|
Bir-Zeit
The town of Bir Zeit lies some 10 km north of Ramallah. It gained its name from the university of the same name. Birzeit Univ. was established as a school in 1924 by Nabiha Nasir, an educational visionary who started the school when such establishments were almost non-existent in the area. |
|
The Church of the Virgin Mary
At the bottom of the valley, as one descends the Mount of Olives towards Gethsemane, there is a church that dates back to the early 5th century, which is said to contain the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. |
|
Dead Sea
405 meters below seallevel make the Dead Sea the lowest point on earth, which because of its high salt content makes it inhospitable to life - but helpful in treating skin diseases. |
|
Herodion
The site of Herodion, the fortress and burial place of the Edomite King Herod, lies 10 km east of Bethlehem. It can be reached via the road that passes Beit Sahour to Taqu' village. |
|
Hisham's Palace
Qasr Hisham (Hisham's Palace) is just five kilometres north of Jericho. The palace was a country residence, built in AD 743 by Al-Walid Ibn Yazid, although it owes its name to his uncle, the Umayyad caliph Hisham Ibn Abd Al-Malik, who ruled an empire stretching from India to the Pyrenees. |
|
The Holy Sepulchre
The Holy Sepulchre, called “Al-Qiyame” in Arabic (meaning the Resurrection), is no doubt the most important shrine in the Christian world. It is believed that on its grounds Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. |
|
Ibrahimi Mosque (al-Haram al-Ibrahimi)
Constructed by King Herod towards the end of the first century BC, added to by the Crusaders and the Mamluks, it is one of the most imposing of ancient Palestinian monuments. |
|
Khirbet Qumran
Twenty kilometers south of Jericho lies one of the world's oldest monasteries, the Monastery of the Essenes. This is the place were the world famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a Bedouin shepherd who happened upon several scrolls in clay jars hidden in a cave on a rocky cliff high above the Dead Sea. |
|
Maqam al-Nabi Musa
Nabi Musa in Arabic means "the prophet Moses" who is recognized as one of the great prophets of Islam. Believed to be the spot where the prophet Moses is buried, Maqam al-Nabi Musa has been the site of an annual pilgrimage festival since the time of Salah Eddin. |
|
Mar Saba's Monastery
Half way between Bethlehem and Jericho, through the deep valley of Kidron, you will find an old monastery on the southern end of the deep valley, looking like a medieval fortress hugging the mountain. This monastery was built by St. Saba in 483 AD. |
|
Nabi Musa Season
The maqam of Nabi Musa is considered a holy place because it houses the grave of Prophet Moses according to local tradition. Moslems recognize Moses as one of the great prophets. |
|
Solomon's Pools
The pools are three huge rectangular cisterns cut in the rock and masoned locally known as Solomon's pools. They are situated about 3 kms south of Bethlehem. The pools hold about 1160,000 cubic meteers of water. |
|
Tawaheen el Sukkar
Halfway between Tel al Sultan and the Mount of Temptation are the sugar mills known as Tawaheen el Sukkar. Sugar cane production and processing was known in Palestine since the Umayyad period. The Crusaders expanded sugar production for export to Europe. |