Middle East 2022

Tour of the Holy Sites and ancient monuments of Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Palestine and Egypt Read more

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Middle East 2022 Traveler
Clandestine Immigration & Naval Museum
October 26, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Right next to the Maritime museum is the Clandestine museum. It starts with a video of the incredible efforts starting in 1934 after Hitler rose to power, through 1948 when the British left, to smuggle immigrants in to Israel. The Brits intercepted many and threw the concentration camp survivors into concentration camps!
The interesting thing is that the Jewish fighters who ran the smuggling operation became the core of the Israeli navy the day after independence. In fact, they took the rusty old tubs the British impounded and converted them into fighting vessels.
The museum then had a history and exhibition of the navy up until the present. There were actual ships to walk in and around, as well as a submarine I was able to walk through to see how cramped it was for the sailors who served on it.Read more
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Cable car
October 26, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Across the highway is the terminal for the cable car up the mountain. Some nice views of the water and good restaurants looking over the water so stopped for an Italian main meal.
Then a quick ride up being thankful for not having to walk up that hill.Read more
Travelerwhere is the picture of the meal?
10/29/22Reply
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Louis Promenade
October 26, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
A long walk from the cable car via some nice residential areas brings you to a pedestrian walkway with spectacular views of Haifa and the bay.

It is also the top of the Bahai Gardens, the #1 attraction in Haifa. But wouldn't you know ... they are closed for the two days I am here.Read more
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German Colony and Downtown
October 26, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Caught a bus from the top of the mountain to downtown, getting off near the top of Sderot Ben Gurion, which is a street they call The German Colony. Historically it had been settled by a German Protestant sect in 1868. They supported the Nazis in WW2 so the British deported them. The ironic footnote to this is that in 1965 the Israeli government compensated these German Nazis for the property they lost due to a British eviction.
As this community was prosperous, the buildings are quite nice and today the street is lined with very nice shops an restaurants.
Moving down to the Dock area then east you come to a lively area around Paris Square.Read more
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The Knight's Halls Hospitaller Citadel
October 27, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Today was devoted to touring Acre (Akko) across the bay from Haifa.

Rented a car from Budget and got to Acre quickly enough but only found pay lot near the Visitor centre. The Visitor Centre is located in a nice courtyard and the Knight's Halls are right off the courtyard as well.
This Fortress and the nearest buildings functioned as a hospice and a hospital for the many pilgrims who came to the Holy Land during the crusaders period in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Hospitallers were a military monastic order devoted to caring for the sick, so they were fighting monks!
The site is an audio tour through the various rooms both under and at the Church level. Lots of history about the various Crusades, life in the town, life as a monk, etc.Read more
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Old Akko
October 27, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Acre is a medium size town today. It has been used as a harbour all the way back to Phonecian times but was at its peak as the Crusader capital after Jerusalem was lost. Richard the Lionhearted recaptured it and it was the main poet if entry for trade and pilgrim traffic. It was a major city with a population over 50K at a time when London was 10K.

The tourist center of the city is entirely enclosed inside the very impressive intact walls. You can walk around on the walls and the portion on the south where they run right to the water's edge is particularly striking. Walls were here from antiquity but the Crusaders made it into a major Fortress. After their fall Acre was mostly abandoned for a few hundred years until one Ottoman governor decided to rebuild it as you see it today and make it the provincial capital. Acre then gained fame as the place where Napoleon was defeated and he gave up on conquering Asia. Very nice walk although it got hot in the sun.

The old city of Acre today is mainly Arab, and is an interesting maze of alleys and markets (and at least one falafel shop I found. Yum!)

Feel I had a good look around Acre, putting in 16,197 steps.Read more
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Templars Tunnel
October 27, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
The Templars tunnel was built as a passageway from the waterfront to the inside of the Fort by another group of fighting monks. You can walk it from one end to the other.
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Treasures in the Wall Museum
October 27, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
This is a small museum that has bric a brac from the 1950s and before but also a series of recreations of various trades from 100 or more years ago, related to the, essentially pioneer, life of the Jewish settlers and kibbutzim. Thus a blacksmith, goldsmith, wicker maker, hat maker etc. A few tidbits of interest but it was well air conditioned and the ticket was part of the general Acre pass.Read more
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Basilica of the Annunciation
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
The next day, I got off to an early start to take my rental car and do a driving tour of the Galilee region, the heart of Christ's 'ministry'.

The first stop was in Nazareth. The was Jesus's hometown, and is a stop of the pilgrimage route.

It is a historical fact that after the Nativity, the family returned to Nazareth where Jesus grew up and worked as a carpenter. He left Nazareth in his early 30's when he was baptized (in an earlier footprint) and went into the desert for a bit of reflection before returning to the Galilee (but to Capernaum, not his home town) he left to start his ministry in nearby Galilee.

