Israel
In 2010 Shirley and I took a trip to the Middle East with a tour group consisting primarily of members of two Houston Presbyterian churches. We were led by a seminary professor with a deep knowledge of the region and its many historical religious sites. We visited Israel, the Palestinian West Bank and the kingdom of Jordan. The photographs in this gallery and the next two, Palestinians and Jordan, were taken on that trip. Most of our trip was spent traveling to and visiting places where events described in the Bible were said to have occurred. Some of the photographs in these three galleries have been included to document these sites rather than for their artistic value.
Southern Israel—the Dead Sea.
Masada, an ancient Israelite fortress built atop a 1300 foot high mesa overlooking the Dead Sea. Following the destruction of Jerusalem by a Roman army in 70 C.E., a small group of Jewish rebels and their families occupied Masada and prepared to fight to the bitter end. The Roman army methodically conducted a number of mopping up operations against other Jewish pockets of resistance in the area, then came to Masada and laid siege. The attack of Masada took much preparation. The siege occurred during 73 and 74 C.E.
Remains of a Roman army camp, one of several around Masada, viewed from the top of Masada.
The Romans spent many months building this siege ramp all the way from the desert floor to the top of Masada. When the Romans finally made their attack, they found that the defenders had all committed suicide. Graduation ceremonies of the Israeli military academies are held here, with the young men and women vowing “Never again”.
Grim determination is not the only mood around the Dead Sea.
The temperature at this beach was over 100 degrees Farenheit.
The shade of beach umbrellas helped a bit.
But the main attraction is the experience of floating unsinkably in the Dead Sea water with its high salt concentration.
Archeology sites abound in Israel. This is Qumran. The Dead Sea scrolls were found in nearby caves.
One of the Qumran caves.
Lake Tiberias, known in the Bible as the Sea of Galilee.
Much of Jesus’ ministry occurred in Galilee, so it is a very popular area for Christian tourism.
The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, on the shore of the lake. This is purportedly the place where, after his resurrection, Christ cooked a meal of fish for the apostles and told Peter to “feed my sheep”.
The view from the lake of the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter.
The Church of the Beatitudes on the Mount of the Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
This is said to be the spot where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, overlooking Sea of Galilee and Capernaum below on the near shore.
Remains in Capernaum of a Fourth century synagogue, believed to have been built on the site of an earlier synagogue where Jesus worshipped.
This structure in Capernaum is built over what is claimed to be the remains of the home of Peter’s mother, visited by Jesus as reported in the gospels.
A room in that home.
The very colorful Greek Orthodox church in Capernaum.
The view of the beautiful lake from the Greek Orthodox church.
Remains of Caesarea Philippi, a seaport on the Mediterranean built by Herod the Great.
Haifa, a prosperous industrial city in northern Israel on the Mediterranean coast.
Herod’s Tomb, a man-made mountain outside of Jerusalem. The mountain is honeycombed with tunnels and defensive works.
A view back toward Jerusalem from the top of Herod’s Tomb.
We visited many archeological sites. This is Tel Megiddo.
Some of the archeology sites are Roman rather than Jewish. This exquisite mosaic is on a floor in a villa in Sepphoris, not far from Nazareth.
Jerusalem, the Holy City for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
The Dome of the Rock, said to be both the site where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and the site where Muhammed was taken up into heaven. This photograph was taken from the Mount of Olives.
A closer look at the Dome of the Rock, on Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Modern Jerusalem.
The Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, outside of Jerusalem.
The entrance to the Western Wall on the Temple Mount, the most holy site in Judaism.
Separate parts of the wall are reserved for men…
and women.
Here is the part of the wall for men.
Prayerful meditation.
At a distance from the wall men and women are free to mix.
Western Wall overview.
Teenage Israeli girls with Uzis guard the Western Wall. Scout troops can be lethal.
For Christians the most holy sites in Jerusalem are located on the Via Dolorosa, the “Way of Grief”, believed to be the route Jesus traveled from his condemnation to his crucifixion. The fourteen Stations of the Cross are marked along the way.
The Church of the Flagellation—start of the Via Dolorosa.
The Via Dolorosa is narrow and crowded with tourists and local merchants. Our Houston group were tourists, certainly, but pilgrims, also, as we tried to relive that Friday so long ago.
The Via Dolorosa initially is a long street paved with stones between closely spaced buildings.
A sculpture marks Station III, Jesus’ first fall on his tortured struggle to Golgotha.
The street eventually becomes a highly commercialized area filled with all manner of shops, cafes and coffee bars.
A middle eastern bazaar on a crowded day.
Jerusalem has many antiquities dealers.
A significant length of the street continues indoors.
The crowds, the noise, the food smells, the jostling, the incredible colors and variety of wares for sale quickly become a little overwhelming. This is a street???
Candy, anyone?
Unfamiliar organizations.
Many unexplained sights. Sensory overload on this walk.
We finally emerge from the cacophony of sounds, smells and sights and come to the end of the Via Dolorosa—the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, said to contain the last five Stations of the Cross.
The famous ladder on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Different parts of the church are run by six different, often warring Christian denominations. No one knows who put the ladder there in the early 1700s, but everyone is afraid to move it for fear of causing an outbreak of hostilities among the Christians.
Deep inside the church, this is said to be a view of a part of Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion.
Beneath the large dome of the church is a structure that covers what is purported to be the tomb of Jesus.
However, in another part of Jerusalem is the “Garden Tomb”, a rival site discovered in the 19th century that some consider to be the tomb of Jesus.
The Cenacle, said to contain the upper room, the room of the last supper.
Street scene in old Jerusalem. There seems to be no end to the markets and available souvenirs.
Colorful temptations for tourists.
Beautiful metal work.
A lovely Jerusalem sunset.
This gallery ends with a few black and white photographs. This is an acacia tree, one of the few types that grow in the Israeli desert.
Hillside in old Jerusalem, near the Mount of Olives.
Scene in old Jerusalem near the Temple Mount.
One more bazaar scene.
Unloading merchandise on the Via Dolorosa.
Christian tourism is a large industry in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem scene.
Religion and razor wire. On this trip we learned so much about the history and tensions—ancient and modern—in the Middle East. This photograph epitomizes the entire trip for me.