Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Not far away from the river Jordan and the border crossing to Jordan you can find the city of Bet She’an and the archeological national park. The place was first settled five thousand years BCE. It was once under Egyptian reign and was later conquered by King David, then by the Romans. Under the rule of Byzantium the town became mainly Christian and was by that time bigger than Jerusalem.
The Bible tells about a final fight between the forces of evil and the armies of God: “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army” (Revelation 19:19). “Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16) – and this place is in Christian belief the town of Megiddo.
The old city walls of Jerusalem date back to the 16th century CE. As they were built to defend the city you can also climb up and walk on them – the route around the old city center is well secured but includes many steps up and down; and it is not suitable for children. It is a good chance to look into the backyards and see how everyday life in such a town can exist.
The Israel museum is located in the southwest of Jerusalem, directly opposite of the parliament (Knesset). It houses important archeological remains, Jewish art and contemporary and modern international art. It is a fantastic modern museum which also features a sculpture garden. Within the “Shrine of the Book” the scripture roles of Qumran are stored.
A main reason to visit Israel was my wish to see Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Center in Jerusalem. It originates from my political work, from my continuous wish to learn more about the Shoah and even because of the fact that two women of my home town were honored in the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations and I organized a memorial event for them some years back in time.
Continue reading “A place and a name”
Visiting the old city of Jerusalem feels suprisingly safe. I thought that roaming those narrow, roofed streets wouldn’t be a good idea at late evening or morning, but it proved to be pretty unproblematic. This is due to the friendly people and the Israeli police and soldiers that secure the area. But these state authorities don’t seem to be accepted everywhere.
The most important Christian site within the walls of Jerusalem, Israel. Here Jesus is said to be crucified and buried. In fact it is not one church, it is a collection of churches unified within a stone labyrinth. When you follow the signs throughout the streets of the old city, you get into a compound where you can’t imagine the typical structures of churches.
There are not many places I would classify as a must-see during lifetime – but the old city of Jerusalem is definitly one of those. The place is bordered by the old city walls from the 16th century CE and you can really imagine how it would be to stand in front of it as a crusader. The streets are narrow, in some parts mostly covered and you’ll ask yourself how people can live here.
Continue reading “Vivid life on ancient ground”
The Dead Sea is a lake 400 m below sea level – the lowest point of the world. It is kind of a different climate zone and as everybody has heard of – it has very special water conditions. The lake has a very high salinity (28-33 %) and the bottom seems to consist of pure salt. The water is brought in by river Jordan and there is no outflow; the water simply evaporates here.
Continue reading “Floating”
When you follow the Dead Sea down to the south, half way between Ein Gedi and Sodom (yes, truly) you will find the escape fortress of Herod the Great on a plateau. The fortification has been built between the years 37 and 31 BCE for the event of an revolt and it received big significance for the Israelis by the siege of the Romans in 73/74 CE.