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Ein Gedi Botanical Garden
These famous botanic gardens are home to a thousand species of indigenous and exotic plants, from near-mythological biblical species such as frankincense and myrrh to the highly poisonous Sodom apple, and from gargantuan baobab trees to tiny plants that can survive with minuscule q
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Fig Tree Courtyard
Set around a centenarian fig tree and a 9m-deep cistern (visible through a glass floor panel), this collection of galleries and silversmiths ateliers is one of Tsfat’s classiest. From the rooftop patio you can see half the Galilee, from Mt Meron all the way south to Mt Tabor, with
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White Tower
Experts cant agree whether this 14th-century tower was built as a minaret or a watch tower. One indisputable fact is that the 30m-high structure was built as an addition to the 8th-century White Mosque (Jamaa al-Abiad), of which only traces remain. The site includes three now-dry c
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Shouting Hill
Druze families separated by the conflict between Israel and Syria long used megaphones to communicate with relatives and friends assembled on opposite sides of a UN-controlled ravine on the eastern outskirts of town. In recent years Skype and cellphones have pretty much replaced th
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Clock Tower
As you are heading in or out of town, take a moment to contemplate the Ottoman clock tower. Funded by residents to mark the 25th anniversary of the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909), the tower – one of seven built around Ottoman Palestine – was completed in 1903, a time whe
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Alone on the Walls Museum
Close to the large menorah (seven-branched candelabrum) near the southern end of the Cardo, the Alone on the Walls Museum documents the May 1948 campaign for control over the city. The small but interesting exhibit includes a 15-minute documentary and a photo gallery. You can buy a
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Sound & Light Show
This dramatic, open-air recounting of the history of Masada is meant to be watched from the base of the Roman siege ramp on Masada’s western side. The narration is in Hebrew but you can rent earphones (15NIS) for simultaneous translation into five languages. Access is via Arad and
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Hurva Square
Flanked by fast-food joints and upmarket jewellery stores, Hurva Sq is an attractive open space in the middle of the Jewish Quarter that is inevitably full of local families, tourists and groups of young adults on free heritage trips to Israel. The reconstructed Hurva Synagogue sta
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Kibbutz Tzora
A few kilometres from the interchange a sign directs you to Kibbutz Tzora , which has a winery producing a white wine and a dry red. The shop sells the wine, plus locally made jams, bread, honey and olive oil. Friday tours (90NIS), which include wine tasting and lunch, are by appoi
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Lot’s Wife
About 11km south of the southern end of Ein Bokek, high above the west side of Rte 90, a column of salt-rich rock leans precariously away from the rest of the Mt Sodom cliff face. It is popularly known as Lot’s Wife because, according to the Bible, Lot’s wife was turned into a pill
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Great Mosque
Though it doesnt look particularly impressive from the outside, this is one of the few Crusader buildings in Israel to have survived almost completely intact. Erected in the 12th century as a Christian church, it was converted into a mosque in the 13th century and the minaret and m
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Suzanne Dellal Centre
The first school built outside the city walls of Jaffa, this 1892 building set in leafy surrounds was converted into a cultural centre between 1984 and 1989, triggering the gentrification of the formerly dishevelled Neve Tzedek neighbourhood. A popular venue for festivals and cultu
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Carmel Winery
One-hour tours (available in English) include a stop in 120-year-old cellars; call for times and reservations (tours often begin in the early afternoon). Meet your guide at the wine shop in the Center for Wine Culture (Merkaz Tarbut ha-Yayin), inside a building from 1892. To get th
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Bedouin Market
Every week a car park in the southeast of town is transformed into a market where Bedouin vendors and merchants from neighbouring villages sell clothing, footwear, kitchenware and food. The merchandise isnt particularly interesting, but it gives a taste of contemporary Bedouin cult
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Bio Ramon
This tiny desert wildlife park located next to the visitor centre shows how nature can find a way to survive even in the harshest desert conditions. It offers an integrated approach to the geology, flora and fauna that represent the six habitats of the Negev’s desert dwellers (inse
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Botanical Garden of Eilat
Built on stone terraces in ancient biblical style, this garden on the northern edge of town is planted with more than 1000 different types of tropical trees, plants and bushes and also features a stream, waterfalls, walking tracks and rainforest (certainly a novelty in this arid la
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Time Tower
Out on the harbours the jetty, on the top floor of the Citadel (above Limani Bistro), is the Time Tower, whose computer-generated graphics present the city at different periods in its existence. Look out over the Roman harbour: the dark blotches 100m to 200m out to sea, hard to see
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Independence Hall
Scheduled to be given a sorely needed renovation when we last visited, this building was originally the home of Meir Dizengoff, one of the citys founding fathers and its first mayor. It was here, on 14 May 1948, that David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the state of Israe
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Church & Monastery of the Apostles
From the peaceful, flowery courtyard, steps lead down to the church, its air of mystery enhanced by gilded icons, brass lamps and elaborately carved wood. The three chapels are dedicated to the 12 disciples, Sts Peter and Paul, and Mary Magdalene. To see if a monk is available to s
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Tower of David Museum
The Jaffa Gate area is dominated by the Crusader Citadel, which includes Herod’s Tower and the Tower of David minaret. It’s occupied by the highly worthwhile Tower of David Museum , which tells the entire history of Jerusalem in a concise and easily digestible format. Revolving art
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