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Middle East Adventure: Week One Jerusalem, Jericho, Sea of Galilee

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Middle-east adventure

Middle East Adventure: Week One

Israel and Palestine Territories

Middle East adventures are looming in the days ahead. The exploretraveler.com team has left the comforts of home behind and anxiously arrive in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is a romantic sea port on the Mediterranean Sea, where the sun and the sea seamlessly meet. Tel Aviv is a modern city made up of several smaller communities. On arrival, we are met by representatives of Noah Tours and are escorted to Jaffa, where we spend a night relaxing at the Market House.

Old ‪‎Jaffa‬ Port

Noah Tours Ltd.
Communication Centre Neve Llan, Harvey Yehuda 90850
Office…..972-2-5666601
http://www.noahtours.com

Noah Tours
Noah Tours

Market House is an outstanding boutique hotel in old town Jaffa. The accommodations are excellent, service is suburb, and the morning buffet is outstanding. We were close to restaurants, and many interesting small shops. Market House is an uniquely modern hotel, complete with Wi Fi in the midst of charming antiquity.

The Market House Hotel
http://www.atlas.co.il/market-house-hotel-tel-aviv-israel/

Market House
Market House

Day 2 is off and running as we meet our tour guide, Elinoar Nitzani. Under her excellent guidance we begin our day in , the city that Herod The Great dedicated to Caesar Augustus more than 2000 years ago. Herod created the grandest city, next to Jerusalem, in all Palestine. It has a deep sea port, and the aqueduct, hippodrome and magnificent amphitheater remain standing today.

Leaving Caesarea we journey to Haifa, Israel’s third largest city. Haifa is one of the most beautiful cities in Israel and is home to the World Center of the Bahai Faith. In Haifa you find a mix of Synagogues, Mosques, Churches and an abundance of natural beauty.

Leaving Haifa, we journey on to Akko, also know as Acre. In Akko you can take a leisurely stroll along the walls of the city, which is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Akko dates back to the time of Pharaoh Thutmose III (1504-1450 BCE). In Akko you will find the charms of unique antiquity and unsurpassed beauty. Can you even dare to imagine the secrets that this ancient city, in the Middle East,  guards to this day? Leaving Akko we complete our day in Tiberias, an amazing city on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Fishing the Galilean Sea

 

The Ron Beach Hotel is our home away from home for the next two nights. We have amazing accommodations with marvelous views of the Sea of Galilee from our balcony. Service is excellent and what a fantastic dinner and breakfast buffet. The foods of the Middle East are out of this world. They are unique to the area, nutritious, and amazing!


The Ron Beach Hotel

http://www.ronbeachhotel.com/

The Sea Of Galilee

Day 3 and 4 begins with another outstanding buffet breakfast. Then, we get an early start on a trip to Jericho. Elinoar Nitzani, our Israelite guide, has set up our experience with a local guide, Mr. Samer Abu Shushei. The transfer goes smoothly and she waits for us just inside Israel. Not much remains of ancient Jericho today.  Little beyond a few piles of rocks that archaeologists now tell us were once parts of towers, staircases and other structures are found in modern Jericho.

baptism

Those that are there  date back at least 7,000 years. That in itself is amazing! The oldest stairs and wall in the world can be seen in Jericho. Here we see layers of 23 ancient civilizations. Many of these Middle East civilizations may be as old as 9,000 years. Nearby is the Spring of Elisha, or Sultan’s Spring, where the prophet sweetened the water. This story is recorded for us in 2 Kings, chapter 2. This is the source of water for the oasis and serves as drinking water for the community today. The water must be some of the best tasting water in the world!

Fountain Of Elisha

There is also a cable car that will take you up to the Mountain of Temptation, where Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world. It is a marvelous morning and Mr. Samer Abu Shushei provides excellent interpretative services. We then finish our day with Elinoar Nitzani visiting Tzfat, Banias, and the Golan Hights. The next morning we visit Nazzarth, Beit Shean, Qasr El Yahud (one of two possible baptismal sites) and finally the Mount of Olives.

United Nations Peacekeepers

It is one of Jerusalem’s highest points and we have fantastic views of the old city. We spend the next 4 nights at the Monteflore Boutique Hotel.  Service and accommodations are excellent. A wonderful buffet breakfast is provided.

George I. Safar
972-(0)-59-715-7958
972-(0)-56-901-6484
https://www.jericho-cablecar.com

http://www.booking.com/hotel/il/montefiore.html

Jerusalem

Day 5 we spend on a walking tour of the old city and make a visit to the Western Wall. When Rome destroyed the Temple in 70 B.E. only the Western wall was left intact. This is one of the Holiest sites in Jerusalem and the Middle East. We visit the Holy Sepulcher and end our day at the Yehuda Market. Yehuda Market is an amazing Middle East market. The next day we tour the New City, visit the Israel Museum, and the Shrine of the Book.

