Israel
Israel facts & history
in brief
The State of Israel, a republic
was declared 1948 and occupies more
or less the Promised Land, the
Bible Lands, the Holy Land and many
other names to many people.
Bordered by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan,
the Red Sea, Egypt the Mediterranean
Sea.
Now includes East Jerusalem, part
of the West Bank, the Golan Heights
and the Gaza Strip, since Israel
captured them in the Six-Day War
in 1967.
Israel also captured the Sinai Peninsula
from Egypt, but returned it since
in 1982, and granted Palestinian
self-rule in the Gaza Strip and
parts of the West Bank in 1994,
after a peace agreement between
Israel and Palestinian Liberation
Organisation.
Geographically it can be divided
into the areas of the hills of Galilee,
the Plain of Esdraelon, the Judaean
and Samarian hills, the coastal
plains, and the Negev.
Israel has a population of over
5 million.
The capital is Jerusalem.
The history, tradition and the struggle
of the land and its people is the
Bible for many people.
The "Promised Land" "of milk and
honey", was more recently discovered
to be barren and infertile, that
has many mineral, agricultural and
human resources.
As in the Bible and in the middle
ages during the crusades the 'Land
of Peace' is in a bit of a turmoil.
Hui Chin, Endre and I crossed
over from Jordan by the Allenby
Bridge.
We begin our explorations with Jericho
before we visited Jerusalem, New
Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives,
Bethlehem, Tiberias, Nazareth, Tabigha,
Qumran, Masada, Beit Haarava and
Eilat.
Masada
or Metzuda (Stronghold in Hebrew ),
a mountain top fortress near the Dead Sea,
from around 100 B.C. In 35 B.C.
Herod the Great built a fortified,
luxurious palace here on the summit,
with towers, storehouses, water-storage
system, barracks, arsenals, public baths,
and villas with swimming pools.
The desert location, steep ascent,
strong fortifications and luxurious facilities,
Masada was an amazing feat of design,
engineering and construction.
With its spectacular setting and dramatic
history, Masada is a tourist attraction now.
There is a cablecar access to the top.
Terrific.
You can click on these photos for an enlargement.
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Masada |
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