Saturday, May 1, 2021

THE ISRAEL I SAW

 Here is the complete list of sites that I have visited in Israel, excluding Jerusalem which is discussed separately in the previous post. Apart from the popular sites in Israel that almost every tourist makes a point to visit, I had the privilege to explore around 32 National Parks and 17 National Reserves, which was a great opportunity to know the land of Israel. The National Parks were visited mostly on my own depending mainly the public transport system, whereas I owe immense debt of gratitude to the one-day hiking trips (usually 8 to 10 km) organised by Midreshet Hiking Club of Sede Boker for the National Reserves. I made it certain that all the sites mentioned in the official brochure of the National Parks are covered. However, in this list, I have enumerated the highlights of only those sites whose attractions are spread in a large area, eg. Timnah Park, Beit Guvrin National Park etc. Regarding the other sites, where the attractions are confined to a relatively smaller geographical area, the highlights are not separately given in the list, nevertheless, they are elaborately discussed in the blog, eg. Caesarea National Park, Masada National Park etc.

1.  Acco or Acre

a.      Bahai Garden

b.     Burj el-Khasla

c.      City Walls

d.     Crusader Fortress (The Citadel)-Knights Hall

e.      Great Mosque of Ahmed el Jazzar

f.      Khan al-Umdan (Hostel of Pillars)

g.     Lighthouse

h.     Marina

i.       Old City

j.       Pisan Port

k.     Sea Gate

l.       Sea Wall Promenade

m.   St. John Catholic Church

n.     Tell Akko (view)

o.     Templars Tunnel

2.     Antipatris National Park or Tel Aphek

a.      Hayarkon

b.     Migdal Aphek

    3.     Apollonia-Arsuf National Park

a.      Herzliya City

b.     Old Port of Tel Aviv (views)

c.      Tel Arsuf

4.     Arava Valley

a.      Shaharut Settlement

5.     Arbel National Reserve

a.      Arbel Caves, Arbel Fortress, Nithai Hills

b.     Views from Arbel: Church of Beatitudes, Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and the Fishes, Church of the Primacy of Peter, Cove of the Sower, Domus Galillaeae, Ginnosar Valley, Hamam Village, Horns of Hattim, Kfar Zeitim, Khirbet Wadi Hamam, Moshav Amnun, Moshav Arbel, Magdala, Migdal, Mount of Beatitudes, Tomb of Nabi Shueib (Jethro)

c.      Views on the way to Galilee: Mount Tabor, Nazareth, Ra'anana, Ramat Gan, Tel Megiddo

d.     Arbel Synagogue

6.     Ashdod

a.      Asdod Beaches

b.     Asdod-Yam Fortress (Khirbet Asdod-Yam)

7.     Ashqelon National Park

8.     Avdat National Park

9.     Banias Waterfall

10.  Beer Sheva

a.      Beer Sheva City

b.     Ben-Gurion University

c.      Abraham’s Well

11.  Bethlehem

a.      Basilica of the Nativity

                                                  i.     Grotto of the Nativity

                                                ii.     Manger Square

                                              iii.     Tomb of St. Jerome

                                              iv.     Tomb of St. Paula and her daughter Eustochium

                                                v.     Tomb of Eusebius of Cremona

b.     Chapel of the Milk Grotto

c.      Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria

                                                  i.     Chapel of St. Joseph & Holy Innocents

d.     Coptic and Ethiopian Churches (views)

e.      Har Homa Jewish Settlement (view)

f.      Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Mary

12.  Bethany

a.      Al-Azariyah or Al-Eizariyah (Arab Town)

b.     Church of St. Lazarus (Catholic)

c.      Church of St. Lazarus (Greek Orthodox)

d.     House of Simon the Lepper or House of Lazarus

e.      Mosque of al-Uzair

f.      Tomb of St. Lazarus

13.  Beth Alpha National Park

14.  Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park

a.      Amphitheatre

b.     Bell Caves

c.      Columbarium Cave

d.     Polish Cave

e.      Sidonian Burial Caves

f.      Church of St. Anne

15.  Beit Jimal Monastery (Kfar Gamla Monastery)

a.      St. Stephen's Church

16.  Beit Netofa Valley

17.  Beit Sahour

a.      Church of Shepherds Field & Archaeological remains (Catholic)

b.     Church of Shepherds Field & Monastery (Greek Orthodox)

c.      Migdal Eder (Tower of the Flock) & Fields of Jacob (Greek Orthodox)

d.     Relics of Byzantine Monks of massacred by Persians in 614 (Greek Orthodox)

e.      Tombs of the Shepherds (Greek Orthodox)

18.  Beit Shearim National Park

19.  Ben-Gurion's Tomb National Park, Sede Boker

20.  Bethsaida Lookout

21.  Beth Shean National Park & Tel Beth Shean

22.  Brurim-Hazera Genetics

23.  Caesarea National Park

a.      Caesarea Beach

b.     Or Akiva (view)

c.      Hadera City

d.     Roman Aqueduct of Caesarea

24.  Capernaum

a.      Church of Seven Apostles or Monastery of the Holy Apostles (Greek Orthodox)

b.     House of St. Peter

c.      Remains of 4th Cent. Synagogue

25.  Chagall Windows-Hadassah Synagogue, Ein Kerem

26.  Castel National Park

a.      Kiryat Yearim Maoz Zion, Mevaseret Zion, Modern Jerusalem Motza Illit, Nebi Samuel (views)

27.  Daliyat el-Carmel (Druze Village)

28.  Dead Sea

29.  Dimona

30.  Edom Mountains (view)

31.  Eilat City

a.      Black Canyon (Shakhoret)

b.     Coral Beach and Underwater Observatory

c.      Eilat Mountains

d.     Red Canyon

e.      Red Sea-Gulf of Aqaba

f.      Taba Border (view)

32.  Ein Bokek

33.  Ein Hemed National Park

a.      Aqua Bella

b.     Ein Aminadav

c.      Ein Nakuba

d.     Ein Raffa

e.      Ein Uzi

34.  Ein Kerem

a.      Church of St. John the Baptist or St. John Ba Harim Church (Catholic)

b.     Church of St. John the Baptist (St. John Greek Orthodox)

c.      Church of Visitation

d.     Mary's Spring (Ein Kerem Spring)

e.      Monastery of Notre-Dame de Sion

f.      Petah Tikvah (view)

g.     Russian Monastery or Al Moskovoia

35.  Elah Valley

a.      Adullam

b.     Khirbet Burgin

c.      Khirbet Itri (Horvat Etri)

d.     Khirbet Reboah

e.      Tel Socoh

36.  En Aqev -Dishon Ascent

37.  En Avdat National Park

a.      Upper and Lower Entrances

b.     Wadi Karkash

38.  En Fashkha

39.  En Gedi National Reserve

40.  Enot Tzukim National Reserve

41.  Gamla National Reserve

42.  Gan Ha-Shalosha National Park or Sahne

a.      Amal Stream

b.     Kibbutz Nir David

c.      Mount Gilboa (view)

d.     Tel-Amal & Museum

43.  Gilboa Mountains

44.  Golan Area

45.  Haiffa

a.      Bahai World Center & Gardens

b.     Carmel Subway

c.      Cave of Elijah

d.     German Colony

e.      Haiffa Beach

f.      Holy Family Chapel

g.     Jezreel Valley (view)

h.     Louis Promenade

i.       Mount Carmel

j.       National Maritime Museum

k.     Stella Maris Monastery

l.       Zikhron Yakov (view)

46.  Hammat Tiberias National Park

47.  Har HaNegev National Reserve

a.      Arif el-Nake (view)

b.     Karne Ramon Lookout

c.      K-Line

d.     Mount Ramon

e.      Nahal Elitsur

f.      Nahal Eliyah

48.  Hawarim Valley

a.      Hawarim Cisterns

b.     Moonlight Hiking

49.  Ha Masreq National Reserve

50.  Ha Yarkon National Park or Ganei Yehoshua

51.  Hebron

a.      Cave of the Patriarchs or Mara’at Macpelah (Tombs of Abraham, Sarah, Jacob and Leah)

b.     Jewish Quarter

c.      Khasba

d.     Kiryat Arba (view)

