Israel - this is not only a vacation in first-class resorts, but primarily a pilgrimage to the Holy places of many religions.
The peculiarity of tourist Israel is that a huge number of historical and natural monuments are concentrated here. About the main sights of Israel we will tell in this article.
Tomb of king david
Located on Mount Zion, the tomb, dating from around the 12th century, is regarded as the burial place of the legendary biblical character King David. This is one of the most memorable figures of the Old Testament, representing the ideal of the ruler, from whose family comes the Messiah Jesus Christ himself. He, an ordinary shepherd, by the prophet Samuel himself was destined to become the king of Israel and unite the state of Israel. He was a wonderful poet and musician, a great warrior who defeated the giant Goliath and the wisest of all kings. David turned Jerusalem into a large and prosperous city and declared it the one and main religious center of the Jews. Under this king, Israel stretched from the Sinai Peninsula to the Euphrates River. Died at the age of 72, the king was buried in Jerusalem, also called "the city of David." Disputes about the place of his burial are still going on, but most historians consider this tomb on Mount Zion to be the most likely place.
Fortress Massada
The ancient fortress, located near the city of Arad, is known for the fact that King Herod the Great himself built an outpost-refuge here for himself and his entourage. The fortress is located on the top of one of the rocks in the Judean Desert. On all sides Massada is surrounded by high steep cliffs and only from the side of the sea there is a narrow path, called "serpentine path". However, this does not cause any problems for tourists, since there is a special cable car for them.
The fortress was erected on an area 600 meters long and 300 meters wide. Along the entire perimeter, it was surrounded by fortress walls about one and a half kilometers long and 4 meters thick. About 40 watchtowers were installed along the entire perimeter of the fortress walls. A royal palace, a synagogue, barracks and stables functioned on the territory of the fortress. The treasury of King Herod was also kept here.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, erected in Jerusalem on the territory of the Temple Mount, is the third most important shrine in the Islamic world (after Mecca and Medina). According to legend, it was from here that the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven after his famous journey from Mecca to Jerusalem. The mosque was built in the middle of the 8th century by the caliphs of their Umayyad dynasty and was subsequently rebuilt several times. In 1099, the crusaders who conquered Jerusalem converted the mosque into a church and located here also the ruler's palace and stable. The mosque was rebuilt again after the conquest of the city at the end of the 12th century by Saladdin. Subsequently, Al-Aqsa was repeatedly rebuilt by Ayyubids, Mamluks and Ottomans.
The dimensions of the mosque are also impressive: over 80 meters long and about 60 meters wide. 5 thousand people can perform namaz in it at the same time. The dome of the mosque is covered with gold, the columns are carved from marble, the walls are decorated with beautiful ornate Arabic mosaics.
The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is perhaps the most famous place in Israel. This is the only body of water on earth in which there is absolutely no life. The reason for this is the very high concentration of salt, which has arisen due to the absence of drains, high temperatures and the low air humidity inherent in these regions. Due to the excessive salinity in the waters of the Dead Sea, it is impossible to drown. Water simply pushes objects upward.
Local sea salt and coastal mud also have medicinal properties. There are several medical centers around the sea, and medicines based on local minerals are known all over the world.
The seashore abounds in archaeological finds and this is not surprising. Over the centuries, the local coast has attracted people from different parts of the world and witnessed many historical events.
Wall of Tears
The main shrine of Israel, which is a place of prayer and pilgrimage for millions of Jews from all over the world. Believers leave small notes with wishes among the stones of the wall. It is believed that the wish left in this way will certainly come true.
The Wailing Wall got its name after the repeated destruction of the main Jewish temple in Jerusalem (first by the Assyrians and then by the Romans). The wall itself is what was left of the temple after its destruction. It surrounds the Temple Mount, on which many important events took place from the point of view of representatives of all monotheistic religions. It was here that Abraham wanted to sacrifice his son, and the prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven.