Israel travel | Travel Thru History

Acre, Israel: A Living Historical Monument

by Shelly Lachish

The ancient port of Acre (Akko in Hebrew, or Akka in Arabic), with its heavily fortified sea walls and imposing hilltop citadel, juts out defiantly from Israel’s coastline into the sapphire waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Standing at the city’s southernmost rampart, which is today equipped with a lighthouse and viewing platform, I cast my gaze over the golden fortress and down to the dramatic coastline where the waves break endlessly against the ancient sandstone walls that have withstood centuries of aggression.

For millennia, this mediaeval promontory, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited locations, was a site of strategic military importance due to its commanding position on the trade route between Egypt and Syria. It is not surprising, therefore, that Acre’s history is a series of tumultuous invasions, defeats, victories and conquests that have played out over 1000’s of years by a multitude of conquering empires. Today, however, families of all nationalities and faiths live side by side in harmony in Acre, and the only shots heard over this UNESCO world heritage city come from cameras that belong to the army of tourists hungry to photograph this magnificent and intriguing historical site. Because even in this region of the world that teems with rich archaeological wonders, Akko stands out.

Acre’s historical and archaeological intrigue lies in the fact that the forts, mosques, churches, synagogues and labyrinthine alleyways of the Old City that date back 350 years to the Arab and Ottoman periods, conceal below them an exceptionally intact 800 year-old Crusader city that has only recently been discovered. Leaving behind the city walls and the spectacular views of Haifa harbor that they offer, I begin my exploration of this ancient underground city by delving into the Templar Tunnel, a 350 meters underground passage that was constructed by knights of the Templar order and led from their own fortress to the port.

The tunnel, now restored and endowed with lighting, signage and a boardwalk alongside which rainwater flows freely to the sea, shrinks to just one meter in height before opening up to ground level at the resplendent Ottoman-built Pillar’s Inn (Khan Al-Umdan), a large multi-arched caravanserai, which was once the hub of international trade. From here, my explorations remain at ground level and lead me into the colorful Suk, the vibrant market street that forms the main thoroughfare of the Old City. It is midmorning and the market is crowded and bustling with activity as the locals attend to their shopping needs. Sweet stalls, vegetable stands, and shops selling clothing, ornaments, perfumes and other oriental artifacts, mix with bakeries, falafel shops, fishmongers and butchers stands, beneath which countless street cats make a healthy, if furtive, living. I amble slowly absorbing the sights and smells, and stop frequently to sample the delicious foods on offer.

The market street snakes past the beautiful emerald-domed Al-Jezzar mosque and towards the main citadel complex where archaeological excavations allow the visitor to literally descend through the layers of history. At the modern, and mercifully well air-conditioned, visitor center, I rent an audio guide and embark on my own discovery of these fascinating ruins. I am guided aurally through the existing fortress building, an Ottoman fortification that was built on the foundations of the ruined Crusader citadel, and then down to the underground Prisoner’s Hall, where during the period of British mandate hundreds of members of Jewish resistance movements (Haganah, Irgun and Lehi) were held prisoner and even executed. The tour then descends further underground to the recently excavated Knights’ Hall comprising a series of long narrow chambers with ten meter high vaulted ceilings and massive dividing walls connected by great arched entrances. Also preserved in time are the remains of a dungeon, living quarters, and a mediaeval church. Tantalizingly, some of the rooms of this impressive feat of 13th century architecture remain roped off with teams of archaeologists and engineers busy with ongoing excavations: a promise of more exciting discoveries for future generations of tourists to behold.

Ascending from the cavernous subterranean ruins of the Knights Hall I find myself at the entrance to the Hamam al Basha, a traditional 18th century Turkish bathhouse that remained in use until the 1940’s. Today the bathhouse has been reinvented as a light and sound experience in which a moderately humorous but slightly lengthy video presentation attempts to portray everyday life in the bathhouse culture. Despite the cheesy audio-visuals, the expertly restored, beautifully ornate bathhouse is well worth a visit. The entrance is a superb, domed-roof, marble room decorated with exquisite traditional ceramic tiles. A large marble fountain takes pride of place in the center of the room. At the base of the tiled walls there are small cavities, lockers of the past, which would one day have held the shoes and belongings of bathers. I take my sandals off and the chill of the 200-year-old marble floor feels wonderful on my weary feet. I proceed barefoot through a narrow corridor of smaller rooms where some of the more refined aspects of personal grooming and hygiene would have occurred, and into the main steam room – the social heart of the hamam. Here the domed ceiling has been perforated with geometrically placed holes through which hundreds of shafts of light penetrate to the raised marble massage area below. The dappled light is soothing and serene. Sculpted bronze figures and other relics placed around the large octagonal steam room help to recreate the authentic renowned feeling of communal relaxation for which the Turkish hamams were famous.

The audio tour ends and I surface from the relative cool and peaceful spaciousness of the bathhouse into the blinding heat of afternoon Mediterranean sunshine. Suddenly, the call of the muezzin sings resounds over the city, broadcast from speakers mounted at the top of Al-Jezzera mosque’s minaret. “Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar!” The distinctive melancholy melody calling the faithful to prayer casts an ethereal atmosphere over this mysterious city, and immediately transports me back to historic times. Undeniably, it is this combination of above ground beauty, hidden underground treasures, a thriving cultural life, and buried secrets yet to be discovered that ensures Acre will remain a living historical monument for years to come.

