cape and adding walls between the columns. The reconstruction was conducted by the Armenian Christians, who hold celebrations in this site on the eve of the feast of ascension, 40 days after Easter.
Modern times A Russian Orthodox church was built nearby in 1870, marking another site of the ascension. Archaeological excavations were conducted here by the Franciscans during 1959-1964. The present structure is based on the Crusader design, with small changes conducted after the retreat of the Crusaders at the end of the 13th Century.
To the right of the entrance is the tower of the adjacent mosque. To the left of the gate are remains of the Crusader church - a base and several layers of the wall. On the walls are a set of hooks that were used by the pilgrims to cover the yard with tents during the ascension celebrations.
Pater Noster: One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Our Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'" - Luke 11:1-4
The 4th-century Byzantine church has been partially reconstructed and provides a good sense of what the original was like. The half-restored church has the same dimensions as the original; the garden outside the three doors outlines the atrium area.
The unroofed church has steps leading down into the cave, which was partially collapsed when discovered in 1910. It is an interesting medley of ancient rock cuttings, concrete supports and marble furnishings. The cave cuts partly into a 1st-century tomb.
Left of the church's south door is an area paved with mosaics and identified as a baptistery. The 19th-century cloister is in a European style and upholds the tradition of multilingual plaques bearing the Lord's Prayer - 62 tiled panels display the prayer in 62 different languages, from Aramaic to Japanese to Scots Gaelic. The tomb of the Princesse de la Tour d'Auvergne is on the south side of the cloister.
The lane to the right of the convent's entrance leads to the Russian Church of the Ascension, established 1887. Its white tower can be seen from the Old City on a clear day. Byzantine tomb chapels with some lovely Armenian mosaics are preserved in the small museum.
Walk Down Palm Sunday Road - When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
Luke 19:37-40 NIV
Church of All Nations (Basilica of the Agony) The current church rests on the foundations of two earlier ones, that of a small 12th century Crusader chapel abandoned in 1345, and a 4th century Byzantine basilica, destroyed by an earthquake in 746. In 1920, during work on the foundations, a column was found two meters beneath the floor of the medieval crusader chapel. Fragments of a magnificent mosaic were also found. Following this discovery the architect immediately removed the new foundations and began excavations of the earlier church. After the remains of the Byzantine era church were fully excavated plans for the new church were altered and work continued on the current basilica from April 19, 1922 until June, 1924 when it was consecrated. Architect- Franciscan Monk Antonio Barluzzi.
Two types of stone were used in the construction of the church: the interior utilizes a stone from the quarries at Lifta, north-west of Jerusalem; and the exterior, a rose colored stone from Bethlehem.
The facade of the church is supported by a row of Corinthian columns set below a modern mosaic depicting Jesus Christ as mediator between God and man. The designer of the facade mosaic was Professor Giulio Bargellini. The bubble-domed roof, thick columns, and facade mosaic, give the church a Byzantine look architecturally.
St. Peter In Gallicantu The shrine belongs to the Augustinians of the Assumption (the Assumptionists), a Catholic religious congregation founded in France in 1845.
The Belvedere [Terrace right of the Church]
The visit of the site normally begins at the Belvedere, which offers a splendid view of the ancient City of David and its surrounding hills: Mt. Moriah, Mt. Scopus, Mt. of Olives, Mt. of Scandal, Mt. of Evil Counsel, Mt. Zion, and, on a clear day, the Mountains of Moab in Jordan. The view of the valley reminds visitors of many of the people mentioned in the Old Testament, like David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and so many others, and it offers a view of the Valley of Gehenna. It allows Christians to imagine the city of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus and to situate many of the events mentioned in the New Testament. The Belvedere also offers an impressive view of the Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and of modern-day Silwan.
Mosaics on the 4 facades
Each of the mosaics on the four facades illustrates an aspect of what Jesus meant when he told Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin that he was the Messiah: North façade: Jesus gives Peter the keys of the Kingdom: “I will give you the keys” (Mt 16:19) East façade: Bearing his heart on his chest (typical of early 20th-century religious art), Jesus opens his arms to welcome the weary: “Come to me all you who are weary” (Mt 11:28). South façade: Jesus is lowered into a dungeon to await his religious trial before Caiaphas: “I was plunged into a deep pit” (Ps 88:7). West façade: Jesus is mocked and buffeted at Caiaphas’ (Mk 14:65).
