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A
cosmetic and health products plant using the natural resources
of the Dead Sea, showroom, information center, tourist
shop.
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Kalia
Beach - Water amusement park, sweet water pools, water
slides and aquatic sports, beach and changing facilities.
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Separate beach facilities for men & women, snack bar,
lockers, bathrooms and mud packs.
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The
Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth at about 1,300 feet
(400 m.) be-low sea level lies at the southern end of
the Jordan Valley. Its waters, with the highest level
of salinity and density in the world, are rich in potash,
magnesium and bromine, as well as in table and industrial
salts. The Dead Sea's natural pace of recession has been
accelerated in recent years due to a very high rate of
evaporation (5 feet-l.6 m. annually) and large-scale diversion
projects undertaken by Israel and Jordan for their water
needs, causing a 75 percent reduction in the incoming
flow of water. As a result, the surface level of the Dead
Sea has dropped some 35 feet (10.6 m.) since 1960. A project
to link the Dead Sea with the Mediter-ranean Sea by means
of a canal and pipe system, which may help restore the
Dead Sea to its natural dimensions and level, is under
consideration.
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Dead
Sea Scrolls & Replicas and Sound & Light Show
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(Beit Hasofer at Kibbutz Almog) - Replicas of the Dead
Sea Scrolls, sound & light show, "9,000 Years
of Settlement in the Northern Dead Sea Region".
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(Enot Zuqim) 26 miles southeast of Jerusalem. A nature
reserve and recreation spot on the Dead Sea shore with
facilities for bathing in the rich mineral waters of the
lowest lake on earth (--400m.). Open daily 8:00 am-5:
00 pm (summer), 8:00 am-4: 00 pm (winter). Fri. and on
the eves of holiday closed one hour earlier.
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A
wonderful array of rare, unique plant with exotic-sounding
names from exotic-sounding places flourish in abundance.
National Geographic claims these Magnificent gardens as
the 11th Wonder of the World. A true oasis in the middle
of the desert.
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Nature's
greenest glory. Waterfalls & natural pools in the heart
of a verdant grove. An adventure to remember. Desert tours,
off the beaten track, in special vehicles are available
to explore the hidden won-ders of the desert. Tel: 07-6594760,
Fax: 07-6584137.
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Wadi Kelt Nahal Perat along the road to Jericho, a canyon
rich in springs and vegetation, and a hermit sanctuary
since the beginning of Monasticism. The rock-hewn St.
George Monastery and remains of the Herodian aqueduct
from Crusader times can be seen before reaching the monastery.
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Town
in the south of the Jordan valley at junction of Jerusalem-Beit
She'an-Trans-Jordan roads. Have a desert climate, but
its many water sources make it an oasis. One of the oldest
cities in the world, settled since the Middle Stone Age;
was the first city of Eretz Israel captured by Joshua;
included in the inheritance of the Tribe of Benjamin.
Referred to several times in time of the Kings and of
the Hasmoneans. During the Roman period the town was an
oil center. A Jewish settlement existed even after the
destruction of the 2nd Temple. Jews who attempted to settle
there in modern times were forced to leave during the
1936 CE disturbances.
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"Karting
2000" - Kalia Beach
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The
largest go-cart track in Israel.
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Masada
is accessible from both east and west. The eastern route
runs along the Dead Sea on the Sedom-Jericho Road (No.
90). Some 18 km south of Ein Gedi, 25 km north of the
Zohar River mouth, the road turns toward Masada (2 kin)
ending at the parking lot at the foot of the mountain.
Restaurants, souvenir shops and toilets are available.
From here one can reach the top either by using the cable
car, which gets to the upper stop leaving 80 steps still
to be ascended, or by walking up the Snake Path - a moderate
climb which should take 45-60 minutes. The western route
passes the town of Arad, from where a 22-km marked road
(No. 3199) leads to Masada. A parking lot, cafeteria and
toilets are available here. A t 5-20 minute climb up the
ramp leads to the mountaintop.
COMMENT: There is no road connecting the eastern and western
sides of Masada. The only way to get by car from one side
to the other is via a 70-km route, along the Arad-Sheffech
Zohar Road. Masada National Park is open all year round
(excluding Yom Kippur) to visitors walking up, from sunrise
to one hour before sunset. It is forbidden to stay on
the mountain after dark. The cable car operates throughout
the year (excluding Yom Kippur), from 8:00 to 16:00. On
Friday nights and holidays- operation ends one hour before
the park is closed.
For details regarding visits, fees etc. please call 07-6584207-8.
The national park has antiquities of historical value.
It is forbidden to damage or deface these antiquities,
or to collect souvenirs at the site. Entrance to sites
not yet open to visitors is forbidden. It is forbidden
to enter fenced off areas, take shortcuts or throws stones.
Reconstructed areas are marked with black paint. Anything
below the line indicates original remains. For your convenience
- drinking water, dustbins and toilet facilities are available.