To the North of Israel Haifa Acre and Rosh Ha-Nikra Private Tour

If You Go:

♦ Acre is about 50 minutes’ drive from Haifa, or 1 hour and 45 minutes’ drive from Tel Aviv. Trains run every 20 minutes in peak times from either Haifa or Tel Aviv. There are also direct buses from Haifa and Nazareth to Acre.

♦ A full ticket entrance to the old city and the Turkish baths costs around $12 and includes the audio tour. Entrance to the Al-Jezzar mosque is extra.

♦ For more information: www.akko.org.il

About the author:
Shelly Lachish is an ecologist and freelance writer who has travelled extensively in Israel, Europe and Oceania. She currently resides in Oxford, England, where she moonlights as an academic. She blogs about her travels at thetravelaffair.net. This is her first contribution to Travel Thru History.

Photo credits:
All photos are by S. Lachish, and may be used under creative commons license.
The walled port city
The Pillar’s Inn (Khan Al-Umdan)
Women in the suk
Al-Jezzera mosque
Turkish bathhouse

Israel: Benjamin Disraeli and Cosmopolitan Jerusalem

by Talisker Donahue

Benjamin Disraeli visited Jerusalem in 1831, at the age of twenty six, hoping to find inspiration for his novel Alroy. The city was to prove the highlight of his Grand Tour, indeed he could have written “half a dozen sheets on this week, the most delightful of all our travels.” [1] The weather was glorious and Disraeli dined “every day on the roof of [his] house by moonlight” [2] after playing at the intrepid nineteenth century tourist and respectable British pilgrim. He was wined and dined by the social powers and he visited the Tombs of the Kings and the Holy Sepulchre. He was, in essence, representative of the supposed two thousand traveller-authors who visited Palestine between 1800 and 1878 [3] and whose impressions were refracted through their biblical and historical education. The majority paid little or no attention to the reality of the Holy Land instead taking their cues from literary antecedents, especially, of course, the Bible. In 1837 for example Lord Lindsay Crawford wrote home to his mother that he “had tried every spot pointed out as the scene of Scriptural events by the words of the Bible, the only safe guide-book in this land of ignorance and superstition.” [4] In instances such as this we can see Orientalism [5] in practice and observe the effect that this innate, largely xenophobic, attitude had on the British view of the Holy Land. For these writers “the real Palestine was the one described in the books rather than the one they saw before them.” [6]

While some, such as Said and Nassar, see Disraeli’s literary output as a product of the Orientalist discourse we can see a certain realisation, especially evident in Tancred, of the cosmopolitan and universally valid nature of Jerusalem and its inhabitants.

This novel, the third in Disraeli’s Young England Trilogy, tells the story of a young aristocrat who, having lost faith in “politics as the means for exerting beneficial change” [7] goes “in search of the wisdom of the three great Asian religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.” [8] Of course this to be found in Jerusalem and so Tancred seeks to emulate his crusader forbears by making pilgrimage to the Holy Land, not in conquest but in self-realisation. He does not seek to free Palestine but his own spirit,
“I, too, would kneel at that tomb; I, too, surrounded by the holy hills and sacred groves of Jerusalem, would relieve my spirit from the bale that bows it down; would lift up my voice to heaven, and ask, what is duty, and what is faith? [9]

Tancred, in his realisation that the political world has failed in its cosmopolitan duty of promoting beneficence, becomes drawn to the concept of cross cultural philosophical validity. Away from the machinations of the state, where men like Palmerston “will never rest” until they “get Jerusalem” [10] because, after all, “the English must have markets” [11] Tancred begins to comprehend homogeneity between the East and West, and, indeed, the appeal of such hybridity. This is best demonstrated through Tancred’s relationship with the various indigenous inhabitants of Jerusalem and, especially, the Jewish Eva.

Tancred first meets this woman whose beauty is almost primeval, “such as it existed in Eden” [12]. Her very name is reminiscent of Eve; she is ‘woman’ before she is Jew and she bears the best features of all the nations of Earth.
“[Her] complexion was neither fair nor dark, yet it possessed the brilliancy of the north without its dryness, and the softness peculiar to the children of the sun without its moisture.” [13]

Her cosmopolitan visage is reflected in her conversation when Tancred engages her in a discussion of religion and she states that perhaps she ought to worship Jesus as he is of her race. Indeed Eva has read the Bible and, for Tancred, her mentality is a hybrid mix of Judaism and Anglicanism, she is “already half a Christian.” [14] Tancred though has not yet received his cosmopolitan epiphany and his advice of turning to the church for guidance is met with… un-enthusiasm.

While there is a heady mix of Christian cultures in Jerusalem: Latin, Abyssinian, Armenian, Coptic, Maronite, Greek, this plurality fails as a guide to knowledge. Even divine inspiration, which Tancred is certain he will receive in Jerusalem of all places, is a last resort, to be taken only after “human wit” [15] is exhausted. Eva essentially personifies the spirit of intellectual cosmopolitanism, in both her appearance and outlook. Her morality is not to discovered though scriptural and dogmatic alchemy but rather through rationalistic inquiry.