The Church
A. Main entrance
1. Bronze doors: Front panel: After the Last Supper, Jesus foretells St. Peter’s denial, just as he and his disciples were about to leave for Gethsemane: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times” (Lk 22:34). Peter protests. Back panel: Crest with the letters A R T, signifying Adveniat Regnum Tuum (Thy Kingdom Come), the motto of the Assumptionists, the guardians of the shrine.
2. Stone lintel (over the bronze door) “May the Lord bless your coming and your going” (Ps 121). The same text, but in Greek, is found next to the church (under the pergola) in a mosaic that was once in the atrium of the crypt of the 7th-century church.
3. Byzantine mosaic (on right wall) Earth goddess Gaea (center) surrounded by various types of birds. Undoubtedly damaged by 8th-century iconoclasts, the mosaic was rediscovered in 1992 on the property of St. Peter in Gallicantu and restored by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
4. Byzantine mosaic (on the ground, beneath the Gaea mosaic) Probably part of the floor of the 5th-century church. It is in situ.
B. Upper Church
1. Large mosaic (center): In the lower portion of the mosaic, Jesus faces the high priest and the Sanhedrin during his religious trial. He has just stated that he is the Messiah and that he will come again in glory with the clouds of heaven. Caiaphas (on the right) tears his garments in anger, declaring the statement blasphemous. The Sanhedrin condemns Jesus as deserving to die. In the upper portion of the mosaic, 4 angels, carrying the cross of Jesus to his heavenly Father, ask if he deems it an acceptable sacrifice for the salvation of the world. Perplexed and disturbed, the Father ponders possible alternatives to the death of his Son before giving an affirmative answer, as suggested by St. Augustine (De Trinitate, XIII, 10 ¶ 13; De Agone Christi. XI, 12).
2. Cupola: mosaic and stained glass In the center of the stained glass window, Jesus is depicted coming in power and glory at the end of time to judge the world. As described in Mt 24:30, his sign of the cross (the stained glass window) appears in the heavens, and “his angels, blasting their trumpets, gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” The 12 apostles join him, sitting on 12 thrones for the judgment of the 12 tribes of Israel (the world) (Mt 19:28).
3. Side chapels
a. Left side:
- Mosaic: 3 repentant men: St. William, hermit; St. Dismas, the “good thief”; St. Dositheus, monk. - Icon: Jesus the Messiah: Jesus has just finished his discourse on the “Bread of Life” in the synagogue of Capernaum ((Jn 6:22-59). Most of his listeners find it too much to take and leave (group on the left). Jesus then turns to his apostles (group on the right), telling them that they too may leave if they wish. Anticipating Jesus’ eventual public affirmation before Caiaphas, Peter (holding a key) replies: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. You are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6: 68-9).
b. Right side:
Mosaic: 3 repentant women: St. Pelagia; St. Mary Magdalene; St. Mary of Egypt.
4. Transepts
Right transept (top): The Last Supper which Jesus took with his disciples the night before he died. (Bottom): St. John the Evangelist Left transept (top): Though Peter’s faith had just wavered, Jesus looked at him with compassion. This prompted Peter to remember Jesus’ prediction that he would deny him three times. Peter went out and wept bitterly. (Bottom): After sinning and repenting, Peter, wearing a tiara, strengthens the faith of his brothers. Rear transept: Mary Queen of Martyrs. Mary suffered greatly when she saw her son dying on the cross.
5. Stairway to the middle level: Byzantine mosaic
The mosaic fragment – on the left wall of the landing – was removed from the top of the rock, beneath the tiles on which one stands to view it. It was probably part of the floor on the upper level of the 5th-century church.
C. Lower Church
1. Rock formation: The middle church, whose rear wall is the very rock formation of the hillside, brings to mind the scene of Peter’s denial in the courtyard of the high priest, as well as Peter’s subsequent repentance and reconciliation.
2. Opening over the “deep pit”: An opening in the floor joins the “deep pit” below with the middle church. Since the Byzantine period, at least four churches have been built over this sacred pit. Three Byzantine crosses are engraved in the orifice.
