It would not be an exaggeration to say that Israel is the largest open-air historical museum. Its territory is relatively small, but in terms of the concentration of cultural monuments it has no equal.
The Romans and Byzantines, Crusaders and Turks left their mark here. Here began the history of the three major religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Whoever you are - a true believer or a convinced atheist, the thought cannot but pierce you: now I am in the place where Christ was born about 2000 years ago; so I touched the manger with my hand, where the swaddled baby lay. The place of Nativity is located under the Orthodox throne and is indicated by a silver star with the inscription: "Jesus Christ was born from the Virgin Mary here." A large church in the shape of a cross was built over the cave of the Nativity of Christ. To get into it, you need to squeeze through the Gate.
Peace is only 1.2 meters high. A person entering the church, as if bowing to a bright place. The narrow and low passage was also made so that the Turks, who conquered Palestine in the Middle Ages, could not desecrate the temple by entering the basilica on horseback.
The interior of the church impresses with its monumentality and grandeur. Grandeur is achieved by five naves separated by four rows of red limestone Corinthian columns.
The Basilica of the Nativity - the center of modern Bethlehem is located 18 kilometers south of Jerusalem, where the earthly journey of the "Son of Man" ended. Already at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, you will experience a huge emotional upsurge, close to shock. And there are visions inspired by the Bible and Bulgakov's book "Master and Margarita". Here you can climb the wooden stairs to Golgotha and even stand near the cross, and then, going down, see the place where Christ lay after the execution. Nearby is a small cave, where they brought his body, closing the entrance with a huge stone.
And of course, we will visit the Wailing Wall, or, as it is correct to say, the Western Wall, one of the main shrines of Judaism, which was once part of the Second Jerusalem Temple (destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD). This is a special place that has the magical ability to make dreams come true. Every year, about a million notes addressed to God are found in the crevices of the wall, then to be buried on the Mount of Olives and make room for the next batch of desires. Take with you messages from family and friends who will trust you with their dreams.
Trip program (9 Days)
Day 1
Departure
Day 2
Arrival to Telyaviv
Transfer to Jerusalem
Accommodation in a hotel in Jerusalem Free time.
Day 3
Breakfast 8:30
10-11 hour tour
In the footsteps of Jesus Christ from birth to the Resurrection. Jerusalem - Bethlehem. Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Old City in Jerusalem (Christian Quarter, Church of the Sepulcher, 14 stops Via Dolorosa, Austrian Hospice, House of Anna and Jokim, King Solomon's Quarry, Jewish Quarter, Wailing Wall, Mount Zion, Domition Abbey, Room of the Last Supper, Maslyanichnaya mountain).
The most important thing about Bethlehem is the role it played in divine history. Bethlehem is associated with the names of Ruth, Itai, David, Rachel, Jesus of Nazareth, Emperor Hadrian, St. Helena, the kings of the crusaders and who just isn't there. In 325, according to Christian tradition, St. Elena laid the foundation of the Church of the Nativity, which today is included in the Guinness Book as the oldest of the Christian churches that have survived to this day.
Moreover, it is considered the birthplace of Jesus by representatives of all Christian denominations without exception. It was from the Church of the Nativity that the Crimean War (1853-1856) indirectly began, which played such a fatal role in the history of Russia.
An excursion to Bethlehem will be of interest to believers and non-believers, Christians and non-Christians.
Day 4
Breakfast 8 hours
Jerusalem travel through the Land of the Hornen, a picturesque mountainous area located to the west of Jerusalem. We will begin our tour with a visit to Jerusalem's Ein Karem, a place of pilgrimage for millions of Christians and a favorite place of residence for local bohemians and golden youth.
In accordance with the Gospel of Luke, Mary, having learned that she had suffered from the Holy Spirit, went to the "Country of the Gorny" to her relative Elizabeth (she is also the mother of John the Baptist).
The area is rich in significant and famous churches and monasteries: c. Meetings (child of the famous Anthony Bellutsi, the summer house of the priest Zacharias, where Mary stayed for three months), c. "John in the mountains" (it is also considered the birthplace of John the Baptist), the Russian Gornensky Monastery and the French Sion Sisters.
Low-rise mansions under tiled roofs are buried in the foliage of palm trees, cypresses, citrus fruits and figs. We will drive along the mountain serpentine to the cave of stalactites and stalagmites of Avsalom. It is known primarily due to the unusual and dense stalactite forms and does not leave indifferent even connoisseurs of stalactite caves.
