Jerusalem And Dead Sea Tour, 3 Days From Tel Aviv

From the top of the Mount of Olives we get a panoramic view of the Old City which we will later explore, we can see the Dome of the Rock and the many roof tops, steeples and minarets of the city. On our way down the mountain we pass the Garden of Gethsemane and drive through Kidron Valley passed several ancient Jewish tombs. We enter the Armenian Quarter of the Old City and head towards the restored Cardo, once a busy Byzantine thoroughfare. In the Jewish Quarter we visit the Wailing Wall and see the holiest Jewish site in the world. Following the Via Dolorosa along the route Jesus took to his crucifixion at Golgotha we pass the Stations of the Cross. The Via Dolorosa leads us to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest Christian site in the Old City. Our tour of the Old City ends with a visit to the Christian and Muslim Quarter markets before driving south through the Judean Desert. On our way we pass the city of Jericho and arrive at the Dead Sea where we can swim, relax and benefit from the rejuvenating natural minerals in the water, air and black Dead Sea mud.

Our first stop in Jerusalem is at the Mount of Olives where we can look out across the ancient city. We are able to peer down over the walls of Jerusalem's Old City and on to the many famous sites like the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount with its iconic gold colored dome. As we descend the Mount of Olives we can see the Garden of Gethsemane; the Church of All Nations with its colorful mosaic pediment and the Jewish burial tombs of Zechariah, Absalom and Benei Hazir. We pass through the Kidron Valley and follow the walls of the Old City until we reach the Zion Gate and the entrance to the Armenian Quarter. We walk along the Cardo, the restored main Byzantine street which ran through the Old City. The stone openings lining the Cardo once housed Crusader shops and today they hold up-market modern stores. The restoration and excavation of the Cardo is not yet complete and we can see the various stages of this process. We arrive in the Jewish Quarter at the Western Wall (Kotel or Wailing Wall) it is the last remaining retaining wall of the Jewish Temple which was destroyed in 70AD. Here Jews gather at all hours of the night and day to pray. You can place a prayer note in the cracks between the huge stones of the wall. Our next site is the Via Dolorosa or Way of the Cross; this was the route Jesus took, carrying his cross towards his crucifixion. The Via Dolorosa wends its way through the Old City lanes and markets. Each of the 14 Stations of the Cross where Jesus paused are marked with an explanation of the events. We reach the last point on this holy route at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, constructed on the site where Jesus was crucified at Golgotha. The huge church has several beautifully adorned chapels and within the church are five of the Stations of the Cross – the 10th where Jesus was stripped of his clothes; The Chapel of the Nailing on the Cross (11th station); The Rock of Calvary (12th station); the 13th station where Jesus' body was removed from the cross and the place where Jesus was laid to rest in his tomb (14th station).

On our way out of the Old City we pass through the Christian Quarter and Muslim Quarter markets where you can buy souvenirs, bargain over your purchase and taste delicious freshly squeezed orange juice. We leave Jerusalem and head south towards the Judean Desert. Our journey takes us passed the Biblical city of Jericho and further south to the Dead Sea. On the way through the desert we pass the mark which indicates that we are now going beneath sea level; the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth at about 400 meters below sea level. After an exciting day of sightseeing we can relax with a swim in the famous sea. The Dead Sea is 9.6 times saltier than the ocean and the high saline content will keep you afloat so you can pose for a classic shot reading a newspaper. Give yourself a natural spa treatment by covering your skin with the black Dead Sea mud, then plunge back into the water for a rejuvenating swim.

From the elevated position on the Mount of Olives we have a panoramic view of the Holy City of Jerusalem. We look out beyond the Jewish cemetery on the mount's slopes towards the Temple Mount where the Second Temple once stood until it's destruction in 70AD.