3. Icons:
Left side: Peter’s denial: “I do not know the man” (Lk 22:57). Center: Peter’s repentance: “He went out and wept bitterly) (Lk 22:62). Right side: Peter’s reconciliation: “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you” (Jn 21:17). This scene, the counterpart of the triple denial, takes place after the Resurrection on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Peter affirms three times that he loves Jesus.
4. Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament (on upper right)
The bronze tabernacle in the form of a tent signifies that, in giving the Eucharist to his followers, Jesus “made his dwelling [pitched his tent] among us” (Jn 1:14). The chapel is reserved for private prayer only.
D. Underground caves
1. Grotto (guard room)
When these underground caves were rediscovered in 1889, their physical characteristics, particularly the holes pierced in the pillars and walls, their proximity to Caiaphas’ palace, and their contiguity with the Sacred Pit (deep pit), all suggested the public jail where, according to a 4th century Jerusalem tradition not recorded in the gospels, Jesus would have been scourged not only by Pilate but also by Caiaphas, and where the apostles Peter and John would have been held and scourged for preaching the name of Jesus in the temple area after the Resurrection (Acts 4:1-3; 5:17-18; 5:40). Aided by the context, Christians recall here some of the painful sufferings endured by Jesus during his Passion, regardless of where they took place, as well as by the apostles, the first believers in his name.
2. Bronze statue of the Suffering Servant
The statue portrays Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, held captive and praying for the sins of many, as he may have done in the Sacred Pit below.
3. Sacred Pit (dungeon)
On the east side, an opening, 5 steps, and a 10-foot drop beneath them, as well as different chisel marks on the top and bottom portions of the cavity’s walls, all suggest that the floor might originally have been at a higher level and have served as a mikveh (Jewish ritual bath). Subsequently, the floor would have been dug deeper in order to convert the mikveh to a cistern/dungeon. The orifice in the vault was possibly pierced at the time of the conversion, though the date of the latter remains unknown. Excavations in 1889 uncovered 3 Byzantine crosses engraved in the orifice at the top, 7 red and 4 black oxide crosses on the walls, and the silhouette of a praying figure on the lower south wall. These findings, along with the ruins of a church and a significant number of mosaics, coins and religious objects, testify to the presence of a 5th century church. Struck by the overall appearance of the pit and prompted by its proximity to Caiaphas’ palace – thought to have been located in this general area – the Byzantines insisted on constructing a church over the pit, despite the added difficulties and costs of building cliff-side, rather than choosing an easier site just a few yards higher up the hill. But what exactly did the Byzantines wish to commemorate in this holy place? Undoubtedly, an event linked to the Passion, either Jesus’ captivity as he awaited trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, or the tears of Peter as he wept bitterly.
E. Outside archaeological areas
1. Excavations behind the church
The normal exit from the church is through the door next to the bronze statue. Upon leaving the building, the tour continues to the left. One passes over the remains of what were probably the foundations of the Byzantine church. To the right, there are various cisterns, possible mikvaot (Jewish ritual baths), and what must have been an ancient mill.
2. Ancient stepped street (holy stairs)
Discovered in 1897, this ancient stepped street once linked the wealthy upper portion of the city with its poorer lower section where two of the population’s main water supplies were located: the Gihon Spring and the Pool of Siloam. It is difficult to date the street exactly because it has often been repaired over the centuries. However, it is not impossible that it existed in Jesus’ time, in which case he undoubtedly passed over it whenever he came to Jerusalem. He probably took it twice the night before he died, first, when, having left the Upper Room after the Last Supper, he crossed the Kidron Valley on his way to Gethsemane, and, second, following his arrest there, when he returned as a captive to await his religious trial before Caiaphas.
3. Courtyard on the north side of the church
Bronze monument on east side of patio: Peter denies Jesus (Luke 22:57). In the presence of a Roman soldier, 2 women question Peter as he sits next to the fire warming himself. He states that he does not know the man. The cock (on the column) is about to crow. Mosaic with Greek inscription (on the upper level under the pergola). The mosaic is a fragment from the floor in the atrium of the crypt after the church’s reconstruction in the 7th century. It lies near the spot where it was found by archaeologists. The inscription, from Psalm 121, reads: “May the Lord guard your coming and your going.” The same verse is now found in Latin on the stone lintel over the main entrance of the present upper church.