It is not just in the Holy Land’s inhabitants that Tancred, and Disraeli, find a cosmopolitan identity. The very nature of the place as the cradle of civilisation stirs in the pilgrim the sense that he is treading on ground belonging to humanity. For Tancred, all the natural beauty and wonder of Jerusalem and Palestine pale into insignificance when set alongside the sites of human endeavour and identity,
“[his] eye seized on Sion and Calvary; the gates of Bethlehem and Damascus; the hill of Titus; the Mosque of Mahomet and the tomb of Christ” [16] In seeing this hybrid mix of man’s history he realises that “the view of Jerusalem is the history of the world; it is more, it is the history of Earth and Heaven.” [17]

Tancred’s impression of the universality of the Holy Land is further enhanced during his excursion to Sinai where he observes “two ruins, a Christian church and a Mahometan mosque. In this, the sublimest scene of Arabian glory, Israel and Ishmael alike raised their altars to the great God of Abraham” [18] This coexistence, this acceptance of the holy land as a shared space, awakens in Tancred the understanding that “it is Arabia alone that can regenerate the world.” [19] For Proudman, Disraeli here, is really the antithesis of Said’s Orientalist; “whatever else he was trying to do, Disraeli was not portraying an inferior East,” [20] rather, his multicultural view of religion and Jerusalem reflect the cosmopolitan spirit of the region in spite of politics and statecraft.

In 2008, when discussing Jerusalem being voted Arab capital of culture, Huda Imam described the city as the “world capital of humanity and spirituality.” [21] As she took around fifty children on a tour of the city one Muslim child asked whether he could pray at the church of the Holy Sepulchre,
“You can pray anywhere you want… Since my childhood, I have always loved to light a candle, recite the fatiha, and make a wish when I visit this church. As a Jerusalemite, I consider it part of my culture” she replied. [22]

This is Jerusalem beneath the politics and at its cosmopolitan best.

Footnotes
[1] Disraeli. Home Letters Written by the Late Earl of Beaconsfield in 1830 and 1831. p.120. Kessinger Publishing Co. Kila, (MT, USA). 2004.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ben-Arieh. Rediscovery of the Holy Land in the Nineteenth Cenuty. p.15. Magnes Press. Jerusalem (Israel). 1983.
[4] Lord Lindsay. Letters on Egypt, Edom and the Holy Land. p.243. Henry Colburn Publishers. London (UK). 1847.
[5] See Edward Said’s Orientalism.
[6] Nassar, I. In their Image: Jerusalem in Nineteenth-Century English Travel Narratives. p.8. Jerusalem Quarterly. Issue 19. 2003.
[7] Levine, R.A. Disraeli’s Tancred and “The Great Asian Mystery”. p.75. Nineteenth-Century Fiction. Vol.22. no.1. 1967.
[8] Proudman, M.F. Disraeli as an ‘Orientalist’: The Polemical Errors of Said. p.551 The Journal of the Historical Society. Vol.5. no.4. 2005.
[9] Disraeli, B. Tancred. p.55. Longmans Green and Co. London (UK). 1871.
[10] Tancred. p.478.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid. p.187
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid. p.189
[15] Ibid. p.190.
[16] Ibid. p.184.
[17] Ibid.
[17] Ibid. p.288-89
[18] Ibid. p.465
[19] Proudman, M.F. 2005. p.555.
[20] Imam, H. Jerusalem: A World of Culture. This Week in Palestine. Issue 123. 2008. thisweekinpalestine.com (Accessed 18/04/12)
[21] Ibid.

Further Information:

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) visited Jerusalem in 1831 as part of a ‘Grand Tour’.
♦Born a Jew he was baptised into the Anglican Church and served as the Conservative Prime Minister of England twice between 1868 and 1880.
♦He was a prolific writer before entering politics and wrote several novels, the best known being Vivian Grey (1826), Alroy (1833) and the Young England Trilogy Sybil, Coningsby and Tancred written in the 1840’s.
♦For more information on Disraeli’s adventures in Europe and the Middle East see Robert Blake’s Disraeli’s Grand Tour: Benjamin Disraeli and the Holy Land 1830-31.
♦The best account of Jerusalem’s History is definitely S.S Montefiore’s recent book Jerusalem: The Biography.

Photo credits:
Jerusalem by Walkerssk from Pixabay
Benjamin Disraeli by Unknown photographer / Public domain
Jerusalem street by Dave Herring on Unsplash
Old Jerusalem market by Terrazzo / CC BY

About the author:
Talisker Donahue studied History & Classical civilisation at Roehampton University (London) winning the Humanities Department prize for outstanding academic achievement in the process. Before going to University he made a two month solo trip across Europe and Asia, sleeping in trains, tents and hostels. Tal has also made several other low-budget, big-adventure trips into Europe including Italy, Germany and France. He has ambitions to compile a guide to ‘shoestring travel’ for students in addition to freelance history writing.

Jerusalem: The Last Days Of Jesus

Israel

by Troy Herrick

Almost two thousand years ago, the world was changed forever by the death and resurrection of Jesus. With the spread of Christianity, countless pilgrims have visited Jerusalem over the ages to renew their faith at the holy sites associated with his last days. Visitors today might be under the impression that these locations are unique and firmly established but this is not necessarily true. In fact, the Temple Mount is likely the only site linked with Jesus’ final days that can be firmly established.

