Everyone has their own concept of beauty. Someone loves snow-capped mountain peaks, and someone likes waterfalls; someone loves the sea, and someone likes the desert; someone loves a forest, and someone likes a steppe; someone loves antiquity, and someone likes modern cities made of glass and concrete. Lots of options. So, as they say in Israel, we have everything, only in small sizes. In this country, stretching for just over 600 kilometers, there are 7 climatic zones with diverse nature. Let’s try to see what is so interesting that can be found in Israel. Let’s go from south to north.
UNDERWATER OBSERVATORY IN EILAT
If you look at the map, you will see that Eilat is the southernmost city in Israel. If you go left along the coast, you will run into Jordan. And in twenty minutes you will ride a bicycle, and you are in Egypt. To be honest, this region is very, very hot! But the climate is dry. Therefore, breathe normally. The Red Sea, which Israel shares with Jordan and Egypt, is very beautiful, transparent, and inhabited by a great variety of fish. Apparently, therefore, back in 1975, it was here that the world’s first underwater observatory was opened. Now there are many aquariums all over the world, the Israeli one is already small compared to them, but it is here that you can go down to a depth of 7 meters and observe the life of marine life and corals in real time. The time spent there is not limited, you can even watch all day. Beauty is unreal!
Inside there are also separate pools for stingrays, sea turtles and sharks. At certain times, you can see how servants in underwater equipment feed the most terrible marine predators. Moreover, scuba divers, with the help of equipment, can talk with you in real time, answer questions. On the territory of the observatory you can take a walk in the park, go to a restaurant or cafe, buy souvenirs. And at the very top of the observatory tower there is an observation deck from where you can see 4 countries: Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.
DEAD SEA
This is one of the most amazing places on earth. It is located 400 meters below the level of the world ocean, and it itself is more than 300 meters deep. Israel also shares this coast with Jordan. In fact, this is a large drainless lake, where the amount of salt is such that no organisms survive there. Only the Jordan River flows into it.
The healing properties of water and mud from the Dead Sea have been known since biblical times. Both King David and Herod visited here, and the Egyptians used the Dead Sea minerals for embalming compositions. Now cosmetics with ingredients from the Dead Sea can be found all over the world. And tourists continue to smear themselves with healing mud right on the beaches and wash it off with healing water right into the sea.
The heat at the Dead Sea is simply terrible, there is a hot desert around, and this is not a “sandbox”, but hot mountains. But that doesn’t stop anyone. Tourists come from all over the world to look at this rare beauty, and people with skin, respiratory and other diseases go for treatment and get amazing results.
JORDAN RIVER
ordan is a river in the Middle East. Its beginning is at Mount Hermon, where the borders of Israel, Syria, Lebanon are connected. Although we are traveling from South to North, this river flows from North to South. But it flows into the Dead Sea (just where we were just now) and ends its existence in it. The length of the Jordan is 252 kilometers, the river is not navigable all the way. Jordan is formed from three small rivers flowing from Mount Hermon: El-Hasbani, Baniasi and Liddani, and five Middle Eastern countries use the resources of Jordan: Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Of course, they say that in ancient times the river was wider, cleaner, and more beautiful. Tropical forests grew around, and hippos were found along the banks. Now there are no tropical forests and hippos, but there is still something to see. On the way to the south, the river passes through Lake Kinneret (Lake of Tiberias), the same place where, according to legend, Jesus walked on water. (We will talk about the lake separately). Before flowing into Lake Kinneret, the Jordan flows along the bottom of the basalt gorge, this section of the river is called the “mountain Jordan”. There are several rapids in the gorge, which, of course, are used by water tourists for rafting. When, after the Kinneret, the river flows through the Jordan Valley, the channel becomes very tortuous, and the banks rise, become high, and in some places sheer. The width of the river here reaches forty meters. In winter, collapses even occur, as the water level rises greatly due to rains, and the river washes away the banks. In this section, several rivers flow into Jordan, the largest of which are Yarmuk and Seil ez-Zarqa, or Yabbok (left tributaries), and Harod (right tributary).