The feeling that you are in some kind of fabulous palace will not leave you even for a minute of your stay here. The next stations of our destination are the monastery of Beit Jamal (dedicated to the burial place of the first Christian great martyr Stephen), the perfectly preserved crusading church in the Circassian village of Abu Gush and the Church of Our Lady of the Ark, from the territory of which a stunning panorama of the Judean Mountains opens.
Day 5
Where he walked on water. From Jerusalem, from a height of 800 meters, we descend into a huge depression to the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley. Even in terms of geography, this place is unique. Height -420.
The lowest place on the planet's surface. And we will begin our journey from Yardanit, the place of Baptism, where the Jordan River flows out of Lake Kinneret, we will swim in its greenish waters, admire almost tame catfish, otters and beavers. Then we will go to Tiberias (it has nothing to do with Tver, but only with the emperor Tiberius).
We will walk along its picturesque embankment, look at boats and seagulls. Let's go to kibbutz Genosar, where in a specially built building there is an ancient boat from the time of the Apostles - a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world. We will visit Tabgha - the place of the miracle of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes, Capernaum, the ruins of an ancient settlement where five of the twelve Apostles were born, where Jesus preached in the local synagogue and brought the mother-in-law of St. Peter back to life. Nearby, the Orthodox Church of the 12 Apostles blushes with its domes with the famous wall image of the bliss of heaven and the torment of hell.
The end of our day will be a visit to the Mount of Beatitude, the place where the Sermon on the Mount was delivered and the church built by the famous Antonio Bellutsi.
Day 6
Breakfast
excursion along the shores of the Dead Sea.
We will start our journey in the Qumran National Reserve - the site of the famous Qumran communities and the writing of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Then we will reach the Ein Gedi nature reserve, admire the waterfalls, rocks hanging overhead and mountain goats completely indifferent to the human presence.
From the mountain peaks, there is nothing like the view of the Judean Desert, the surface of the Dead Sea and the eastern part of Jordan. We will wander through the picturesque botanical garden of Kibbutz Ein Gedi, among branched baobabs and many exotic plants. On the ropeway, we will climb the Masada fortress, look at the palaces, baths and water pipes built by King Herod and listen to the heroic story of the collective suicide of those who rebelled against Roman rule.
Let's end our day with a swim on one of the comfortable beaches at the southern end of the Dead Sea.
17:30 Free time in Nice, dinner
Day 7
Breakfast
8:30 check out
Excursion 10-12 hours along the Mediterranean coast. Tel Aviv - Jaffa (port, Old City, Ilana Gur studio, promenade), Caesarea (ruins of the ancient city, amphitheater, hippodrome), aqueduct, Rally Museum, Zikhron Yaakov, Rothschild Park.
We start with a tour of the central and northern districts of Tel Aviv, historical and new. Unforgettable excursion in ancient Caesarea, the capital of Judea, in the city that Herod the Great built for the Roman Caesar, the place where the first Christian was baptized.
An ancient city with an amazing history that combines royal luxury and despotism with love of freedom and romance.
The monumental image of the hippodrome and the solemn appearance of the theater - a mixture of reality and phantasmagoria, washed by quite tangible splashes of sea foam, will take us into the intertime ... The city, the theater, the hippodrome and the amphitheater, the Roman baths, the Crusader citadel and the sea. Pontius Pilate and Rabbi Akiva. Everything is here.
Next, we will go to the northern capital of Israel - the port city of Haifa, to admire one of the wonders of the world, the Bahai Gardens. And of course, the place of origin of the Carmelite Order is Stella Maris Monastery and the cave of Elijah the Prophet himself. 19th century German colony in Haifa. We will visit the Bahai Gardens - the most beautiful place in Haifa, we will see nineteen terraces on the slope of Mount Carmel, we will visit the Bahai Temple. Haifa is located on the western slope of Mount Carmel.
In the biblical tradition, Mount Carmel is the place where the prophet Elijah hid from persecution. We will visit the roof of the monastery in Muhrak, on the top of the mountain. Biblical tradition says that in this place Ilya defeated the pagan priests and raced off into the sky in a fiery chariot. We will pass through the largest settlements of the Israeli Druzes. The Druze are a Middle Eastern people with their own secret religious tradition.
We will have lunch at a Druze family restaurant. After Caesarea, we will return to Jaffa, walk along the streets of the old city, today ancient Jaffa is one city along with the new Tel Aviv.
Day 8
Free day
Day 9
Breakfast
Free time
Airport transfer
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* Insurance Minimum group 6 people.