52.  Herodion National Park

53.  Hermon Stream (Banias) National Reserve

a.      Grave of Nebi Khader, Banias (view)

b.     Temple & Cave of Pan

54.  Hermon Mountain from Nimrod (view)

55.  Hippos or Sussita (view)

56.  Hotem ha Carmel National Reserve (Stone Tumuli)

a.      Israel Coastal area between Haiffa and Netanya (views from Hotem Carmel)

b.     Modi'in, Migdal Aphek (view)

c.      Moshav Beth Hanania

57.  Jaffa

a.      Abrasha Park

b.     Al-Bahr Mosque

c.      Al-Mahmudiyya Mosque (Great Mosque)

d.     Andromeda Rocks

e.      Church of St. Peter (Catholic)

f.      Church of St. Peter & St. Tabitha (Russian Orthodox, view)

g.     The Wishing Bridge

h.     Gan HaPisgah

i.       House of Simon the Tanner

j.       Ilan Goor Museum of Jaffa

k.     Jaffa Clock Tower

l.       Jaffa Flea Market

m.   Jaffa Port

n.     Kikkar Square

o.     Libyan Synagogue

p.     Lighthouse

q.     Sabil (Fountain) Abu Nabbut (Tabitha's Well)

r.      Tell Jaffa

s.      Visitor Centre

t.       Zodiac Alleys, Old City

58.  Jericho

a.      Ein es-Sultan (Elisha's Spring)

b.     Hisham's Palace (Khirbat Al-Mafjar)

c.      Jericho City

d.     Monastery of Temptation or Deir Quarantal (Greek Orthodox)

e.      Separation Wall

f.      Tel es-Sultan (Tel-Jericho)

g.     Temptation Mount (Jabel Qarantal)

h.     Zachhaeus Sycamore Tree

59.  Kadesh Barnea or Nitzanei Sinai

60.  Kathisma Church (remains)

61.  Keren Ha Carmel Forest

a.      Carmel Lookout

b.     Jezreel Valley (view)

62.  Kfar Kana

a.      Cana Catholic Wedding Church

b.     Greek Orthodox Wedding Church of Cana

63.  Kibbutz Bahan -Utopia Orchid Park

64.  Kibbutz Neot Smadar

65.  Kibbutz Revivim (view)

66.  Kibbutz Yotvata

67.  Kibbutz Qetura

a.      Arava Institute for Environmental Studies

68.  Kibbutz Ramat Rachel

69.  Kibbutz Sede Boker

a.      David Ben Gurion’s Desert Home

70.  Kiryat Gat

71.  Kiryat Shmona

72.  Kiryat Tivon

a.      Tel Yokneam, Jezreel Valley (Views on the way)

73.  Kiryat Yearim or Abu Ghosh

a.      Crusader Chapel (Benedictine Monastery or St. Mary of the Resurrection Abbey)

b.     Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant Church

74.  Korazim (Chorazin) National Park

75.  Kursi National Park

76.  Jordan River

77.  Judean Mountains National Park

a.      Beit Meir Moshav

b.     Bnei Berit Caves

c.      Burma Road

d.     Kesalon Valley or Nahal Kesalon

e.      Mashlat 21

f.      Martyr’s Forest Memorial or Yaar HaKedoshim

g.     Mount Arnah

h.     Shaar Haggai

78.  Lahav North National Reserve

a.      Devira Forest (Ir Devira)

b.     Hurvat Abu Hof

c.      Horvat Rimmon

d.     Hurvat (Khirbet) Za’ac

79.  Lakish National Park

a.      Tel-Lakish

80.  Latrun

a.      Armored Corps Memorial Site & Museum (Yad La Shiriyon)

b.     Ayalon Valley

c.      Chapel of Emmaus

d.     Emmaus-Nicopolis Archaeological site

e.      The Trappist Monastery of Latrun

81.  Lod

a.      Ben-Gurion Airport

b.     El Khadar Mosque

c.      Church of St. George (Greek Orthodox)

82.  Lot's Wife Pillar

83.  Lotz Cisterns or Borotz Lotz

a.      Mount Arif en Nakaa (view)

b.     Mount Romem & K-Line

c.      Valley of Pistacia or Nahal Elot

84.  Ma'aleh Shaharut (Shaharut Cliffs)

85.  Ma'ayan Harod National Park

a.      Gideon's Cave

b.     Givat HaMoreh Hills (views)