Naturally, in the holy land, the river has its own Old Testament and New Testament stories. According to the Old Testament legend, Joshua led the Jewish people across the Jordan on dry land, the waters of which parted, and after that the 40-year journey of the Jews through the desert ended. In New Testament history, Jordan is the place where John the Baptist preached and Jesus Christ was baptized. Ever since Byzantine times, there was an opinion that the waters of the Jordan are sacred and heal from many diseases. But at present, to our greatest regret, the water in Jordan is not so pure that it can be treated and drunk. It’s safer just to look and think: “What a beautiful antiquity!”
NEGEV DESERT
This desert begins in the south of Israel, directly from Eilat, and stretches northward about 250 kilometers long and 125 kilometers wide. Its area is 12,500 square kilometers. When you drive from Eilat north through this desert, it seems that you are moving on the surface of Mars, as we see it in the movies. Feelings are mixed – from fear to delight. Mountains, craters, dips, there is practically no vegetation, except for an oasis in the Beersheba depression. This desert occupies approximately 60% of the territory of Israel.
People appeared in this desert back in the Paleolithic times, during excavations they found stone tools. And in the fourth millennium BC, tribes processing copper already lived here! But after the Arab conquest, the Negev fell into decay. And in the 19th – 20th centuries, the revival of the region began. Now this desert is home to about 700 thousand people in more than 160 small settlements. Wherever people live! Some mountains of this desert reach a height of over 1000 meters. All peaks are cut, broken, there are narrow gorges, craters, single rocks, caves all around. It is in this desert that the salt valley of Sodom is located.
Remember Sodom and Gomorrah? It seems that this is where it all happened. Despite all this dryness, animals, birds and, of course, reptiles live in the desert. It is better not to meet the latter, but if you manage to see the Sinai mountain goat or some other mammals, it will be interesting. The most amazing thing is that the Israelis have not come to terms with such a desert and are trying to plant trees and shrubs in it! In the north of the Negev, one of the largest forest areas in Israel has been planted. Its area covers more than 3000 hectares. For this purpose, the All-Israel water pipeline was installed in the desert, which is pulled from the lake.
On the rocks in the Negev (by the way, the name of the desert is translated as dry land) found petroglyphs dating back to 4200 BC. There are riders in the pictures. This means that already then the people who lived in these places had domesticated horses.
Excursions are taken to the Negev desert. And if you order a car with a driver and a guide, then you can see everything not in a group of tourists, but individually. You can visit the Ein Avdat canyon, which has been turned into a national park with a huge amount of greenery, waterfalls, and desert animals. You will see the ancient fortress on the top of the mountain, the great “spicy path”, the Ramon crater, and, if you’re lucky, the climbers who hone their skills there.
THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
ПDriving further north, we will get to Jerusalem. And we will see its main natural attraction – the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane – literally translated – “oil press”. The Garden of Gethsemane is located at the foot of the western slope of the Mount of Olives in the Kidron Valley. Once, about 2000 years ago, this garden occupied the entire valley. According to legend, Jesus often came here with the twelve apostles, it was here that Christ prayed the night before his arrest. Now the garden occupies a small area: only 47 by 50 meters. But in this garden there are eight ancient olive trees that still bear fruit, and the age of the trees, established using radiocarbon dating, is considered to be from 1092. The trunks of these olives have several girths. Tourists come to see these trees as one of the wonders of the world.
KINERET
This legendary lake has several names. Apparently, the Kinneret is the most ancient, since the time of the Semitic tribes that were part of the Canaanite kingdoms. On the shore of the lake then there was a city with that name. Christians call this lake the Sea of Galilee, since many legends about Jesus Christ are associated with it, and he was born in Galilee. The Greeks called it Gennesaret Lake, renaming Kinneret to Gennesaret. Hence the name of the lake changed. The Romans also contributed. In the 1st century AD, they founded a city on the western shore of the lake, which they named Tiberias, in honor of the emperor Tiberius, (now it is the city of Tiberias) and renamed the lake Tiberias. Surprisingly, in Europe the lake is known by all names. The Arabs, by the way, also came up with their own name for the lake: Bahr-Tabariya.
