Category Archives: Archaeology

Christian 4-day itinerary

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This is a sample multi-day itinerary that I created for a woman who was traveling with her 16 year old son. They have a family tradition that for the child’s 16th birthday s/he can choose a destination that s/he would like to visit. This son choice Israel. I met them at Masada on their way from Eilat to Jerusalem.

“Thank you for helping to make our trip to Israel so memorable!
Without your vast grasp of the beautiful land of Israel and Jerusalem we would have been lost…
Thanks for your great service. Take care and good luck with your guiding.”
Day 1
  • Masada
  • Dead Sea: PEF marker, sink holes
  • Qasr el Yahud baptismal site
  • Saint George’s monastry, Wadi Qelt

Day 2

  • City of David: Hezekiah’s tunnel, Siloam Pool, Herodian street
  • Walking tour of Old City
    • Arab shuq
    • Roman Cardo, Madaba map
    • Mount Zion: Dormition Abbey; King David’s Tomb; Last Supper

 

Day 3

  • Peace Forest at Ramat Rahel and archaeological excavations
  • Israel Museum: 2nd Temple model; Shrine of Book
  • Mahane Yehuda
  • Back to Old City
    • Bethesda Pools; Church of Santa Anna
    • Tomb of Virgin Mary in Kidron valley
    • Garden of Gethsemane; Church of the Agony
    • Via Dolorosa
    • Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Day 4

  • Emmaus
  • Trappist monastery at Latrun
  • Walking tour of Jaffa
  • To airport

Negev touring and Dead Sea

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Here’s a 2-day itinerary to explore and understand the desert.

Day 1 – Arad to Avdat: geology, water and Nabateans
  • Ein Yorqeam
  • Makhtesh HaGadol: colored sand, petrified trees
  • Ben Gurion’s tomb
  • Lake Yeruham, we saw 1000s of storks
  • Avdat, Nabatean/Byzantine city
  • overnight at Carmei Avdat (on cheese/wine route) on site of Nabatean farm, rock drawings, wine tasting
Day 2 – Negev to Dead Sea to Jerusalem
  • Makhtesh Ramon: HaMinsara – black prismatic rocks, Ein Saharonim – Nabatean caravanseri on the Spice route,
  • Synagogue at Ein Gedi from Roman/Byzantine period
  • St George’s monastery, perched on the cliff at Wadi Qelt

Gamla, in the Golan

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On a recent guiding trip we visited Gamla (from the Hebrew for camel/gamal), city in the Golan where there was fierce fighting between the Jews and Romans under Vespasian during the Great Revolt in 66CE, during which the city was destroyed and 9,000 people lost their lives. Today Griffin vultures make their home in the canyon and soar overhead. The flowers in the foreground are cyclamen (Hebrew rakefet).
 

I guided for an extended family of 8 (both sets of grandparents, parents and children, 11 and 13) for 5 days.
“A million thanks for being a great guide. Your high energy but mellow demeanor was perfect for our group and your deep historical knowledge kept it all interesting and in context for us.”
Here’s a copy of our itinerary:
Tuesday – Galil
  • aquaduct at Caesarea
  • Tsippori, Jewish village, mosaics, did not participate in Roman Revolt
  • Hamat Tiberia, hot springs and mosaic floor of 4th C synagogue

Wednesday – Golan

  • Gamla, Jewish town that fought and was destroyed by Vespasian
  • wind turbines providing alternative energy to Golan
  • Mount Bental, Israeli bunkers, 1973
  • lunch at Witch and Milkman mountaintop restaurant at Nimrod
  • Birkat Ram, crater lake, extinct volcano
Thursday – Rift valley to Jerusalem
  • Island of Peace, Rutenberg hydroelectric plant (1927-1948 )
  • Old Gesher
  • Belvoir Crusader castle “nest of eagles and dwelling place of the moon”
  • Judean desert, Wadi Qelt
  • Western Wall tunnel
Friday – Old City
  • American Colony (hotel where they were staying)
  • Hurva synagogue
  • Cardo and Madaba map
  • Herodion Quarter
Sunday – Around Jerusalem
  • Jerusalem envelope – the separation wall
  • water system, Armon HaNatziv
  • Peace Forest, Ramat Rahel
  • Herodium
  • Yad Vashem
  • Mahane Yehuda