While the four Canonical Gospels provide specific places for the events associated with Jesus’ passion, they do not provide locations that can be confirmed by archaeology. Tradition has largely established the holy spots in and around the Old City of Jerusalem. These have often been altered over the generations, destroyed in long ago wars or buried under churches. The real challenge you face is putting these sites into their proper context as they no longer look the way they did during the time of Jesus. This can really strain your imagination.

Professional tours through the Old City are a relatively recent development. These tours are often prohibitively expensive with limited time available at each location. Alternatively you can take the two-day “do-it-yourself” tour outlined below. You will not visit the sites in the same order as outlined in the scriptures but you will have more time for contemplation at each one. Your costs are limited to the price of admission to two optional sites (the Treasures of the Temple Museum and the Citadel). These have been included to enhance your Biblical experience but your pilgrimage of faith will not be diminished in any way if you choose to pass on them.

DAY ONE

Church of the Dominus Flevit

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9). As he descended the Mount of Olives, he stopped and looked out over the city. Jesus wept upon seeing the Holy Temple across the Kidron Valley (Luke 19:41-44) because he knew that Jerusalem would be destroyed – and it came to pass in 70 CE. This event is commemorated half way down the Mount of Olives where you find the “tear drop”-shaped Church of the Dominus Flevit (Latin for “the Lord Wept”).

Entering the church, your eyes are immediately drawn to the arch-shaped picture window behind the altar. Those attending mass might be forgiven (hopefully) for being distracted by the magnificent view of the Old City of Jerusalem set within the window frame. The Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are both conspicuous in this picture.

The present-day church is set upon the ruins of a 5th century Byzantine Monastery. Traces of this former complex have been incorporated into the present-day structure. These include a mosaic depicting fruit, leaves, fish and flowers just inside the main entrance and the top slab of an ancient altar near the back of the church. When you complete your visit, exit the church and walk downhill to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of the Agony.

The Garden of Gethsemane

Before he was betrayed, Jesus visited the Garden of Gethsemane to pray (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:32, Luke 22:12, John 13:1). Located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane showcases the Basilica of the Agony with its mosaic façade depicting Jesus as the mediator between God and man.

Entering the grounds, you are surrounded by gnarled olive trees that are hundreds of years old. While you might wish to believe that these trees date to the time of Jesus, this is unlikely. The Romans cut down all the trees in the area during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

Inside the basilica, dark alabaster windows set the sombre mood for the agony and betrayal of Jesus. The flat “Stone of Agony” near the altar marks the spot where Jesus sweated blood (Luke 22:44) as he prayed. A mosaic behind the altar preserves that moment in time.

When you finish your visit to the basilica, walk down to the Old City and pass through St. Stephen’s Gate into the Muslim Quarter where you find yourself on the Via Dolorosa. The former site of the Praetorium is your first stop.

The Praetorium

Jesus was taken from the House of Caiaphas to Pontius Pilate at the Praetorium (Matthew 27:11, Mark 15:1, Luke 23:1, John 18:29). Traditionally the Antonia Fortress is accepted as the Praetorium but it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The Al-Omariya School for Boys now occupies the former site of this fortress. The cobblestone courtyard of the school is the first of fourteen Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa.

Also on the site of the original Antonia Fortress, the Franciscan Monastery is located opposite the Al-Omariya School on the Via Dolorosa. This monastery houses both the Church of the Flagellation and Church of the Condemnation (the 2nd Station of the Cross).

The Church of the Flagellation marks the site where Jesus was flogged (Matthew 27:26, John 19:1). Inside you find stained glass windows depicting Christ being whipped and Pontius Pilate washing his hands of the whole affair. The dome above you incorporates a crown of thorns in mosaic form.

The Church of Condemnation is the traditional site where Jesus received his cross and was led away to his crucifixion (Matthew 27:31, Mark 15:20, Luke 23:25, John 19:16). Behind the altar you find a diorama depicting the moment of condemnation.

This church is set upon a Roman flagstone road called the “lithostatos” (John 19:13). The lithostratos upon which you are standing is from the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, almost a century after Christ. As such this site unlikely hosted any of the Biblical events associated with the last days of Jesus.

Recent archaeological evidence suggests that the Praetorium was actually Herod’s Palace, now part of the Citadel, near the Jaffa Gate. You can tour the Citadel and see wall sections dating to the time of Jesus. This tour is best left until the end of Day 2.

Continue down the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. A number of events associated with the various Stations of the Cross either did not appear in the scriptures or they did not occur at identifiable locations. As such they are not included here but that should not deter you from visiting them anyway. En route you may also wish to shop for that perfect souvenir as you will be passing through the marketplace (souk).

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest site in Christendom, is the traditional site of the crucifixion and tomb of Jesus. Enter the church and climb the well-worn stairs immediately to your right to the top of Golgotha/Calvary (Matthew 23:35, Mark 15:22, Luke 23:33, John 19:17). Here you enter the Roman Catholic Chapel of the Nailing of the Cross – the 11th Station of the Cross.