What is this lake with so many names? Researchers believe that the lake is several tens of millions of years old. Now it is the largest freshwater reservoir in Israel, and once this lake was salty. But over many millennia, the Jordan carried away the salty waters to the Dead Sea, and the lake is replenished with freshwater rivers. The length of the Kinneret exceeds 20 kilometers, and the width is 11. Geographically, the lake is located in such a way that there are instant weather changes: it is clear, but suddenly a wind blows from the Golan Heights, a strong wave rises. The amazing natural factors of the lake do not end there. Around the lake there are several outlets of thermal springs, which, it turns out, were known to the ancient Egyptians. There is even an outlet for thermal waters in the city of Tiberias itself. No wonder the Romans founded the city in this place. During excavations, the skeletons of Roman baths, which were called Thermae, were discovered.
We highly recommend a trip to Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee. Just remember that even from the center of Israel the path is not close. It is best to travel in a comfortable car with a driver. There is parking near the lake, though paid, but inexpensive. There are equipped places with tables and benches where you can sit and have a snack. A lot of people come for the night with tents and barbecues. Toilets with showers are equipped for tourists. From a historical point of view, the Kinneret is also interesting, because. It was here that Jesus and Andrew met Peter, who left everything and became the apostles of Christ. It was on this water that Jesus walked “like dry land.” Well, if you drive a little further to the Golan Heights, you can see several more amazing lakes, mysterious waterfalls, to which you have to make your way along mountain paths through lush greenery. And it’s all in Israel!
BAHAI GARDENS
Here we are in the capital of northern Israel, in Haifa. Here we are waiting for the magnificent Bahai gardens. The gardens are located on Mount Carmel and cover 200,000 square meters, rising a kilometer up the mountain. They are located in terraces, rising between the terraces along the steps that lead from the bottom of the mountain to the top. These gardens are not a botanical fad, but a symbol of the Bahá’í Faith. There is such a religion. At the very top, on the last, nineteenth, terrace stands the Bahai Temple. The number 19 is symbolic for the Baha’i religion. These gardens began to be erected in 1987. The architect is Fariborz Sahba from Iran, the design engineers are Karban and Co from Haifa. Together with the Baha’i World Center Buildings in the Western Galilee, they are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The gardens opened to the public in 2001.
The constant flowering of all living things in these gardens is ensured by an irrigation system where a computer controls every drop of water in the truest sense of the word. True, you yourself will not be able to walk around the gardens. Only the two lower terraces are accessible. To see the whole complex, be sure to sign up for a tour or order an individual one. This must be done in advance. Day to day will not work.
MOUNT HERMON
And here we are at the northernmost point of Israel. On a mountain snow-covered peak, where a ski resort operates in winter!!! True, not very large and the only one in Israel. But he is! Here is the real alpine zone. Even if you climb a mountain not in winter, the cold snap is still higher, the more sensitive. In general, the mountain is very picturesque.
But it also has strategic importance. At an altitude of 2224 meters there is a military base, which is called the “eyes of Israel”. And the highest point of the mountain is 2814 meters. The mountain is located on the border of three states: Israel, Syria and Lebanon. The southern slope – Israeli territory – is 70 square kilometers of the mountain range. The highest point of the mountain in Israeli territory is 2236 meters. For the defense of Hermon, the only climbing unit in Israel was created.
The mountain also has religious significance. Hermon is mentioned in the Old Testament: “And we took at that time from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites this land, which is on this side of the Jordan, from the stream of Arnon to Mount Hermon, the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call him Senir” (Deut. 3 :8-9). And the author of popular commentaries on the New Testament, William Barclay, believes that it was on Hermon that the transfiguration of Jesus took place. So we drove from the very south of Israel to the extreme northern point. We hope you enjoyed your stay with us!
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