Amazing Israel The promised land, the Holy Land - The origin of the Judeo-Christian religions. Five thousand years of history, the lowest point on Earth, birthplace of the digital age, crossroads between East and West. The most hotly contested piece of real estate for millennia and a tiny geographical package that includes every conceivable micro-climate. A land of legacies and national rebirth – a place of great battles and strife. Travel throughout Israel and meet people of many cultures – dig down below the country’s surface and find relics of countless ages. History, religion, culture, nature, business, food, architecture, music, technology, agriculture - find them all in an unbelievable destination just 300 miles long and in places no more than 10 miles wide.
The world of global travel is chock full of truly breathtaking destinations. When you think about it, most locations that are considered prime travel destinations have a given set of experiential offerings. European destinations offer architectural splendor, majestic history, religious heritage and cultural legacies that are unique to their particular geographic region. North America has breathtaking scenic beauty, the allure of modern culture and enticing urban experiences but is historically young. Resort destinations offer beaches, sports and sun. Asia is ancient, exotic, culturally complex and visually stunning but its diversity is partitioned across a vast geography.
Israel as a travel destination is a unique phenomenon. First, no other place can rightly claim to be "The Cradle of Civilization". No other place has historical "depth" that ranges, almost continually, from the Iron Age to modernity. No other place has served host to so much cultural diversity across millennia - from the early Jewish tribes, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Persians and Greeks, through Romans, Byzants and Crusaders, and then Umayyads, Mamluks, Ottomans, Brits and, eventually returning Jews. No other place can claim to be the nexus point for the three leading religions of the world. No other place can claim to be so geopolitically contested. No country the size of Israel can claim to offer such breadth of attractions - religious, natural, historical, cultural, gastronomic, technological, and artistic. In no other country the size of Israel have so many ethnic groups formed a colorful society. And in no other country can anyone get the kind of breakfasts one gets in Israel! So... no wonder visitors press against cabin windows when their plane approaches Israel's coastline - beyond the approaching beaches lies a one-of-a-kind adventure, an irreplicable experience, and a breathtaking journey to a hallowed and truly amazing country. ![]() ![]() Tel-Aviv – Named by Lonely Planet as the third “Hottest” city on Earth. Museums, art, entertainment, food, beaches and shopping – Israel's main city and commercial center is a tightly packed cauldron of experience. From open air eastern markets, to stylized plazas and boulevards, from Bauhaus 1930’s condos to streamlined skyscrapers, Tel-Aviv embodies Israel’s energy and social vitality. A young city by global standards, Tel Aviv is a showplace for architectural genres of which International Bauhaus is the dominant style. Bauhaus buildings with white painted facades led Tel-Aviv's city center to be named the "White City" - the largest group of buildings anywhere built in the International Bauhaus style and declared by UNESCO a World Heritage treasure. As early as the 1920's, fledgling Tel-Aviv was already an oasis of culture and cuisine in the largely desolate Mideast. Gourmet restaurants such as the eponymous Carlton, staffed by a chef from the Kempinsky, served filet mignon and foie mousse, and George Bernard Shaw lauded Habima Theater's rendition of the Dybbuk. Today Tel-Aviv is not only a cultural, arts and gastronomy hub but also a bustling financial cauldron and the ventricle driving Israel's technology industry. Passionate and compact, Tel-Aviv pulsates with an energy unknown in other parts - a stimulating, oft sultry amalgamation of experiences that quickly saturates the beholder with a rush of surprise and amazement. ![]() The Galilee – A natural heaven of fertile valleys and steep precipices – the cradle of a landlocked sea whose significance and beauty are unmatchable. Vineyards, olive groves, herds of sheep and cattle, farmstead cheese factories and wineries, ancient cities and places of worship, bunkers and aqueducts and a moon-scaped plateau of volcanic rock – coalesce into a concerto of sights and scents just an hour’s drive from the coast’s steamy beaches. From the eastern Carmel slopes stretching east across the Jezreel Valley to the lowlands of the Jordan Rift Valley and Beit Shean stretches the lower Galilee, a sprawling swath of farmland and rural communities. From the heights of Mount Tabor to the bubbling ponds of the Valley of the Springs, the lower Galilee is a short distance from, and a great contrast to, Israel's bustling center coastal region. Fifty miles northeast from Haifa the hilly plains drop abruptly in Tiberias as the countryside descends sharply to the shores of the Sea of Galilee - the hallowed core of Israels northern districts. From here northwards lie lands of natural and historic wonder - the true embodiment of the saying "A Land Rich with Milk and Honey". And to the northeast, the great volcanic plateau of the Golan Heights, high above the sea with commanding views from Mount Hermon in the east, to Mount Meron in the west. The spectacular basalt landscapes of this lunar region are dotted with vineyards and orchards, ancient dolmens, menacing bunkers and the ghostly remains of abandoned towns. The Galilee, Israel's northern treasure, lavishly endowed and sweet scented, passionately revered and bravely defended - laden with water and fertility - this region is the breathtakingly amazing jewel of Israel's landscapes.
The Negev – Another direction leads to different realms. Sandy desolate expanses, craters and canyons, ancient forts of famed rebellion and brass-tinted pillars bordering a salty sea that’s hardly “Dead”. And at the very tip of this tiny land – a paradise of sultry sensations and exotic reefs that easily match in their splendor and brilliance the most sought-after oases of tropical tourism. Covering more than half of Israel this arid region is chock full of geological and cultural wonders. Crater canyons bordered by sandy wadis, bronze rocky mountains, dunes and high plateaus are just some of this region's scenic marvels. Nomadic Bedouins camp in colorful tent settlements next to lush Kibbutz communities and the region's capital city - Beer Sheba. Desert agriculture, archaeological sites, solar furnaces, phosphate mines, universities and tourism enrich this region's commerce and economy. From the heroism of Masada to the ghostly bible-time Tels of Arad and Beer Sheba, the Negev is rich with ancient history. And for those who just yearn to savor the leisures of tropical beaches, coral reefs and resort luxury - Eilat's amazing amenities are just the place.
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