Those who read my blog regularly would know that I’m not a big fan of touristy places. I am the one who takes the roads less travelled. I’m not a big fan of Dubai, but the places that intrigue me a lot, include Isreal, Jordan, Turkey etc. Here’s a bit more why Israel is in this list.
Pic Courtesy: Eitan f via Wikimedia Commons
As someone who studied in a convent school, I’ve known of Israel since school days. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is very close to Jerusalem and he grew up in Nazareth (infact, he’s called Jesus of Nazereth), lived as a carpenter before he started preaching Christianity. When I was in school I hadn’t seen any photographs of Bethlehem, but as I grew up, I got all the more intrigued when I came to know that the city is holy not only for Christians, but also for Muslims and Jews (infact Jesus himself was a Jew before forming Christianity). Today Old City and Walls of Jerusalem are listed as UNESCO Sites and anyone who reads my blog regularly would know what a big sucker I am for UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Pic Courtesy: Avram Graicer via Wikimedia Commons
When it comes to Christianity and UNESCO, Israel has more to offer. There are 3 Tels in Israel which are also UNESCO sites - Megiddo, Hazor and Be’er Sheva. Mounds are created by human settlement (remember such mounds close to StoneHenge) and after they abandon it, over several centuries they’re called Tel in archaeological terms. Megiddo was a pre-historic Bronze age city and an excavation in recent years revealed 26 layers of ruins, that shows the long period of settlements that it went through. The earliest magnificent construction here was the 5000 year old "Great Temple" of Early Bronze Age (3500–3100 BCE). Tel Hazor belongs to the middle bronze age & Israelite period (1750-900 BCE). Be’er Sheva is the town of Beersheba where according to Bible, Abraham lived. This place has archaeological evidences since 11th C CE.
Another natural ‘magic’ that wow-ed me since schooldays was Dead Sea. Remember the good old science experiments where the density of water is increased by adding salt in it, so that things dropped in it won’t sink but would stay afloat. When my teacher explained that such a thing exists naturally at Dead Sea, where the density of water is so high that even humans can float on it, I was majorly surprised. Dead Sea is in Israel as well.
Pic Courtesy: Oren Rozen via Wikimedia Commons; I, Chai via Wikimedia Commons
Located at such an interesting location, it has quite a variation in geography too. Apart from Dead Sea other interesting natural wonder here include Negev, an arid desert region and the interesting rock formations in the Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin. Just like how India & China have an ancient Silk Route, Israel has an ancient Spice Road and Incense Route (that’s about 2000km long), both of which go across the Negev Desert. This was active in 400 BCE to 200 CE. The desert was the prime location for the transport of frankincense and myrrh to the port of Mediterranean. May be the Biblical 3 wise men were from here or atleast they most definitely crossed the desert! Today the ruins of all the 4 towns, 4 fortresses and several milestones enroute are still intact for us to see. Bet-Guvrin on the other hand is a series of caves, about 800 and called Bell Caves which are mostly interconnected by underground network of passages. The way the sunlight gets in at some places is rather surreal!
Pic Courtesy: Ynhockey via Wikimedia Commons
When it comes to city life, there’s Tel-Aviv. It’s the 2nd largest city in Israel. It’s the party capital with a spectacular night life and the city that doesn’t sleep at all. Its history begins from 15th C BCE, as mentioned in an Egyptian Pharoah’s conquest letters. Today it’s a beautiful amalgamation of Jewism, Christianity and Islam. The must see places here include the Museum of Art, Flea Market, Old City of Jaffa, Old port, Jaffa Port, Rabin Square etc. If you’re a foodie, the Levinsky Spice Market is not to be missed. The White City within Tel Aviv is a UNESCO site as well for its modern town planning and architecture. The international feel and the uber modernist style, that Tel-Aviv gives is undeniable, with Le Corbusier inspired architecture complete with sculpture garden in the middle of the city.
Let’s see what future has in store for me! I hope to visit & feel Israel sometime in future. Plus, the advantage of Israel Visa stamp is that, just with it, visiting Gulf countries is also possible. However, as I always say, a lifetime isn’t enough to see all the places in my wishlist!!! Let’s hope for the best.
P.S: This post has been written in collaboration with Israel Tourism India, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
P.S: This post has been written in collaboration with Israel Tourism India, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.