Gush Khalav

In the eastern Upper Galilee, only seven kilometers north-west of Safed (Tsfat), an Arab village is located on the ruins of a city that once prospered. Gush Halav, known by the Arabs as el-Jish, or simply Jish, is today a mixed village, the majority of whose residents are Christian Maronites living an exemplary life of co-existence with Moslems and Catholic Greeks. However, Arabs haven’t lived here from time immemorial. Its first inhabitants arrived approximately 5,000 years ago, but the place became renowned during the time of the Second Temple (about 2,000 years ago), when there was an ancient Jewish center here. In that period, the area surrounding Gush Halav was famous for its choice olives, olive oil and rare silk. 

The most famous personality from Gush Halav was Yokhanan ben Levi (or, Yokhanan of Gush Khalav), born locally and one of the leaders of the Great Jewish Revolt against the Romans. In a daring move, Yokhanan and his men had opposed the Roman occupation and defended the town, and fled to Jerusalem only when they could no longer withstand the siege. The Jewish presence in Gush Halav continued until the fourteenth century, and the present village was established in the eighteenth century.

The village boasts authentic Lebanese restaurants, and within its expanses are several graves held sacred by Jews (including the graves of the prophet Joel, and of the rabbinical sages Shmaya and Avtalyon). 

In the center of the village, in the beautiful lanes of the Old City, you can walk among the ruins of the Byzantine period, and see “the statues of yearning,” the threshing-floor, and “the vale of tears.” Gush Halav has three churches: The Butrus (Peter) Church, located on the peaks of the settlement, is the largest building in the village. However, it is closed and you can only visit its courtyard. The church stands on the ruins of a magnificent synagogue, the remains of whose heart-shaped columns lie nearby. The small Maronite Church, which was destroyed in a large earthquake in the nineteenth century, opens for worship in the afternoons, though you can also visit it during the day. The Elias Church, which is the largest, most central, and most modern of the three churches, has a convent, a spacious courtyard, and a statue of the Virgin Mary.

A mausoleum, a fourth-century non-Jewish sepulchral monument, has been uncovered on the western slope, containing a chamber tomb with a double sarcophagus, a revolving door weighing 200 tons (yet revolving easily), and small burial cells where the ossuaries were placed.

In addition to the interesting sites, tourists will meet friendly inhabitants, including an aged novice who relates wonderful stories, his son who plays the oud, and a local jam-maker. The village is also famous for its figs and vines, and if you ask for permission, you can enter the residents’ courtyards and refresh yourself with the summer’s sweet fruits. Music lovers will be pleased to hear that the musician, George Sam’an, lives in the village. He plays the fiddle and the oud at his home, and visitors can enjoy authentic music to the accompaniment of colorful stories, drink choice coffee and stay in guest rooms.

The Ein Gush Halav spring flows east of Gush Halav. Next to it are the beautiful remains of a synagogue from the Roman period, with two rows of columns with foyers at the sides, the remains of a roof, and a pillar with an ancient inscription. In the area of the settlement, as well as further away, are additional sites where you can enjoy nature walks and the green lush Galilean scenery.

Metula

Metula is Israel’s northernmost town, a quiet and pleasant place, built of a ridge of hills with a view of Mt. Hermon and the green Galilee landscapes.

This serene town, right next to the Lebanese border, attracts many tourists and vacationers who come to visit historical, nature and activity sites in the region. Metula was founded in 1896 by Baron Edmond de Rothschild as a moshava, a semi-cooperative agricultural community, and most of its founding families were agricultural workers from established comunities in Israel’s coastal region. After Israel’s War of Independence, a few more neighborhoods were added to the moshava, which grew into a rural town. Most of Metula’s early settlers earned their livelihood from agriculture. Along the winding road to this moshava visitors will see peach and plum orchards that are covered in pink and white blossoms in the spring. 

As Israel’s tourism industry developed, Metula’s residents developed tourism and vacation facilities, which are now the town’s main source of revenue. Metula has many hotels and guest houses, some of them in century-old buildings, and charming guest cottages have been built in the courtyards of many of the homes. The moshava’s original stone houses still line the Ha-Rishonim street in downtown Metula, and the Beit ha-Ikar Farmers House Museum depicts the history of he moshava. 