Our drive along the Kidron Valley takes us past an ancient cemetery and at the foot of the mount we see the burial tombs of Absalom, King David's 3rd son; Zechariah, a First Temple priest and the tomb of the sons of Hezir. We also have a view of the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane. We reach Mount Zion where we visit the Tomb of King David. Within the tomb is David's cenotaph covered with a velvet cloth with embroidered symbols of a lyre and crown. Men and women sit in separate areas in this holy Jewish site where they can recite prayers facing the cenotaph. We continue our tour into the Old City through the Zion Gate and into the Jewish Quarter where we see a complex of four Sephardic synagogues which date back to the 17th and 18th century. The Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue, Istanbuli Synagogue, Emtsai Synagogue and the Eliahu Ha'Navi Synagogue were found desecrates, burnt and in disrepair when the Israelis reclaimed Jerusalem following the Six Day War. The historic buildings have since been fully renovated and restored.

Our next stop is at the Byzantine Cardo, once the main thoroughfare of the city, today we can see the findings of ongoing archaeological excavations and in part of the restored Cardo, ancient Crusader stores are used for modern shops.Through the Jewish Quarter we pass the excavated foundations of an ancient wall which stood 2,700 years ago during the reign of King Hezekiah (Is 22:10). We go beneath the present day streets to discover the 2000 year old Herodian mansions. The original mosaics and the ritual bath can be seen clearly. The complex of mansions gives great insight into the lifestyle at that time. We arrive at the Kotel, the 2000 year old Western Wall, once part of the outer walls of the Second Temple which stood on Temple Mount until the Temple's destruction in 70AD. Here you'll have a chance to place a prayer note between the stones of this ancient wall. We exit the Old City through the Dung Gate where we can explore the excavation site of the City of David which dates back 3000 years. We can marvel at the ingenuity of the Canaanites and Hezekiah who constructed tunnels to bring a water supply to the people within the city walls. These tunnels are described in Chronicles II 32:2-4 and in Kings II 20:20 – "

We rest at the Spring of Gihon and contemplate that it was here that Zadok the priest anointed Solomon king of Israel. (Kings I 1:38-39).

Our tour starts on the Mount of Olives were we visit the Church of the Ascension. The church marks the spot where Jesus ascended to heaven and there is a rock with an imprinted footprint thought to be where Jesus stood before his ascension (Luke 24:50 – 51). The original church built here was in 390 but most of the chapel building we see today is from the Crusader period (1150).

Nearby is the Church of the Pater Nostre (Sanctuary of the Eleona), on this spot Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer. There are plaques on the walls with the Lord's Prayer written in more than a hundred languages. We see a Crusader cloister and the grotto where Jesus would have taught. This is also where Jesus told his disciples of the eminent destruction of Jerusalem and the 2nd coming.

From the Mount of Olives we look out over the City of Gold across the ancient Jewish cemetery and to the Old City and Temple Mount beyond. We begin to descend the mount pausing at the Dominus Flevit (the Lord Wept). It was here that Christ cried as he envisioned the destruction of Jerusalem. The Dominus Flevit was designed by architect Antonio Barluzzi to resemble a teardrop. Through the window above the altar we can see the Old City where the Second Temple once stood.

A little further along we get to the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane. It was here that Jesus prayed before his arrest (Mark 14:32-46). The church was funded by a number of nations which each have their coat of arms displayed in decorative glass on the ceiling. The entrance is through tall columns which support a mosaic showing Jesus as the connection between God and man.

We cross the Kidron Valley and arrive at the Lion's Gate of Jerusalem's Old City. We see the pools of Bethesda as mentioned in the Gospel of John. We visit the Crusader Church of Saint Anne constructed above a grotto thought to be where Jesus' mother Mary was born.

In the Convent of the Sisters of Zion we enter the cellars to see the water cistern dating back to the Second Temple era. We see the Lithostratos, engraved Roman flagstones, which are part of extensive archaeological findings beneath the convent. It is believed that here Pontius Pilate stood in judgment of Jesus in the courtyard of Praetorium. From here we set out along the Via Dolorosa retracing the route Jesus took as he carried his cross towards his crucifixion.