c.      Harod Valley

d.     Tombs of Olga and Yehoshua Hankin

86.  Maktesh Gadol (Big Crater)

a.      Coloured Sands

b.     Ein Yorkeam Spring

c.      Mount Ardon

d.     Petrified (Fossilized) Trees

e.      Tel Yorkeam

87.  Mamshit National Park-Kurnub

88.  Mar Elias Monastery (Greek Orthodox)

a.      East Hill/Hill of the Four/Hill of Elijah

b.     Field of Grey Peas

c.      West Hills/Hill of the Airplane/Field of Habbakkuk/Khirbet Tabaliya

89.  Mar Saba Monastery (Greek Orthodox)

90.  Mash'had Arab Village

91.  Masada (Druze Village)

92.  Masada National Park

93.  Midreshet-Ben Gurion, Sede Boker

a.      Ben Gurion University Campus

b.     Synagogue

94.  Mitzpe Asael (Israeli Settlement in West Bank)

95.  Mitzpeh Ramon National Park

96.  Modi’in (Maccabean Graves)

97.  Moshav Hazeva

98.  Mount of Beatitudes

99.  Mount Karkom

a.      Hemet Cistern

b.     Pre-Historic Rock Engravings

100. Mount Tabor

a.      Basilica of Transfiguration (Catholic)

b.     Church of St. Elias (Greek Orthodox)

c.      Jezreel Valley (views)

d.     Mount Gilboa (views)

101. Muhraka-St. Catherine Monastery or Dir el-Muhraka

102. Nahal Alexander or Alexander Stream National Park (Sharon Plain)

a.      Bet Yanay Beach

b.     Herzeliya, Netanya, Tulkarm (views)

c.      Hurvat Samra

103. Nahal Lotz

104. Nahal Me'arot (Carmel Caves) National Reserve

a.      Four Prehistoric Caves

105. Nahal Paran

106. Nahal Peres National Reserve

a.      Dead Sea, Moab & Edom Mountains, Ein Tamar, Neot HaKikar, Sodom or Sdom Plains (views from Lookout)

b.     Ha-Arava Junction, Tamar Fortress, Rotem Chemical Factory (views)

c.      Ma'ale Tamar

d.     Mount Sdom

e.      Nahal Tikhmas

f.      Nahal Tsafit

g.     Peres Gorge and Gevei Peres (Water Holes)

107. Nahal Taninim

a.      Taninim Aqueduct (Hadrian Caesar)

108. Nahariya

109. Nazareth

a.      Basilica of Annunciation (Catholic) & Grotto of Annunciation

b.     Chapel of Our Lady of Fright (Notre Dame de l'Effroi)

c.      Church of St. Joseph

d.     Christ Church (Anglican)

e.      Fauzi Azar Inn & some other noted Guest Houses of Nazareth

f.      Mount of Precipice (Har Kedumim)

g.     Jezreel Valley, Nain, Mount Tabor etc.(views)

h.     Mary's Well

i.       Melkite Greek Catholic Church

j.       Nazareth-Illit (Jewish)-view

k.     Salesian Basilica & Monastery of Jesus the Adolescent

l.       St. Gabriel Greek Orthodox Church of Annunciation & Spring of Mary

m.   Synagogue Church

n.     White Mosque (Al-Abiad)

110. Neot Kedumim Park

111. Nebi Samwil & Tomb of Samuel the Prophet

112. Nimrod Fortress National Park

113. Quneitra Lookout

114. Qumran National Park

a.      Ancient Qumran Settlement

b.     Dead Sea Scroll Caves

c.      Good Samariatn Inn (view)

115. Ramat HaNadiv Memorial Garden & National Reserve (Baron Edmond de Rothschild)

a.      Ein Tzur Aqueduct

b.     Horvat Eleq (Herodiaan Fortress)

c.      Mansur el-Aqab Farmhouse

116. Ramat Rachel Archaeological Park

a.      Mitzpeh Yair Lookout

b.     Park of Olives and Olive Columns

c.      Views from Ramat Rachel (Herodion, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Har Homa, Jerusalem)