The adjacent Greek Orthodox Chapel showcases the rock of Calvary set behind glass under the altar – the 12th Station. Also visible under the altar is a star with a hole in the center marking the spot where Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, John 19:30). Feel free to extend your hand down into the hole when you reach the front of the line.

Descend the stairs and walk over to the Edicule which is the structure, supported by a dark metal frame on the exterior, preserving the location of Christ’s tomb (Matthew 27:60, Mark 15:46, Luke 23:53, John 19:41-42). Tradition holds that the Roman Emperor Constantine had the rock face of Golgotha cut away from around the tomb leaving only a stone shell. This shell was levelled in 1009 CE on the orders of the “mad” Caliph Al-Hakim. The next structure to occupy this space was the current Edicule, constructed in the 19th century.

Join the line to enter the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre inside the Edicule – the 14th Station of the Cross. Inside you find a reconstructed slab on your right consisting of two marble stones. A vase with candles marks the spot where Jesus’ head once rested.

If your imagination feels somewhat stretched with your visit the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, you may wish to visit the Garden Tomb where many Protestants believe that Jesus was laid to rest. Scripture holds that Jesus was set down in a new tomb (Matthew 27:60, John 19:41); as such this 9th-7th century BCE tomb with 4th – 6th century CE slabs does not fit the Biblical description.

DAY TWO

The Temple Mount

Jesus drove the money lenders from the Temple (Luke 19:45, Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:15) and then taught there over the next several days (Matthew24:1, Mark 11:27, Luke 19:47). A visit to the Temple Mount today requires a great deal of visualization. Nothing from the time of Jesus remains except for the platform and support walls.

The exact location of the holy structure on the platform is the subject of much debate. Tradition holds that the Temple once occupied the same space as the present-day Dome of the Rock. Archeologists have not been able to confirm this because they are not permitted to work on the site. You may gain some insight into the temple structure with a visit to the nearby Treasures of the Temple Museum. Here you find a white marble model of the holy building and reconstructed equipment for use in a third Temple.

The present Temple Mount (also known as Haram ash-Sharif meaning “Noble Sanctuary” in Arabic) holds the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque. The Dome of the Rock is decorated with colorful Turkish tiles and white marble. The dome is gold leaf set over aluminum. Non-Muslims were not permitted to enter at the time of my visit. A nearby ticket booth suggests that this was not always the case however.

The Al Aqsa Mosque at the southern end of the platform is the third holiest site in Islam after the shrines in Mecca and Medina respectively. The façade of this mosque consists of fourteen stone arches. While entry to the mosque is through the central arch, non-Muslims are not permitted to enter.

When you have completed your visit, exit the Temple Mount and stop by the Western Wall below – the holiest site in Judaism. Men enter this outdoor synagogue on the left side and women on the right. Men should also remember to keep their heads covered if they enter this outdoor synagogue. After leaving the Western Wall, your next stop is the Coenaculum on nearby Mount Zion.

The Coenaculum

The Coenaculum (Latin for “dining room”) is the traditional site of the Last Supper (John 13:1, Luke 22:12, Mark 14:17, Matthew 26:20) and where the Apostles received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 1:13, 2:1). Crusaders constructed this room in the 14th century on top of an older base that could date to the time of Jesus. Therefore in reality, the current hall with three naves encloses the space where Jesus celebrated Passover.

The Ottoman Turks took control of the site and transformed it into a mosque. Imagine Leonardo Da Vinci’s fresco of the Last Supper set in this room with limestone pillars, gothic arches and the vestiges of a mosque providing the backdrop. A prayer niche, known as a mihrab, on the wall still serves to direct people toward Mecca; and Arabic script is still visible below one of the windows. Exit using the door to the right of the mihrab and walk to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu.

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu

Set on a sheer hillside, the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu is the traditional the site of the High Priest Caiaphas’ house. Jesus was brought before Caiaphas immediately after his arrest (Luke 22:54, Mark 14:54, John 18:24, Matthew 26:57). You can easily find this church by looking for the roof with a golden rooster set on top of a cross. The rooster identifies this as the site where Peter denied Christ three times before the cock crowed (Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:55-62, John 18:25-27) hence the name “Gallicantu” (Latin for “the cock’s crow”). A statue in the courtyard depicts the event.

The church was constructed on top of ancient prison cells hewn into the bedrock and dating to the time of Jesus. Entry was originally facilitated by being lowered down with a rope through a hole in the ceiling. Don’t worry, you can descend in a more dignified fashion by means of the “Holy Stairs”. As a prisoner, Jesus was likely kept here in total darkness while he awaited his trial before Caiaphas. This being the case, it is somewhat surprising to find a peephole for guards to look into the cell.

The churchyard features a number of ruins including olive presses, a bath house and a stone stairway leading to the Pool of Silwan below. Jesus may have used this stairway as he walked from the Coenaculum to the Garden of Gethsemane by way of the Kidron Valley before his betrayal. Visitors also find a model of the Old City of Jerusalem during the 4th-6th centuries CE. The Temple Mount is conspicuously bare and remained that way until the Dome of the Rock was constructed in 691 CE after the Muslim conquest.