For me, I find the Shrine of the Book to be fantastic and was definitely the highlight of Day 6.  We end our first week in the Middle East with a tour of Bethlehem. Bethlehem (Bet Lechem in Hebrew–House of Bread) is the burial place of Rachel and the birthplace of King David. Samuel anointed David as king of Israel in Bethlehem (see 1 Samuel 16:1-13.) King David’s ancestors, Ruth and Boaz, were married in Bethlehem. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we see that Jesus was also born in Bethlehem. (In Arabic it is called Bet Lahm—-House of Meat.) If only these streets in the Middle East could talk! What stories would they tell? It is a fantastic end to an amazing first week.  It is spiritual! It is historical! It is  an unique Middle East experience!

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The Temple Mount In Jerusalem

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The Temple Mount

The Temple Mount In Jerusalem

The Temple Mount is that walled in area in the Southeastern part of the Ancient City of Jerusalem. It is an area considered Holy by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It was here that Solomon built the Temple of the Most High God. It was described as being on Mount Moriah. It was the place that was provided by his father, King David. We find that described for us in Biblical History:

“Then Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. It was on the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David, his father.”
– 2 Chronicles 3:1

The Temple Mount is surrounded by four walls. The lower part of the walls date all the way back to the time of the Second Temple. The Eastern Wall and part of the Southern Wall form a part of the walls that are surrounding the Ancient City of Jerusalem today. The lower half of these two walls were built under the ground, completely surrounding Mount Moriah. The Temple with it’s walls were built in the First Century BCE. This was the site where both the First and Second Temple were built. The Western Wall continues to be a major place of prayer and worship for Jewish believers. The Temple Mount is the Holiest site in Judaism

This is also the site that is recognized as the place where Abraham offered up his only son, Isaac.  We can find that clearly spelled out for us in Genesis: Chapter 22: 1-18. The Holy Rock inside the Dome of The Rock, is believed by the Jews and Christians to be the very place that this took place. It is a Holy site!  It is the location of the First and Second Temple.

The Dome of the Rock is a major architectural wonder. It is an amazing experience to be on the roof of a nearby building and have close eye contact with the Dome. The architecture of this Shrine is magnificent. The Temple Mount is the third holiest site for Muslims. They believe it is the place where Mohammed took his last journey, the Night Journey to The Throne of God.

The Temple Mount, and the rock which the Dome of the Rock protects is a major pilgrimage site for Christians. They also watch with deep interest as it appears that a Third Temple is to be built. For the Christian believer, this fulfills the prophecies on the end of days.

If you have made the decision to journey to this small country in the Middle East, Jerusalem stands at the center of all else. Many come as pilgrims, some historians or archaeologists, and others come as tourists. However you come, Jerusalem is a major place to visit. The Temple Mount stand tall above all!  For those who love history, it is steeped in history. It is here that we see the beginning of three major faiths. It is almost impossible to walk in the steps of so many great men and women of God and leave the same. It is in Jerusalem that you will see and feel all the stories of the Bible come alive. It is here that Jesus walked with his followers. This is a sacred site, Holy to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. No adventure to Israel is complete without a journey to The Temple Mount!

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Kotel Prayers Flow From The Heart

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Old City Jerusalem Kotel

Kotel Prayers Flow From The Heart

Kotel prayers, flowing from the heart of man,to the heart of the  GOD of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The Kotel is the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. This is what is known as the Temple Mount area. According to Judaism, everyone can and should choose special places to pray. Places that are special for them. It might be the garden! It could be the beach! But when you choose to pray at the Kotel, you are, according to the Tanakh), abiding by God’s choice. According to the TAnakh (Jewish Bible), this is HIS special place. Man did not choose the Temple Mount as a doweling place for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This was an extraordinary place, chosen by GOD, in the time of King David. It is believed that this is a place where GOD dwells.  It is here that man can connect with the living GOD in a unique way. It is a special place. It is HIS special place. It is the place that HE chose. This is the heart of the Old City, and it is here, that the deepest prayers are said. Welcome to GOD’S special place! Welcome to the Kotel.

Since the time of David, the Western Wall has been considered unique. Though only a small section of the wall is still left standing. This  specialness has never left the Kotel, The Kotel is considered an exceptional place. So why do so many come here to pray? You can pray in the garden and that will be your special place. But when you come here to the Kotel, it is as if you know that GOD is here waiting.

Some prayers need to remain at the wall. Those are the ones that are written on paper and slipped into the cracks of the rocks. These prayers of the heart live on, day after day. When Jewish believers come to the Kotel, they come to connect with this living GOD, the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

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