This Catholic Basilica is built over alleged site where Mary and Joseph were living when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she would give birth to the Messiah, an event known as the Annunciation. Early pilgrims decided this was the spot and identified it and soon chapels and churches were built. Under the church is a grotto with what are claimed to be the foundations of Mary's childhood home. An old church was torn down in 1954 and this beautiful new building was put up in the late '60's. Around the sides where chapels might have been, are artworks sent by many countries. While there, Mass was being conducted, so wandering around was inappropriate but I got to pause and listen to the singing of Ave Maria. There is nothing that beats the acoustic perfection of music in a Cathedral!Read more
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Mary's Well
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
A few minute's walk into town is a spring-fed well. This would have been the source of water for the town, as it was small with only 500 residents' Orthodox Christians believe that Gabriel came to Mary while she was out fetching water rather than at home as Catholics say. When it comes to Mary, it seems like there is always more than one version.

Anyway, now it is a nice fountain in a square surrounded by sidewalk cafes.Read more
TravelerCool!
10/30/22Reply
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Nazareth Village
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
This is a living, working replica of a village as it would have been in the 1st century at the time of Christ. It is run by a nonprofit and it is worth going to Nazareth just to visit here. Using the same materials and methods, you get to see how olive trees are grown, pruned and harvested and the olives crushed and the oil pressed. There is carpenter, wool spinning, pottery and the houses in which they lived. The tour guide weaves in how the Parables from the Bible relate to the practices and customs of the times so that the listener or reader would be able to understand the point to the story. Very fascinating and one of the most worthwhile things of the trip.Read more
TravelerIs that round stone a door?!
10/30/22Reply
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Tiberias
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Tiberias is a good sized town tumbling down the hillside to the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It is basically a holiday resort town with a well developed waterfront of promenades, restaurants, ice cream shops and video arcades. All along the shore are beaches. Broke for lunch here at a comfortable patio along the promenade with the improbable name "The Big Ben Pub", but the mixed grill was actually quite good and prices close to normal given it was a tourist spot.Read more
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Capernaum
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Drove just 20 minutes from Tiberias to the next stop in "The Pilgrim's Tour"

After returning from the desert, Jesus set up his base in Capernaum as it was on a main Roman highway from Egypt to Syria, and a border customs office, so he would be reaching lots of travelers with his message. He recruited several Apostles here and it is here that the famous miracles like walking on water and feeding the multitudes were performed.

Simon"s (Peter's) house foundations were discovered here and a church built over it. There are excavations of the village, including the Synagogue. It is also a nice viewpoint of the lake where among the shade trees are benches where visitors can sit for a time.Read more
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Mount of Beatitudes
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Up the hill five minutes is this site which may have been where the Sermon on the Mount was given, if it was actually a sermon rather than a collection put together by the writers of the New Testament. "Blessed are the meek ..." is still a nice sermon.

Planned to drive up to Safed but us a hilly, crowded town and would have been headed home after dark. Since I was a bit tired and had laundry to do, so just drove back to Haifa. Again, the scenery in northern Israel is really nice with green valleys, forests, tall mountains.Read more
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Haifa Summary
October 28, 2022 in Israel ⋅ 🌙 24 °C
Explored Haifa mainly on Wednesday when I did 15,874 steps, with shorter walks in the evenings

I did not explore the outskirts of the city, which sprawls all over all sides of the mountain. It is a spectacular setting with the housing of apartments seemingly glued to the hillside, beaches all along the coast and the harbour. Haifa is a major port with all kinds of ships. It is the home port of the Israeli Navy, has multiple container terminals, grain ship terminal, oil tanker terminal and refineries and finally a large cruise ship port.

My Bat Galim neighborhood is quite peaceful with the beach area and well connected and near to the central area.

Haifa is a good base to explore Acre which is super worth visiting and to access other areas in the north.Read more
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Farewell to Israel
October 29, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
It has been a great trip to see this remarkable country. So much history providing a deeper understanding of some of the foundations of our entire civilization.
It was also so interesting to learn about the modern country and marvel at what has been created with this vibrant and progressive culture in the middle of the desert. You can see how much high tech and entrepreneurship there is everywhere. It is also an eye-opener how precarious their very existence is and this is visible on every street when you see all the young people doing their 3 or 4 years of mandatory service in army uniforms going about life.Read more
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Arrived Cairo
October 29, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Just walked into my room and opened the drapes! OMG. This can't be real.

Left Haifa at 6am to return the rental car back to Ben Gurion airport and catch the only direct flight from Israel to Cairo on Egyptair. I had arranged a pickup through the hotel and had no trouble finding him after first picking up a SIM card at the Orange storeRead more
TravelerWow!!!!! Amazing!!!!
10/30/22Reply
Traveler JEALOUS!!!
10/30/22Reply
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Sphinx
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Woke up to check -- yep the pyramids are still there! Breakfast was served at 7 on the rooftop terrace so I got to the ticket booth at 08:02. In to see the site without crowds.