This “do-it-yourself” tour concludes here if you choose not to visit the two optional sites. You can return to the Armenian Quarter of the Old City by way of the Zion Gate. If you have worked up an appetite, why not try some Armenian food at the Armenian Tavern. Highly recommended is the Selected Plate that includes a mixed grill consisting of sausage, onion and peppers (Soujouk), followed by a thin garlic sausage (Basturma), a wheat-covered falafel (Kubbeh) and a savory Armenian pizza. The cost was 60 Shekels at the time of my visit.

If You Go:

This tour is best accomplished in two consecutive days from Monday to Thursday. Visitors should remember that Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy days respectively. As such, some of the respective sites may be inaccessible because of religious services on these days. Your tour should be flexible.

You can visit the Tourist Information Office at the Jaffa Gate for maps to each site.

The Basilica of the Agony, also known as the Church of All Nations, and the Garden of Gethsemane are located at the foot of the Mount of Olives. You can’t miss the mosaic on the basilica facade. Admission is free

The Church of the Dominus Flevit is located on the main road for ascending the Mount of Olives. You can find this road behind the Garden of Gethsemane. Admission is free

The site of the Praetorium is about 300 meters west of St. Stephen’s Gate on the Via Dolorosa. Look for the Al-Omariya School for Boys on your left. Admission to the courtyard is free.

The Franciscan Monastery is across the street from the Al-Omariya School for Boys. Admission is free.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is in the Christian Quarter but the structure is obscured by the many shops in the souk. You should ask for directions. Admission is free.

To reach the Garden Tomb, exit the Old City by way of the Damascus Gate. Cross the street and walk along Nablus Road for approximately 400 meters until you reach Conrad Schick Street on your right. The sign for the Garden Tomb is clearly visible. Admission is free.

The entrance to the Temple Mount is inside the Dung Gate. Pass through security to enter the site. The Temple Mount is open from Sunday to Thursday from 7:30 – 11 am and from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. Admission is free.

To access the Western Wall of the Temple Mount you must pass through security again inside the Dung Gate. Admission is free.

The Coenaculum is accessed from the main lane on Mount Zion. Walk through the alley towards Dormitian Abbey and look for the sign. Admission is free.

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu is on the eastern slope of Mount Zion. Admission is free.

The Treasures of the Temple Museum is located in the Jewish Quarter at 19 Misgav Ladach St. off of Yisrael Road. Admission was 25 Shekels at the time of my visit.

The Citadel, also known as the Tower of David, is inside the Jaffa Gate to your right. Admission was 30 Shekels at the time of my visit.

The Armenian Tavern is located at Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate Rd #79, a short walk from the Citadel, in the Armenian Quarter.

Remember to wear good walking shoes and sunscreen.

For more information about Israel, visit www.plan-a-dream-trip.com/travel-to-israel.html

About the author:
Troy Herrick, a freelance travel writer, has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. His articles have appeared in Live Life Travel, International Living, Offbeat Travel and Travels Thru History Magazines. He also penned the travel planning e-book entitled ”Turn Your Dream Vacation into Reality: A Game Plan for Seeing the World the Way You Want to See It” – www.thebudgettravelstore.com/page/76972202 based on his own travel experiences over the years. Plan your vacation at his www.thebudgettravelstore.com and his www.plan-a-dream-trip.com sites.

Photographs:
Diane Gagnon, a freelance photographer, has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. Her photographs have accompanied Troy Herrick’s articles in Live Life Travel, Offbeat Travel and Travels Thru History Magazines.

The Judean Desert Gives Up Some Secrets

Israel: Qumran And Masada

by Troy Herrick

Straddling the shore of the Dead Sea, Highway 90 takes you through some of the most breathtaking desert scenery in the Middle East. You could be forgiven if you simply traveled southward and made an occasional stop to photograph the sandy brown cliffs and wadis (valleys) seemingly flowing into the salty water at the lowest place on earth. However en route, you also pass the unobtrusive sites of Qumran and Masada whose presence are only betrayed by signs denoting the park entrances. Neither site is visible from the road so if you are preoccupied with the scenery, you might miss them. And that would be a shame.

Qumran and Masada (approximately 50 kilometers east and 103 kilometers southeast of Jerusalem respectively) are both windows on the turbulent 1st century CE when the Roman Empire was in the process of quashing a major Jewish revolt. During this period, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews “headed for the hills” of Judea. You can enter their world by taking a day trip to Masada and Qumran from Jerusalem.

Masada

Masada has come to symbolize the tenacity of the modern state of Israel. Each year members of the Israel Defence Forces visit the ancient fortress and swear that “Masada shall not fall again”. But in 73 CE, Masada did fall after a prolonged siege. When the end came, 960 Jewish zealots chose death before slavery and committed mass suicide just hours before the Romans stormed the site.

Almost a century before the siege, Herod the Great, fearing a revolt, fortified an isolated rocky plateau as a refuge for himself. At that time, the only means of reaching the summit was “the Snake Path”, named for its serpentine twists and turns. Modern day visitors have a choice of climbing 350 meters/700 steps or taking a cable car to the east side of the perimeter casemate wall of the fortress. Diane and I used the cable car to ride up to the site and then returned to the Visitor Centre later using the Snake Path.

