The palaces of Jericho

The plate with the site plan of the Ministry of Tourism Palestinian Authority.

Attempt of reconstruction palace of Herod the the Great.

The ruins of a huge gazebo, above which stands the modern squatter.

Once upon a time it looked like this.

A terrace is located at the foot of the garden gazebo.

And here is the palace.

In ancient times, it looked like this.

All the palaces of Herod the most important facilities were baths

A few hundred meters to the left of the palace of Herod was another palace complex.

That's palace looked like initially.

There was a main hall is lined with a decorative stone tile floor.

And there was another room. In these lay-poster stone slabs under which circulates the hot air.

Ancient mosaic floors.

The pool, which by order of Herod, as if, by accident, drowned his wife's brother - the last of the Hasmonean

Such was the palace of the last decades before the onset of a new era. These two pools. Herod ordered to partially dismantle the bridge between them - and we've got a big reservoir.

Caesarea. First sight.

Very, very long time (about the middle of III century BC) to the shore blue Mediterranean Sea came the Phoenicians. They built a small settlement, called it the Tower of Straton and about 200 years lived peacefully and happily under the rule of the Persians at first, and then the Greeks. Plundered a little, trading and fishing. In general, behaved like all decent people of the Mediterranean.

But happiness is not eternal, and in the II century BC settlement took the king and high priest Alexander Jannaeus, who as much as 30 years have included it in the Hasmonean kingdom. Even after several decades in the places the Roman general Pompey looked and won the Tower of Straton, along with the rest of Judea. As time went on, the concept of nation-building in the Roman Empire changed in 31 BC Octavian emperor of Rome, the Jewish settlement in August gave King Herod - the same one who was going to be Great. Everyone has a dream. A dream of Herod the Great was a port city, the best in the Mediterranean. And in 10 BC it will become a small village into a major port city, named in honor of (what a surprise!) of Emperor Augustus - Caesarea. Well, and, accordingly, was in this city, as noted by Josephus, the remarkable beauty and magnitude of the Temple of Augustus, with its colossal statue, is not inferior to his model of the Olympic Zeus.

Lighthouse, a large harbor surrounded by walls with breakwaters, wharves and quays, warehouses, shops, temples, and the racetrack, the streets paved with stone slabs and fountains, sculptures and gardens, aqueducts and urban sewage.  In this city was all. No wonder after the death of Herod, Caesarea became the administrative center of the Rome prosecutor in the West and the base of the Roman legions. From there they went to suppress the revolt of the Jews, and here the prisoners were brought to punishment, and sales. And it was after the defeat of Jerusalem, Caesarea became the capital of Palestine.

Today the National Park Reserve, Caesarea, are active archaeological digs. A considerable part of them is under water. Theatre. Was built during the reign of Herod the king, and acted for hundreds of years, until the Byzantine era. The theater has two tiers and has approximately 4,000 seats. Behind the scenes perfectly positioned wall design, which relied on the column, the height of three stories and was the backdrop for the stage.

Palace on the reef. It is ruins of a beautiful palace with a swimming pool in its western part, which belongs to the Byzantine and Roman eras. Scientists believe that the pool was used as an urban fish market.

Amphitheater of King Herod. The building, which is intended for public amusements, with tiers of the arena and, in the form of an elongated U. The amphitheater was built in the days of Herod, and intended for entertainment performances and sports competitions, chariot races in Roman times. First, the building consisted of twelve rows and seats, and can hold more than 10,000 spectators.

The complex of buildings common bath. A very large complex and luxuriously decorated. Baths were constructed on the site of Herod's amphitheater, and even in their ruins can be seen the importance of baths in the Empire.

Administrative and economic area. The southern part of the construction of the Byzantine and Roman eras. A large part built on arches, which were intended for storage.

Red Canyon. Israel.

Just 15 kilometers north of Eilat, is a surprisingly beautiful place - Red Canyon. It stretches for 200 meters and a depth of 30 meters. Red Canyon is situated at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level. The name comes from the canyon reddish-pink color of one of the sandstone rock, which is the main natural product of local mountains.

Israel - is the cradle of world civilization, the Holy Land of three world religions.

This is a country that each person should visit at least once. This is one of the most fascinating countries in the world where a tiny area fits unimaginable combination of Europe and Asia, mountains, forests, deserts. Israel - is the cradle of world civilization, the Holy Land of three world religions. Israel - is ancient, millennia-old tradition, one of the intersections in the dramatic history of the last century and opened in the future dynamism of modern development.

What attracts tourists in Israel? This is of course the worship of the holy places of three religions, the sacred pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Nazareth, the ancient Bethlehem, Tel Aviv unique, beautiful beaches and hotels of Eilat and Netanya, treatment and rest at the Dead Sea, ruins of the biblical settlements, wine, diamonds, exotic world of Orthodox Jews. It was on this earth formed 3 major religions. Israel combines the 3 continents: geographically it belongs to Asia, its culture now has more in common with Europe, and the climate can be compared only with the African. In Israel, you will see 4 of the sea - the Mediterranean, Red, Dead and Galliley. Travel to Israel, as a rule, include visits to world cultural heritage under UNESCO protection: the old city of Jerusalem, the ancient fortress of Nazareth, the Old City of Acre, the white city of Tel Aviv, the biblical hills, "incense road" in the Negev desert. Do not leave you indifferent and the fortress-city of the Mediterranean - Haifa, Akko and Caesarea. Welcome to the unique and blessed land - Israel!

Did you Know that Interesting Facts About Israel?

Israel, the 100th smallest country (!), with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can claim to the following:

• Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.

• Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation

• In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the US (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).

• Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the US.

• Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.

• Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East. The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.

• Israel has the largest fleet of the aircraft outside of the US.

• Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.

• Israel has the largest number of biotech start-ups.

• Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.

• Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity.

• According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. U.S. officials now look to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.

• In 1991, during the Gulf War, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra played a concert wearing gas masks as scud missiles fired by Saddam Hussein fell on Tel Aviv.

• Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.

• Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees.

• Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.

• Israel has 2 official languages: Hebrew and Arabic.