Please keep them clean.
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Masada
Sound and Light Show
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A
unique show in its vivid portrayal of the life, the struggle
and the heroism of the people of Masada, some 1900 years
ago. Tel: 07-959333 Fax: 07-955052
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Explore
the Desert with your personal guide and jeep. From 2 hours
to full day. Rent a rappeling guide and set out on a day
of adventure. Tel: 02-994-4222, Fax: 02-994-4323.
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Qumran,
located west of the Kaliah-Sedom road on northwestern
shore of the Dead Sea, had a Jewish population as far
back as the eighth century B.C.E. But it was not this
settlement that made the site famous. Qumran's fame comes
from a break-away sect, known as the Essenes, who lived
and studied here for two centuries - from the end of the
Hashmonean period, through the great revolt of the Jews
against the Romans - and left in the surrounding caves
a magnificent legacy, that we now call the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Essenes arrived at Qumran towards the end of the second
century B.C.E., during the rule of Archelaus, Herod's
son (4 B.C.E. - 6 C.E.), the Essenes return to Qumran
and rebuilt it. In 68 C.E., during the great Jewish revolt,
the Romans conquered Qumran and dispersed the sect. The
last known inhabitants of Qumran were members of a Roman
garrison stationed there during the Bar Kochba revolt
(132-135 C.E.). When the garrison was relocated, the site
was abandoned and forgotten.
The search for the center of Essene activity began in
1947, the year that Bedouins shepherds found seven ancient
scrolls in a local cave. Father R. de Vaux and a team
of French archaeologists excavated the area between 1951
and 1956 and found additional scrolls and early structures
that supported the theory that Qumran had indeed been
the nucleus of Essene activity. The caves that dot the
difficult-to-reach slopes and crevices of Qumran had served
the Essenes in time of need as hiding places for their
library. The scrolls, hidden in jars for nearly two thousand
years and preserved as a result of the area's arid climate,
included books of The Old Testament, the Apocrypha and
the sect's own works. Some of these scrolls are on display
at "The Shrine of the Book" in the Israel Museum.
The Essenes were ascetics, and as such, had paid great
attention to ritual bathing and purity. They lived a communal
life in a settlement that was constructed to make them
as self-reliant as possible. They had assembly halls,
a central dining room, in which ceremonial meals were
eaten, a kitchen, ritual baths, a laundry room, a watchtower,
a stable and a pottery workshop. Of special interest is
the Sciptorium - the writing room - with its desks and
inkstands, where the Essenes scribes probably wrote most
of the scrolls found in the adjoining caves. Members of
the sect lived in huts and tents. The central cemetery
of the sect was also located at Qumran. After the Six-Day
War in 1967, Qumran was put in the care of the National
Parks Authority, which built an access road and parking
lot and installed sanitary facilities, paths for hikers
and information signs.
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Traditionally thought to be the scene of Sodom and Gomorrah,
the wicked Biblical cities that God destroyed with fire
and brim-stone and the place where Lot's wife was said
to have, regrettably, turned to a pillar of salt as she
looked back on the home she was leaving behind. In truth,
those sinful cities were probably located farther east.
The most interesting sights in Sodom are off the beaten
track, so an organized walk with the Society for the Protection
of Nature in Israel is the way to go.
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Greek monastery in Wadi Kelt - The Greek Orthodox Monastery
lies about 350m above Jericho, perched on a rocky ledge
about 3km northwest of the town. The present monastery
was built at the end of the last century around a cave
chapel that marks the stone on which Jesus reputedly sat
during the temptation. The spot is another of the holy
sites said to have been identified by Queen Helena in
her pilgrimage of 326 A.D. Other sources however date
the place only as far back as the twelfth century. This
casts doubts on the claim that some of the gold leaf icons
in the chapel at the southern end of the building are
of Byzantine origin. The Monastery of St. George, Deir
al-Qelt, is carved out of the rock and clings to the canyon
walls like a fairy tale fortress. Built in the fifth or
sixth century, the monastery was destroyed during the
Persian invasion of Palestine. Most of the present monastery
dates back to the 1901 restoration by the Greek Orthodox
Church.
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Site of ancient Jericho, to the northwest of the modern
town. Excavations have exposed a Stone Age round tower;
graves from the Calcheolithic period; Canaanite walls;
at the foot of Tel-Elisha a spring - the spring at which
Elisha changed the bitter water to sweet water; Herod's
palaces to the west of the town and Hasmonean palaces;
a magnificent bath house, gardens, theater and hippodrome;
remains of a large cemetery with Hebrew and Greek inscriptions;
remains of 6th century synagogue with mosaic floor and
Jewish symbols with Hebrew inscription "Shalom al Israel".
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What
ever your choice, contact About
Family Travel and let us design your vacation with
your personal needs in mind.
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