Inside the fortress, Herod constructed two palaces – the Northern and Western Palaces. The Northern Palace was a luxurious and intimate residence; the Western Palace was the administrative and ceremonial center.

Set over three terraces, the Northern Palace is accessed by a set of stairs cut from the rock. The uppermost terrace served as the living quarters. The lowest two terraces were used for entertainment and relaxation. As you descend to the middle terrace, you pass cliff surfaces that still bear fragments of brightly painted frescoes. The lowest terrace features a small bath house and a series of six columns carved from the cliff and plastered over to resemble marble.

Return to the top of the stairs and walk along the western casemate wall to the appropriately named Western Palace – the largest structure on the plateau. Built around a central courtyard, this palace houses the throne room. The floor features the remnants of a mosaic with floral and geometric patterns.

Peering over the casemate wall behind the Western Palace, you find a great earthen ramp rising from the valley floor. The besieging Roman constructed this ramp with slave labour and then rolled a 20-meter high siege tower with a battering ram up to the casemate wall. While the siege tower is long gone, you can still see the outlines of two of the eight Roman camps to the right of the ramp after almost 2000 years.

The Roman conquest of Masada wasn’t the end of the fortress however. Three centuries later, Byzantine monks occupied the abandoned site for almost two hundred years until they were displaced because of the Persian or Muslim conquest of the Holy Land. The ruins of a Byzantine Church, housing a number of colourful mosaics, serve to remind visitors of the last residents of this ancient fortress. With the departure of the monks, the site was left to the sun, the wind and the ravages of time; and it is now yours to discover.

Qumran

In 1947, a young Bedouin shepherd changed history when he threw a stone into a cave. Upon hearing the sound of shattered pottery, he climbed into the cave to investigate. Inside he discovered a number of earthenware jars containing 2000-year old parchment manuscripts. These documents, now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, are some of the oldest Bible writings discovered to date. Eventually additional documents were also found in ten other caves, all of which are located near an isolated plateau holding the ancient village of Qumran.

No scroll fragments have ever been found at the Qumran. However three inkwells and a number of oil lamps were discovered in the same room as a twelve foot long plastered desk top and mud brick benches. Clearly this “scriptorium” housed the some of the equipment required to copy the scrolls. An enigmatic Jewish sect known as the Essenes is credited with writing the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran.

Constructed of rough, brown stones and mud/clay mortar, all buildings at Qumran reflect the ascetic and communal lifestyle of the 200 Essenes living there. Believing that they were living in “the end of days”, their lives were focused on strict adherence to religious laws that included ritual bathing, voluntary poverty and an abstinence from worldly pleasures including marriage. Every day residents bathed before prayer and the noon meal. Dressed in white veiled clothing, each person descended steps and submerged himself into the cold water of a ritual bath (miqva’ot). Scattered around the village, ten ritual baths testify to the Essenes’ preoccupation with purity and ritual bathing. Ritual purity was so important that most of the baths had a division along the plaster-covered steps to prevent contact between those ascending (the purified) and those descending (the impure).

A cistern 9 meters deep and 4 meters in diameter, one of several such storage pools, hints at the volume of water required by this desert community. Seasonal flooding provided the run-off water to fill this cistern via a complicated aqueduct and channel system.

The Romans destroyed Qumran in 68 AD and dispersed the community. But before the end came, the Essenes managed to hide their treasured scriptures inside the eleven nearby caves. Cave 4, on the side of a cliff approximately 100 yards away from the ruins is clearly visible. The priceless documents hidden within were abandoned to the ages along with Qumran site. Now the ancient village is yours to explore.

Private Day Trip of Masada and Dead Sea from Tel Aviv

If You Go:

To visit Masada and Qumran, take the Egged Bus from the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem. The more distant Masada should be your first destination. Stop at Qumran on your return trip to Jerusalem. Check the Egged Website for scheduled bus times.

Admission to Qumran costs 20 Shekels.

The cost of admission to Masada is determined by how you will travel to and from the summit. Using the Snake Path up and down costs 25 Shekels; a one-way a cable car ride costs 49 Shekels and a two-way cable car costs 67 Shekels.

Qumran and Masada are both National Parks. If your travels will bring you to six national parks in total (check the website for the list of national parks), you may wish to purchase a national park pass.

Qumran and Masada are both set in the desert where heat and dehydration are concerns. Learn more about how to prevent dehydration.

You can see copies of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. These are housed inside the Shrine of the Book. Admission to the Israel Museum is 48 Shekels. You can take local bus # 9, 17 or 24 outside the Central Bus Station to the Israel Museum.

About the author:
Troy Herrick, a freelance travel writer, has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. His articles have appeared in Live Life Travel, International Living, Offbeat Travel and Travel Thru History Magazines. He also penned the travel planning e-book entitled ”Turn Your Dream Vacation into Reality: A Game Plan for Seeing the World the Way You Want to See It” – www.thebudgettravelstore.com/page/76972202 based on his own travel experiences over the years. Plan your vacation at his www.thebudgettravelstore.com and www.plan-a-dream-trip.com sites.

Photographs:
Al photographs are by Diane Gagnon. A freelance photographer, she has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. Her photographs have accompanied Troy Herrick’s articles in Live Life Travel, Offbeat Travel and Travel Thru History Magazines.

