The Middle East offers a visual feast for travelers keen on seeing very old and very impressive architecture—particularly in those areas that have been populated for centuries. Perhaps no place offers the most well-preserved ancient archaeological ruins than the Beit She’an National Park in Israel. Beit She’an, one of the oldest regions in Israel, the center of which was the site of one of ten Decapolis cities—ten ancient cities under Roman rule but which were allowed to operate autonomously—lays at the crossroads of ancient trade routes. Beit She’an has witnessed a continuous succession of em ..read more

Who is buried in the Sphinx’s tomb? No, it is not the Sphinx or anyone for that matter—either mythical or human. Even though the 4,500-year-old part-lion, part-human Great Sphinx is positioned between two actual tombs, namely, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Sphinx is not a tomb. Rather, this imposing 65 ft. tall x 240 ft. long sandstone structure, considered the largest rock-carved sculpture on earth, serves as a formidable, if frozen-in-time, bodyguard. Legend has it that the Great Sphinx keeps watch over the tombs housed in the two Giza pyramids—crypts containing the remains of the 4th D ..read more

Masada Perched atop a rugged plateau overlooking the Dead Sea in Israel, Masada is an ancient fortress steeped in history and legend. Masada gained international renown for the dramatic events that unfolded during the First Jewish-Roman War in the 1st century AD when the site served as a refuge for Jewish zealots who resisted Roman rule. Their epic last stand against the Roman forces culminated in a mass suicide, a tragic but defiant act that has become emblematic of Jewish resistance. Masada, the most visited tourist site in Israel, attracts visitors from around the world to explore its archa ..read more

Jerash, Jordan, a desirable destination for pilgrims of all faiths, has a complex storied past—owing, in part, to a continual wave of conquerors almost as long as the ancient trade route it was once located alongside—The King’s Highway. The infamous highway was fought over by the ancient Israelites after being refused passage twice by pagan kings, as well as being an important pilgrimage route for early Christians as it passed next to Mount Nebo, Moses’ death and burial site. Although the 6,500-year-old city dates back to the heyday of Alexander the Great, Jerash only ..read more

One of the most joyous holidays in the Jewish calendar, Purim is celebrated annually throughout Jewish communities around the world. Meaning “lots,”—as in to draw lots or straws—in ancient Persian, Purim commemorates the Jewish liberation from Haman, who was prime minister to King Ahasuerus, ruler of the Persian Empire. This is the story in the biblical book of Esther. Haman planned to kill the Jewish people after casting lots to see which day his devious plot would take place. Starting at sunset on the 13th of the Hebrew month of Adar, Purim is a day of great feasts, gladness, and much rejoic ..read more

One of the most hallowed landmarks in the Old City of Jerusalem is the Via Dolorosa (translated from Latin meaning path of grief or way of sorrows), a narrow path through the streets of the Old City traditionally identified with the final route traveled by Jesus of Nazareth on the way to His crucifixion. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City, the Via Dolorosa winds through a maze of small alleys and bazaars around several of Christianity’s holiest sites. While visitors and pilgrims can opt to walk the Via Dolorosa on their own, or in guided groups, many convene just inside St. Steph ..read more

The ancient Mediterranean seaport of Caesarea Maritima is perhaps one of Israel’s most famous attractions. Located about halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa on the Mediterranean Coast in the lower Galilee, the city was first built in the third century BC, but its popularity and importance grew when Herod the Great established it as an urban center and harbor. It also gained prominence in early church history, notably for being the place where the Apostle Paul was imprisoned for two years. Images: Caesarea, sometimes called Caesarea Maritima (biblical Caesarea), is a town on Israel’s Mediterran ..read more

AD 95 marked the beginning of the end after Roman emperor Domitian exiled the apostle John—by then an old man—to a small volcanic island off the coast of Greece. John the Revelator (perhaps most fittingly called St. John the Erupter), would use his time alone as a prisoner on Patmos Island to pen the apocalyptic Book of Revelation. Visitors to Patmos today might find the island an ironic place to write about the end of the world and all its dire predictions of the moon turning blood red, stars falling from the sky, and collapsing mountains. With its pristine, often almost empty beaches, whitew ..read more

It was a city once called the “ornament of all Galilee” by first century Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, but looking at the excavation of the ancient city of Sepphoris, one can only imagine this present-day national park was once the religious and spiritual hub of Jewish life in all of Israel. The name Sepphoris is derived from the Hebrew word zippori, meaning “bird” because the view from the town gives a sense of flying. The city is seated atop a 400-foot hill, midway between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. Located in the Lower Galilee region of northern Israel, it provides a ..read more

Rising from the western shore of the majestic Lake Nasser—a reservoir of the Nile River—the commanding rock-hewn temple of Abu Simbel stands as a self-made monument to the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II and is arguably the most famous site after the pyramids at Giza. Constructed in 13BC, the site is a complex of two temples, the Great Temple, and the adjacent Small Temple, dedicated to Ramses’ wife, Nefertari. Rediscovered buried in the desert sands by Swiss explorer John Lewis Burckhardt in 1813, Abu Simbel has undergone significant changes. In 1909, archaeologists freed the temples from their sa ..read more