Tourism in Israel

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Tourism in Israel includes a rich variety of historical and religious sites in the Holy Land, as well as modern beach resorts, archaeological tourism, heritage tourism and ecotourism. See also Israel travel guide from Wikitravel

Contents 1 Historical, religious and cultural sites 2 Seas and lakes 3 Safety issues 4 Image gallery 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Historical, religious and cultural sites

Jerusalem

• The capital of the modern State of Israel. The holiest city in Judaism, the ancient capital of the United Monarchy and then of the Kingdom of Judah. The site of the Temples in Jerusalem. See Western Wall
• (Christianity) The site of some of Jesus's teaching and entombment; Christians believe he was crucified on a nearby hill, Golgotha.
• (Islam) Third holiest city. Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque
• List of places in Jerusalem

Golan Heights

• Hermon mountain. Skiing during the winter.
• Archaeology in Katzrin, Gamla, Nimrod Fortress, Gilgal Refaim

Safed

• A holy city in Judaism, where much of the Jerusalem Talmud was written and kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) was developed. Famous for its artisans.

Acre

• (Bahá'í) Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, resting place of Bahá'u'lláh.

Haifa

• Carmel
• (Bahá'í) Shrine of the Báb, its associated terraces, and the Bahá'í World Centre and the buildings.

Tiberias

• A holy city in Judaism, on west bank of the freshwater Sea of Gallilee.

Nazareth

• (Christianity) Jesus's hometown and site of many of his acts and miracles

Bet She'an

• One of the largest archaeological sites in the Middle East.

Tel Aviv

• Largest city; a metropolitan area of more than two million inhabitants. The cosmopolitan and financial capital.

Bethlehem

• Burial place of the matriarch Rachel and birthplace of King David.
• (Christianity) Birthplace of Jesus

Hebron

• The second-holiest city in Judaism and the place where the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs is located. According to Jewish tradition, this is the burial place of the great patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah). The capital of the Kingdom of Israel before David moved it to Jerusalem.

Masada

• Masada became famous for its significance in the First Jewish-Roman War (Great Jewish Revolt), when a siege of the fortress by troops of the Roman Empire led to a mass suicide of the site's Jewish defenders when defeat became imminent.

Beersheba

• Its settlement attributed to the patriarch Abraham. Regional capital of the Negev desert.

Eilat

• Southern-most city. Year-round vacation destination.

Kibbutzim

• A network of once Socialist communes which dot the countryside. They are currently undergoing a process of modernization and re-organization. Well known in Israel for great contributions to Israeli history, politics, army, and Zionism.

[edit] Seas and lakes

Mediterranean coastal strip

• Sunny beaches and hotel resorts

The Dead Sea

• The lowest point on the Earth's surface and the deepest hypersaline lake in the world, famous for its buoyancy and medicinal qualities

Red Sea

• Sunny beaches and hotel resorts

Sea of Galilee

• Sunny beaches and hotel resorts
• Important Christian holy sites such as Mount of Beatitudes

[edit] Safety issues

Public areas and transit have unfortunately been the targets of suicide bombers in recent years. It is advised that if one sees anyone acting suspiciously, or find an untended parcel, package, or bag, to notify a police officer, soldier, or others immediately. Terrorism attacks on public transit peaked in the early 2000s, but since then the danger of riding public transit and visiting public areas has lessened. Caution should still be used in disputed areas and visiting public areas.

[edit] Image gallery

The Old City of Jerusalem as seen from the Mount of Olives	Jerusalem Old City at night	The Tower of David Museum	Jerusalem, Shrine of the Book
Lake Tiberias	Buoyancy of the Dead Sea	Masada	A Mikveh in Masada
Bahá'í terraces and the Shrine of the Báb	Waterfalls in Banias	Chambered Gate in Hatzor	Synagogue in Capernaum
Catholic church in Capernaum	Acre	Kibbutz Ein Gedi	Eilat

[edit] See also

• Land of Israel
• Geography of Israel
• History of Israel
• Archaeology of Israel
• Culture of Israel
• Levantine cuisine and Jewish cuisine
• Israeli wine

[edit] External links

• Israel Ministry Of Tourism
• Travel Israel - Ynetnews
• Israel Travel News
• Meeting My Heroes by Chas Newkey-Burden (Totally Jewish)
• Israel Tips
• 1/3 of US Tourists to Israel are Evangelicals
• The Israeli Tourism Portal
• Peace through tourism
• IsraelExperts - Why travel with anyone else?
• Israeli Tourism in 2007 - Last War Effects
• GoEco- Ecotourism in Israel