A Museum for Bedouin Culture

The Joe Alon Center, Kibbutz Lahav, Israel

by Norman A. Rubin

I always wanted to visit the Joe Alon Center – the Museum of Bedouin Culture near Kibbutz Lahav, northeastern Negev Desert (Israel). My wife and I named a date in the middle of the week, avoiding the the Shabbath (Sunday) drivers and off we went. It was a long drive to the center through an area rich in archaeology and scenic beauty with Bedouin encampments along the way.

The Joe Alon Center was founded by the Joe Alon Association with assistance of the Jewish National Fund and various donors to honor the memory of Joe Alon, a pilot of the Israel Air Force.

The term “Bedouin”, is derived from the Arabic word ‘badu’ (sing. ‘Badawi’) for the nomadic people of the desert. The name “Bedouin’ means ‘desert dwellers’. The Bedouin people refer to themselves as ‘Arabs’, a term used for desert nomads in the pre-Islamic era. The traditional way of life of the Bedouin is based mainly on herding animals, mainly goats, sheep and camels, and partly on small-scale farming. Among the Bedouin, hospitality and simple, immediate justice are first rules of conduct. The lands through which the Bedouin roam are the vast deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and the adjacent regions to the north (Israel, Syria and Jordan).

A display of a Bedouin man’s dress shows the traditional dress for the Bedouin man, a long robe (‘thob), dish-dash or jallabiya, a wide sleeveless cloak (abtyeh) and the plain or checked headdress, the (keffiya) with head ropes (agal). Feet are shod in open leather sandals. Today many Bedouin prefer the European style jackets to their traditional robe.

The dress of the Bedouin women is well-adapted to the rigors of the extremes temperatures in the desert, being long and loose fitting and having several layers which provide good insulation against heat and cold. Women’s clothing in various colors denotes the social and martial status, and can indicate the tribe or locality from which she comes from. A Bedouin appreciates her collection of jewelry both for its ornamental valley and as an outward sign of her marital status. (Her jewelry is part of the bride price paid by the groom to her father. The jewelry is entirely her own property.)

At the Center we enjoyed Bedouin hospitality sitting cross-legged under a genuine goat’s hair tent and were served sweet tea in the true traditional manner – with a taste of pita-bread and some Labaneh cheese and olive oil. The tea was prepared by the host over a fragrant wormwood (shih) small fire. Upon the arrival of the visitors tea is brewed in a small kettle and poured into small glass with plenty of sugar. Tea (or coffee) is always poured with the pot in the left hand and the cups in the right hand, according to tradition. The sound of a reed flute is heard invoking in our imagination a Bedouin shepherd passing by with his flock of goats.

The Bedouin tent is ideally suited to the desert environment and to the nomadic way of life. The tent is called ‘baytal-sha’ar’, the house of hair, meaning it is woven from the hair of animals, mainly goat’s hair. When the rare rains pour down in the winter months the weave contracts and don’t let the water in. In the heat of the summer the outside of the tent feels very hot to the touch while the inside remains somehow blissfully cool. One section is the man’s domain where they receive visitors and meet to discuss tribal affairs; the focal point of the men’s section is the fireplace where they keep various utensils for making tea or coffee. The other section is reserved for the women where they prepare food, take care of their children , and where the whole family sleeps.

Outside of the magnificent exhibition of Bedouin culture, there are other interesting things to see. An Observation Deck offers a panoramic view overlooking the northern Negev Desert, the scenic Hebron Hills, the Lahav nature reserve and forest, and the broad view of Jewish and Bedouin settlements in the area. The ‘Herb and Spice garden’ contains different plants which are use in traditional Bedouin medicine. The Bedouin tribesmen are strong believers in the benefits of herbal medicine, as this was their only source and hope of finding a cure and getting better when were ill in the vast desert. They have hundreds of herbal cures and medicaments, one of the most popular being mixtures of camels milk. The herbal cures are used for many conditions including stomach and digestive disorders, circulation problems and bone complaints. In addition they have vast knowledge of the desert plants and their curative powers and how effectively these cures have worked on their people. A special wing of the Centre holds a complex of five life size cave models representing caves of varied geological periods and cultures in the area.

The exhibitions of artifacts and jewelry are a marvel: finely wrought silver and beaded jewelry with some decorated with real coins, men’s personal objects consisting of weapons and smoking items etc. various riding and packing saddles, and cloth decorations for camels, and the tools the Bedouin use for farming and herding their flocks..

If You Go:

Contact information:
Joe Alon Center
Kibbutz Lahav, D.N. Hanegev, 85335, Israel
Telephone (+972)-8-9913322
Fax: (+972)-8-9919889
E-mail – joealon@lhv.org.il
While at the Center, visit the gift shop to purchase souvenirs such as various Bedouin artifacts, exquisite jewelry and wood carvings.

Egyptian Desert Experience: St Catherine’s Monastery, Bedouin Lunch,
and Nawamis Tombs from Sharm el Sheikh

About the author:
Norman A. Rubin is a former correspondent for the Continental News Service (USA), now retired – busy writing articles and stories for Net sites and magazines worldwide. Google the author’s name for a review of his written work.

All photos are by Norman A. Rubin.