4. Model of Jerusalem in the Byzantine period (4th to 6th century)
On the hill next to the shop, a model of Jerusalem in the Byzantine period represents a glorious moment in the expansion of Christianity when, in the 4th century, the Roman persecutions had come to an end and Christians, for the first time, were able to build churches commemorating various episodes in the life of Jesus. The model reveals the relief of the city with its hills and its valleys, its streets and its gates, its basilicas and its churches. Seven major churches are represented:
1. The Basilica enclosing the tomb of Jesus. 2. The Church of Holy Sion 3. The Church of St. Mary of the Sheep Pool 4. The Church of St. John the Baptist 5. The Church of Siloam 6. The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu 7. 7. The Church of St. Mary, the Mother of God (the Nea)
The Gift Shop
The Gift Shop features handicraft from several monasteries of the Holy Land, some of which depend on the sale of this handicraft for their subsistence. It offers a variety of articles, from pottery, olive-wood carvings and hand-weave, to embroidered stoles and tableware, bronze and dolomite reproductions, statuary and icons, as well as a selection of books, postcards, maps and other souvenirs of the Holy Land, all at reasonable prices. A coffee shop offers light refreshments. Clean restrooms as well as an elevator to take the handicapped down to the upper level of the church are also available.
Room of the Last Supper [Upper Room or Coenculum] This place, sacred in Christian tradition, is believed to be the site of the Last Supper where Christ established the rite of the Eucharist. In the same place, seven weeks later, the Holy Ghost appeared to Mary and the Apostles at the Pentecost. The ceiling of the Upper Room is supported by three pillars which divide the room into three naves. With implicit reference to the Last Supper, a delicate Crusader capital (SW corner) reflects the belief that the pelican, if unable to find food for her young, will offer them flesh from her breast.
David’s Tomb
The site was apparently not viewed as David's Tomb until the 12th century. According to Benjamin of Tudela, writing about 1173,
Dormtion Abbey or Hagia Maria Sion Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Jerusalem on Mt. Zion just outside the walls of the Old City near the Zion Gate. It was formerly known as the Abbey of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, but the name was changed in 1998 in reference to the church of Hagia Sion that formerly stood on this spot.
The property was acquired by the German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II and given to the German Holy Land Society (Deutscher Verein vom Heiligen Land) for the benefit of German Catholics. This is a German Benedictine monastery on Mt. Zion. In 1906, the first group of monks arrived; in 1910, the church was consecrated.
Church of St. Anne and Bethesda Pool -The Church of St. Anne (Roman Catholic) is a beautiful 12th-century Crusader church, erected over the traditional site of the birthplace of Anne (Hannah), the mother of Mary. It is an excellent example of Romanesque architecture.
St. Anne's Church was built between 1131 and 1138 to replace a previous Byzantine church. Shortly after its construction, it was enlarged by moving the facade forward by several meters.
In 1192, Saladin turned the church into a Muslim theological school, which is commemorated in an inscription above the church's entrance. Eventually abandoned, the church fell into ruin until the Ottomans donated it to France in 1856. It was subsequently restored, but most of what remains today is original. The Church is run by the White Fathers' community who arrived in the Holy Land in 1876.
The church is right next to the Bethesda Pool, believed to be the site where Jesus healed a paralytic (John 5:1-15). Here you can see ruins of a Roman temple to the god of medicine and remains of a Byzantine church built over the temple.
As the church is just a few hundred feet east of the Sanctuaries of the Flagellation and the Condemnation, at the beginning of the Via Dolorosa, you might want to visit it before following the stations of the cross.
Saint Anne's acoustics, designed for Gregorian chant, are so perfect that the church is virtually a musical instrument to be played by the human voice. Pilgrim groups come to sing in the church throughout the day, and you, too, are welcome to prepare a song of any religion--only religious songs are permitted. The church's acoustics are most amazing when used by a soprano or a tenor solo voice.
St. Anne's Church is located in the Muslim Quarter, near the Lion's Gate. Enter through a wooden doorway leading to a hidden garden enclave.
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