117. Ramla

a.      Custodia di Terra Santa (The Church of St. Joseph of Arimathea and the Hospice of St. Nicodemus, Ramla)

b.     Great Mosque (Al-Jami al-Kabir)- earlier St. John Church

c.      White Mosque or Tower of the 40 Martyrs

118. Rehavia

a.      Monastery of Holy Cross, Nayot

119. Rehovot

a.      Tomb of Chaim Weizman

b.     Weizmann House

c.      Weizman Institute

120. Rosh Hanikra

121. Sa'ar Fall and Sa’ar Valley

122. Samakh Caves National Park

123. Sataf Nature Trail

a.      Ein Sataf

b.     Mount Eitan

124. Sde Boker

a.      Gan-Hapsalim Park

b.     Gan Rafi

c.      Hatzaz Valley

d.     Nabatean Cisterns

e.      Nahal Ha’Roa

f.      Valley of Zugan

125. Sea of Galilee or Lake of Kinneret

126. Shittim Desert Ashram

127. Shivta National Park

128. Soreq Stalactite Cave National Reserve

129. Soreq Stream National Reserve

a.      Beit Shemesh (view)

b.     Hurbet Deir Bedar or Dir e-Sheik

c.      Hurbet Tora

d.     Hurbet (Khirbet) Yallah

e.      Nahal Katlav

130. Soreq Valley

131. Susya (Israeli Settlement in West Bank)

a.      Khirbet Susya

132. Tabgha or Heptapegon

a.      Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and the Fishes

b.     Church of the Primacy of Peter

133. Tamar Valley & Lookout

134. Tel Arad National Park

135. Tel Aviv

a.      Azrieli Towers (views)

b.     Beit Hatefutsot Museum (Diaspora Museum)

c.      Ben-Gurion Boulevard

d.     Ben-Gurion's Home at Tel Aviv

e.      Dizengoff House or Independence Hall

f.      Eretz Israel Museum

g.     Gordon Beach

h.     Neve Tzedek Neighbourhood

i.       Rabbin Square

j.       Tel-Aviv Beaches

k.     Yarkon River

136. Tel Azekah

a.      Elah Valley

137. Tel-Gezer

a.      Kibbutz Gezer

b.     Modi'in, Ayalon Valley (Views)

138. Tel Beit Shemesh

139. Tel Beer Sheva National Park

140. Tel Dan National Reserve

a.      Dan Stream

b.     En Leshem

141. Tel Es-Safi (Gath)-view

142. Tel-Lachish

143. Tell Megiddo National Park

144. Tel Tzora

a.      Moshav Shoresh, Moshav Eshtaol, Tel Eshtaol (views)

b.     Rock of Eitam (view)

c.      Sculpture Road (Derech HaPesalim), Tel Tzora

145. Tel Zova National Park

a.      Ein Bichura

b.     Ein Hindak

c.      John F. Kennedy Peace Forest & Yad Kennedy

d.     Khirbet Se’adim

146. Tiberias

a.      Al Amari Mosque

b.     Church of St. Peter (Catholic)

c.      Crusader Fortress

d.     Etz Ha Hayim Synagogue

e.      Independence War Memorial

f.      Promenade of Tiberias

147. Timnah Valley Park

a.      Ancient Copper Mines & Mine Shafts

b.     Chariots Rock Drawings

c.      Mushroom

d.     Spiral Mountain

e.      Solomon Pillars

f.      Temple Complex of Hathor

g.     Timnah Lake

h.     Timnah Mountains

148. Tomb of Dan (Kever Dan Ben Ya'akov)

149. Tomb of Maimonides or Rambam, Tiberias

150. Tomb of Rachel or Khever Rachel

151. Tomb of Samson (Kever Shimshon)

152. Tze'elon Beach

153. Uvda Valley

a.      Arava Valley

b.     Kasui Sand Dunes

c.      Leopard Temple

d.     Ma'aleh Shaharut (Shaharut Cliffs)

e.      Ramon Crater (view)

f.      Shaharut Settlement

154. Wadi Arugot or Nahal Arugot

a.      Hidden Waterfall (HaMapal HaNistar)

155. Wadi Qelt (Nahal Perat)

a.      Ma'ale Adumim (view)

b.     Monastery of St. George of Coziba

156. Wadi Zaror

a.      Even-Ari Farm

b.     Har Mikhya Rock Engravings

c.      Mount Zaror

d.     Zaror Gev

157. Yattir Forest

a.      Drijat Village

b.     Har Amassa or Mount Amassa National Reserve

c.      Khirbet Anim

158. Yardenit Baptismal Site

159. Yehudiya National Reserve

a.      Meshushim Pools

160. Yigal Allon Museum, Kibbutz Ginnossar (Jesus Boat)

161. Zin Cliff Nature Reserve

a)     Zin Fort (Metzad Zin)

b)     Zin Valley

162. Zippori or Tzippori National Park (Sepphoris)


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