Metula also has a huge sports and cultural complex - Beit Canada - with Israel’s only skating rink, along with swimming pools, gymnasiums and fitness rooms. Mt. Tsfia (Look-out Mountain) rises to a height of 615 meters above sea level to the west of Metula, offering a magnificent view of the surrounding area, and the Nakhal Ayun nature reserve (ha-Tanur reserve) borders Metula to the east.

Tiberias

Tiberias (Tverya) is synonymous with vacations in Israel. Here one can enjoy a variety of activities in a city that offers wonderful opportunities to mix relaxation with nature, history with contemporary attractions, serene quiet with active water sports, and pilgrimage sites with unique tourist attractions. Located on the shores of Lake Kineret, Tiberias is Israel's lowest city at 200 meters below sea level, and it attracts thousands of tourists and travelers. Visitors discover a lively tourist city offering a variety of attractions and activities for every age. The city has 30 hotels including luxury hotels alongside bed and breakfasts and youth hostels. Most hotels are located on the beach and offer vacationers a real treat. Expansive lawns, a water park for the whole family, restaurants and bars, and extreme water sports are just a sampling of guest offerings. 

There is also a variety of hotels in Tiberias's Old City near the lake and marina. The marina offers boat rides on Lake Kineret as well as the enjoyable sunsets. The romantic promenade sprawls along the lakeside near the marina including many cafes and restaurants that specialize in freshwater fish straight from the lake.From the Old City and the promenade, the central boardwalk stretches up to downtown. This is a lively commercial center teeming with varied restaurants, cafes, overflowing pubs, ice cream parlors and souvenir shops. In the summer, the area is particularly crowded and bazaars are accompanied by contemporary music. Near the boardwalk, colorful horse-drawn carriages offer visitors a slightly different tour of the town. 

On the other side of the boardwalk is Tiberias's famed fish market. The fishing industry is highly developed and dozens of fishing boats head onto the lake every morning, returning brimming with fresh fish for sale at the local market. Close to the market is a popular falafel complex that attracts thousands of hungry visitors seeking the hot, fresh, tasty morsels. Falafel stand owners will be happy to offer taste tests in the hopes you choose their wares for your lunch. 

Across from the falafel stands is a large municipal auditorium in which events, celebrations and concerts are open to the public. Tiberias also offers the Dona Gracia Museum, which tells the story of Gracia Nasi who used her considerable wealth to save many Jewish refugees of the Spanish Inquisition and build a Jewish city in Tiberias. The castle is a museum, divided into halls that tell her story and that of the period through rich visuals, scenery and the sounds of the Renaissance, which offer a royal experience.

South of the Old City is Hamat Tiberias National Park, which includes seventeen hot springs whose 60-degree Celsius waters are infused with approximately 100 minerals with unique therapeutic qualities that can be found only here. The site's healing capabilities have been known for 2,000 years and the baths have attracted people since time immemorial. The waters from the springs feed the renowned Tiberias Springs spa. The spa offers several thermo-mineral pools, luxurious body treatments and unique health treatments as well as the quiet atmosphere and the beautiful view of Lake Kineret.

The Kineret has attracted people for thousands of years, offering both a source of water and a livelihood. History has rendered both the Kineret area and Tiberias itself important to both Christians and Jews. Herod Antipas founded the city in 17-22 C.E., naming it after his patron, the Roman Emperor Tiberius. In the second through tenth centuries, Tiberias was the largest Jewish city in the Galilee, the Jewish people's political and religious hub, as well as the center of Jewish spiritual creativity.A few years after its establishment, around 30 C.E., Jesus Christ moved his base of activities to the northern shore of Lake Kineret, where several well-known miracles took place including walking on the waters of the lake. As Christianity took hold, many churches were built in Tiberias and its surroundings. 