The Great Sphinx of Giza is from the reign of King Khafre (2575–2465 BCE) and depicts his face. It is 73 metres long and 20 metres high. It features a lion’s body and a human head adorned with a royal headdress. The statue was carved from a single piece of limestone, and the entire Great Sphinx was originally painted. It would have taken about three years for 100 workers, using stone hammers and copper chisels, to finish the statue.Read more
TravelerHard to even imagine the concept let alone the carrying out of the project.!
10/31/22Reply
TravelerIncredible
10/31/22Reply
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Great Pyramid of Khufu
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Brief uphill walk from the Sphinx brought me to the Great Pyramid of Khufu (aka Cheops). One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and at 147 m, the tallest structure in the world for 3,800 years. I have seen pictures and TV shows about this all my life, but when you walk up to the base, the size finally strikes you. What we see today is the rough core -- it was dressed with smooth limestone casing, just a bit of which is still there. It is made of 2.3 Million blocks.

I walked all around it, and on three of the sides, I was often all alone, but on the north side, the tour bus hordes had arrived already.Read more
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Pyramid of Khafre
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
It was only 10 minutes from the corner of Khufu to the next pyramid. This is the middle one and the second tallest at 'only' 136 m. It had the rough limestone core, and was cased in pink granite which was much thicker than the dressed stone on the Great Pyramid. Some of the point still remains, so it is quite easy to recognize.Read more
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Pyramid of Menkaure
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Smallest of the great pyramids at 66 m. Kinda cute, I think it would suit me, if I start building now, how long would it take? Built 2490 BC.

Next to it are the three Queen's Pyramids.
So that completed the complete circuit of the Pyramids of Giza, and I was back down to the road at 10:30, or 2.5 hours, and at a relaxed pace. There is not much in the way of interpretive plaques, so unless you are a keen archaeology buff and brought maps, it is a half day job, and there is no need to hire a camel. That is a good thing, as I would feel guilty encouraging these sellers. They are very abusive to their beasts, whipping them for no reason, and many seem to be skinny and ill-kept.Read more
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Museum of Mit-Rahineh (Memphis)
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
After leaving Giza, and a takeaway lunch on my balcony, I took Uber the hour-long ride (only $6.18 CAD) to the Museum of Memphis.

Memphis was founded in 3150 BC by King Meni as the first capital of the united Upper and Lower Egypt, and thus of the First Dynasty. The main god at the time was Ptah and the Latin name for the temple of Ptah (Hut-Ka-Ptah) was Aegyptus, thus giving us the name Egypt. This is where it all started.

The most famous relic here is the statue of Ramses II, who ruled for 66 years and was a hugely prolific builder.

The outdoor museum has a lot of surviving stone relics. There is a nice sphinx carved out of a single block of alabaster, a triad of gods, and some other works, all nicely laid out in a park.Read more
Traveler$6 for an hour?!
10/31/22Reply
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Saqqara
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
So now it's time to see the old stuff. Got an Uber from Memphis over here. Was let out at the ticket booth, then realized it was a couple of k's up to the actual ruins, an my driver noticed it before I did and drove in to get me. Good to have the ride up, and I walked down to be able to appreciate the views over the palm trees and Cairo.

This was the burial ground for royals going back to the First Dynasty in 3100BC and was used as such for 3,000 years. The full site is vast and you have to drive to see it all.

Tomb of Princess Idut, daughter of King Teti who ruled 2345 to 2323BC had some especially good wall paintings.Read more
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Pyramid of Djoser
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
This is the star attraction within the Saqqara site. Also known as the Step Pyramid, it was the first of the pyramids and is the oldest stone structure in the world and was built 2670 BC. Originally the tomb had just the first level as the entry to a network of underground burial chambers. The other 5 levels were added in stages. The completed structure represents a staircase by which King Djoser could ascend to join the god Ra.

I walked up to the base to appreciate the size again. Even the first level is so tall, I think over 8m. The entire complex consists of the colonnaded entrance with columns in the shape of bundles of papyrus reeds, a huge front courtyard and a variety of tomb structures around it.Read more
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The Egyptian Museum
October 31, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
The Uber took a it longer than expected, (although still only 110 LE) and got to the museum 20 minutes after it opened and the tours were already there. The crowding was worst going through security, then it was in OK. At times some of the exhibits were blocked by a group, but it always cleared.

The museum was established in 1835 and the current building opened in 1901 and is the oldest museum in the Middle East, It exclusively focuses on the predynastic to Roman eras of Egypt, and is there ever a LOT of that!

Two hours only covered the "guidebook highlights".Read more
TravelerImpressive museum! After seeing those shoes I think I don't want to walk like an Egyptian.
11/3/22Reply
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