Masada

Masada UNESCO World Heritage Site, Israel

From the World Heritage inscription for Masada: Masada is a dramatically located site of great natural beauty overlooking the Dead Sea, a rugged natural fortress on which the Judaean king Herod the Great constructed a sumptuous palace complex in classical Roman style. After Judaea became a province of the Roman Empire, it was the refuge …

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White City of Tel-Aviv

White City of Tel Aviv - UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for the White City of Tel-Aviv: The city of Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 to the immediate north of the walled port city of Jaffa, on the hills along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. During the era of British rule in Palestine (1917-1948), it developed into a …

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Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls

Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls: As a holy city for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Jerusalem has always been of great symbolic importance. Among its 220 historic monuments, the Dome of the Rock stands out: built in the 7th century, it is decorated with beautiful geometric and …

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Bahá’i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee

Bahá’i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee

From the World Heritage inscription of the Bahá’i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee: The Bahá’i Holy Places in Haifa and Western Galilee are inscribed for their profound spiritual meaning and the testimony they bear to the strong tradition of pilgrimage in the Bahá’i faith. The property includes the two most holy places …

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Old City of Acre

Old City of Acre UNESCO World Heritage Site, Israel

From the World Heritage inscription for the Old City of Acre: Acre is a historic walled port-city with continuous settlement from the Phoenician period. The present city is characteristic of a fortified town dating from the Ottoman 18th and 19th centuries, with typical urban components such as the citadel, mosques, khans, and baths. The remains …

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Biblical Tels – Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba

Biblical Tels – Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba

From the World Heritage inscription: Historic settlement mounds, known as tels, are characteristic of the flatter lands of the eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and eastern Turkey. Of more than 200 such mounds in Israel, the three sites of Megiddo, Hazor and Beer Sheba are representative of those that contain substantial remains of …

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Visiting the Beit She’arim Catacombs in Israel’s Jezreel Valley

Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of Jewish Renewal

The fascinating catacombs that make up the Necropolis of Beit Shearim in the Jezreel Valley is a worthy addition to any trip around Israel, particularly those interested in places of deep significance and a long history. This UNESCO site is a series of catacombs estimated to have been developed in the second century AD and …

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Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves

Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves

From the World Heritage inscription: The presence in the Judean Lowlands of thick and homogeneous chalk sub-strata enabled numerous caves to be excavated and managed by Man. The property includes a complete selection of chambers and man-made subterranean networks, of different forms and for different activities. They are situated underneath the ancient twin cities of …

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