Tiberias has been continuously inhabited and various buildings and ruins from various periods are well-preserved. In the Old City, built during the Crusades and the Ottoman Empire, a number of early sites are visible, including Daher El-Amar's 18th century fortress, a Jewish ritual bath, the black basalt remnants of the city wall, and the Church of St. Peter. Today's church was constructed on the ruins of a Crusader church that had one nave and narrow windows similar to portholes representative of the hull of an overturned boat. The modern church centers on artwork symbolizing the four Gospels under an inscription of Jesus's words to Peter "Be shepherd of my flock.” The stained glass windows depict fish and holy figures, while the rear courtyard houses a copy of a statue of Peter brought to Tiberias from Rome in 1833. Many churches were also built outside the walls of the Old City. Concerts are occasionally held in the modest basalt Church of Scotland, founded by Dr. David Watt Torrance – also the founder of Tiberias's first hospital, or in its lush gardens on the shore. Across the way is the Scots Hotel, serving Christian pilgrims visiting the area. At the southern end of the promenade is a Greek Orthodox Church and monastery, including three houses of prayer and a wall of religious icons. 

The nearby Mount Berenice offers not only a spectacular view, but the impressive ruins of Anchor Church – named for the heavy anchor found at the center of the stone altar. No less famous, is the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Here Jesus named his twelve apostles.  North of Tiberias, close to Lake Kineret, is the YMCA facility including a small church with a panoramic view of Lake Kineret. YMCA also offers an enchanting private beach and guest rooms. 
South of Tiberias is Yardenit, the site traditionally recognized by Christianity as the place Jesus was baptized. The site attracts thousands of believers who dip in the waters.

Alongside the Christian holy sites, Tiberias is dotted with the burial sites of Jewish sages, making it one of Israel's holy cities. Pilgrims flock to the tombs of Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Yochanan Ben-Zakai, Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess, and the tomb of the great philosopher and sage Maimonides. Many come to his grave to pray for livelihood, a partner and even fertility. Tiberias is attractive all around the year, with natural beauty, pastoral beaches and a variety of activities in the city and its surroundings.

Peki’in

There are some places where time seems to have stopped still. Such is Peki’in, an intriguing picturesque village in the Upper Galilee where modern development has not changed much of the old homes and alleys.

Peki’in is a story of harmony, a village where Christian Arabs, Druze and one ancient Jewish family have lived peacefully together for centuries. Peki’in was a farming village since the time of the Second Temple 2,000 years ago. Since that time only one Jewish family has stayed in place. Arab settlement in Peki’in started in the 11th century CE with Arab Christians who were joined a century later by Crusaders. In the 18th century Druze families moved into the village and another 10 Jewish families have moved there during the past few years.

The heart of the village is a warren of narrow alleys that lead to the old center of Peki’in, the village spring. In the center there is a synagogue built in 1873 which has in its walls two stones reputedly taken from the walls of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The synagogue is locked but can be visited with prior coordination. 

To the south of the village one can find the Rabbi Simon Bar Yohai cave, where Bar Yohai, according to Jewish legend, hid from the Romans with his son Elazar. A carob tree grows at the entrance to the cave, which also has a spring. Legend has it that Bar Yohai and his son ate the carobs and drank the spring water during the 12 years in which they hid in the cave. A later tradition says that it was here that Bar Yohai wrote the Zohar, the foundation of Kabala, the Jewish mystic discipline.

The village is also home the second largest Greek Orthodox church in Israel, which was built in 1894 on the ruins of an older church and is open in Sundays and Christian holidays. 

Peki’in has accommodation in guesthouses, special restaurants, colorful shops, a factory that makes soap from olive oil and many friendly people. The countryside around the village is also interesting with beautiful nearby nature reserves such as  the Mt. Meron, Nakhal Meron, the Mitlol Tsurim reserves as well as tourist attractions such as the Monfort Lake, the Open Museum at Tefen and the rock park at Kisra-Samia.

The Jordan Valley

The Jordan Valley, extending from the outlet of the Jordan River at the Sea of Galilee to its inlet into the Dead Sea, a little over 100 kilometers to the south as the crow flies, reveals the variety of landscapes and sites for which Israel is famous, highlighted here from north to south. 

The Jordan emerges from an area of stately date groves near the first kibbutz, Degania, flows past the Pilgrim’s Baptismal Site and becomes the peaceful border between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In fact, you can cross into Jordan at the Sheikh Hussein Bridge, just opposite the city of Beit Shean.

