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Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem
Spare your kids the agony of visiting another treasure of antiquity and let them loose in the excellent Biblical Zoo , a 25-hectare park in the southwest of the city. The zoo contains animals mentioned in the Bible that have become extinct in Israel, including lions, bears and croc
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Soreq Cave
One of Israel’s most spectacular natural wonders, the Soreq Cave was only found by accident in 1967 when a local quarry crew blasted away some rock to reveal this underground cavern. Also known as Avshalom (Absalom’s) Cave, it contains stalactites, stalagmites and rock pillars in e
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Tombs of the Prophets
Head into the section of cemetery below the panoramic viewpoint to find this set of ancient tombs. Jewish tradition tells us that they house the graves of the prophets Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi, who lived in the 5th century BCE, but modern archaeologists tend to dispute this. T
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Ribat Bayram Jawish
The 1540 Ribat Bayram Jawish has a facade featuring handsome ablaq and shallow muqarnas. Compare this with the buildings on Tariq Bab an-Nazir St, straight across Al-Wad St, which are Jerusalem’s earliest Mamluk structures, built in the 1260s before the common use of ablaq . This s
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Jabotinsky Institute
This historical research organisation has a small museum on the 1st floor presenting the history and activities of the Etzel (Irgun), an underground militia founded by Ze’ev Jabotinsky in 1931. Exhibits concentrate on Jabotinskys political, literary and journalistic activities, and
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Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus is believed to have been arrested in this garden (Mark 14:26, 32-50), which is attached to the Church of All Nations. It has some of the world’s oldest olive trees (in Hebrew gat shmanim means ‘oil press’), three of which have been scientifically dated as being over 2000 year
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St Alexander’s Church
On a corner just east of the Holy Sepulchre, St Alexander’s Church is the home of the Russian mission in exile. The attraction for visitors is a much-altered triumphal arch that once stood in Hadrian’s forum, built here in AD 135. Through the arch and to the left at the top of the
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Latrun Monastery
A picturesque settlement surrounded by olive trees, cypresses and vineyards, the monastery was founded in 1890 by the French Trappist Order of monks (locals call it the Monastery of the Silent Monks). Latrum is known for its olive oil and wine (merlot, pinot noir, cabernet sauvigno
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Cardo
Outside the Crusader walls, a few hundred metres east (away from the sea) from the parks northern entrance, is the fenced-in, excavated Cardo (Byzantine street). The red porphyry statue – one of two large figures from the 2nd or 3rd centuries CE – may portray Emperor Hadrian holdin
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Safed Candles Gallery
If you’ve ever wondered how Shabbat, Havdalah and Chanukah candles are braided and decorated, drop by this emporium to watch an expert candlemaker at work. Other waxy highlights include the world’s largest braided Havdalah candle (it’s got 180 strands) and a gloriously gory mini-di
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King’s City & Funtasia
Holy proselytising prophets! This biblical Disneyland took four years and US$40 million to build and features mazes, kaleidoscopes, 3D films and a heart-thumping water ride inspired by King Solomon’s life (yes, really). Also here is Funtasia – a more conventional outdoor amusement
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Palace of the Lady Tunshuq
The 1388 Palace of the Lady Tunshuq is found halfway down Aqabat al-Takiya – 150m east of the Hebron Youth Hostel. Though the facade is badly eroded, the uppermost of the three large doorways still has some beautiful inlaid marble work and the third door down is decorated with a Ma
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Open Museum of Photography
Temporary exhibitions, by renowned local and international photographers, change three times a year. This is a good place to explain the ‘ancient’ technologies of predigital photography to your kids.Its situated inside the high-tech Tel Hai Industrial Park, next to an attractively
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Spice Route Quarter
Located on the northern edge of town, this cluster of hangars and warehouses was once used by the military but now houses artisanal factories, artists studios, boutique hotels, cafes and a dance workshop. With a pronounced hippy (as opposed to hipster) vibe, its arts and crafts are
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Beit HaGefen Arab
In an old stone building across the street from the modern Beit HaGefen Arab-Jewish Centre theatre, this cultural centre sponsors joint Arab-Jewish social and cultural activities; see the website for details. The upstairs gallery puts on exhibitions related to intercultural coexist
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Ancient Katzrin Park
To get a sense of life during the Talmudic period (3rd to 6th centuries), when the Golan had dozens of Jewish villages, drop by this partly restored Byzantine-era village, whose highlights include a basalt synagogue and an audiovisual presentation on Talmudic luminaries (not shown
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Akhziv National Park
About 5km north of the centre of Nahariya, Akhziv National Park has two parts. Broad lawns, traces of a Phoenician port, a small, shallow, family-friendly beach , and changing rooms are situated on and around a little hill, site of an Arab village whose residents fled in 1948. A fe
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Museum of Art, Ein Harod
Almost as remarkable for its modernist building (inaugurated in 1948, with additions from the 1950s) as its outstanding art collection (over 16,000 works, mainly by Jewish and Israeli artists), this pioneering museum puts on highly regarded temporary exhibits (explanatory sheets av
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Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves & Fishes
This austere German Benedictine church (1982) stands on the site of a 5th-century Byzantine church. Parts of it were badly damaged in the summer of 2015 after an arson attack by right-wing Jewish extremists and reconstruction is currently in the works. The rock under the altar is b
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Palmach Museum
The story of the Palmach from its establishment in 1941 until the end of the War of Independence is the focus of this mutimedia museum. Starting in a memorial hall for Palmach members who died fighting for establishment of the state of Israel, a Hebrew-speaking guide takes visitors
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