But even before you get to Beit Shean, with its fabulous biblical, Roman and Byzantine remains, you can learn about the region’s rich prehistory at the Kibbutz Sha’ar Hagolan Museum, and then drive up to the Crusader fortress of Belvoir to get an overview of the magnificent landscape. At the Kfar Ruppin Birdwatching Center you’ll discover that the Jordan Valley, part of the Syrian-African Rift, is not only a famed ancient highway; it is one of the world’s major bird-migration routes.

From ancient to modern history means just a short drive in this valley: South of Belvoir is Naharayim, where the Yarmuk River flows from the east into the Jordan, the reason the Middle East’s first hydroelectric power plant was founded here in 1932. At nearby Old Gesher you’ll hear the story of that technical wonder of its day, along with the saga of the area’s historic bridges and of Kibbutz Gesher in 1948. The Jordan River Peace Park is an exciting, future cross-border project of this area.

As you continue south, you’ll enjoy the gradually changing landscape, becoming increasingly arid as it eventually dips to around 400 meters below sea level. Thanks to modern irrigation techniques, the region is dotted with orchards, date groves, vineyards, and flower and vegetable greenhouses, and you’ll also see shepherds with their flocks.

Further south, you’ll pass the area where the Israelites crossed the Jordan, and you’ll see their first destination, the rich oasis of Jericho, the oldest city in the world. The road detours the city and passes the entrance to another Jordan crossing, the Allenby Bridge. Next, near the T-junction where you’ll decide whether to continue southeast to the Dead Sea or northwest to Jerusalem, a sign directs you to the inviting Greek Orthodox monastery of Dir Hijleh.

The Coastal Plain

Warm, soft sand, seashells and snails, waves that lap the shore and wide open spaces - these are the features of Israel’s coastal plain, Israel’s western coastline which stretches along the Mediterranean Sea, from Rosh ha-Nikrain the north to the Gaza Strip in the south. 

Most of Israel’s population is concentrated in the coastal plain, in big, bustling cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, rebuilt ancient towns such as Acre (Ako) , Caesarea and Ashkelon and kibbutzim and rural communities, such as Ga’ash, Khavatselet ha-Sharon and Neve Yam. Between the cities and towns are national parks and nature reserves, including ha-Sharon and Apollonia National Parks. 

The coastal plain is divided into six geographical sections from north to south: In the north is the Galilee coastal plain, which starts at Rosh ha-Nikra, on the Lebanese border. This is fertile region that has one city - Nahariya - and many agricultural communities. Off the coast are many small islands and the coastline is dotted with ancient sites such as Tel Akhziv and nature sites such as the Rosh ha-Nikra cliff.

The next region is the Acre coastal plain, which is crowded with urban communities - Acre and Haifa’s northern Krayot suburbs, but also has wide agricultural areas. 

To the south of the Acre region is the Carmel coastal plain, which stretches from Rosh ha-Carmel in the north to Nakhal Taninim in the south. The soil here is rich, and many farming communities have been built around the region's major city, Haifa. This area has beautiful beaches and pre-historical sites such as Tel Shikmona and nature reserves, such as Dor ha-Bonim.

Continuing southward is the Sharon region bordered on the south by the Yarkon River. This is Israel’s busiest and most densely populated area, and also has a few nature reserves (Poleg and Nakhal Alexander) and important archaeological sites, such as Afek.

The next region is the central coastal plain, which stretches to Nakhal Shikma in the south. This region is also densely populated, with many cities such as Bat Yam and Rishon le-Tsiyon and agricultural communities. Among the archeological sites in this area are Tel Ashdod and Tel Ashkelon, and the nature reserves here include the Palmakhim Beach and Rekhes Gvar’am.

The southern coastal plain (the western Negev plain), is the last section of the coastal strip and extends into the northern Sinai Desert. This region is divided into to sub-sections: the Bsor region in the northeast and the Agur-Khalutsa beaches in the south. The Bsor region is a savannah-type area dotted with a relatively large number of communities, with flowers and lush greenery in the spring, while the Agur-Khalutsa beaches are a desert region with no towns or villages. The beaches are considered part of the Negev due to their climate, and attract particularly adventurous hikers.