Israel has an incredible past and is shaping up to have an amazing future. It has much to offer travellers from all walks of life.

Flying High in Tel Aviv.

Israel is part of the Holy Land and it has ties with the three major monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This creates a melting pot of culture and religion which is fascinating for all visitors. From the rich history of the religious sites which attracts pilgrims as well as sightseers, to the modern buzz of Tel Aviv, or the feeling of super buoyancy bobbing on the Dead Sea,  you will not be disappointed with a holiday in Israel.

A common reason for a trip to Israel is to journey through the Holy Land with visits to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth among other places where you can walk in the steps of Jesus. Another reason is the unforgettable experience of floating in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth. The Dead Sea has long been renowned for it’s healing properties and after a day in the sun floating high on it’s surface, I am sure you’d agree!

Jerusalem

Another major draw for some travellers is the night life and modern lifestyle of Tel Aviv who’s beaches have been voted some of the top urban beaches in the world. On top of that, Israelis see the end of the day at sunset and  who wouldn’t love a culture who sees the new day beginning when the sun goes down? With ample opportunity for sights, relaxation and nightlife why not make Israel next on your travel to-do list?

Encounters offers our 8 day Holy Land Journey with weekly departures from only £949 per person. This is a great alternative to just any old week on a beach, you will go home with memories which will last a lifetime.

Jerusalem - Holy Land Journey with Encounters Travel

Known in the 4,000 year-old City of Jerusalem as ‘Haram Esh-Sharif’ and ‘Western Wall’, your guide will explain all this stonework — the remains of the original Fort Antonia. The early Roman fortress was named after General Marcus Antonius of Antony-and-Cleopatra fame. Forty years after King Herod Antipater crucified Jesus, Fort Antonia was used to house the Roman 10th Legion. In 273 AD the soldiers were ordered out of Jerusalem.

At the Western Wall, remember that it is Jerusalem’s oldest preserved building fragment since Jesus of Nazareth lived here. For ages, people have argued about the origins and history of these holy places. That’s why the Western Wall (Hakotel Hama’aravi) is believed by some to be what is left of the outer walls of King Herod the Great’s long-ago destroyed Temple Mount. It was the Christians of the 1660s who christened it the ‘Wailing Wall’.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is within the city walls of Old Jerusalem. Fire has licked and regularly destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre over the ages. In 1808 the dome of the rotunda imploded spectacularly, its disappearance caused the equally spectacular Ottoman Baroque restoration work of 1810. Improvements never stop at the Church, but its appearance hasn’t really changed since 1854. Today’s 1870s dome was restored between 1994 and 1997 — renovations that have hammered and sawn away since 1959.

No crusading Knight’s 12th-century ‘armed pilgrimage’ was considered complete until he had knelt down to pray at the Holy Sepulchre. This was because in 1149, all traces of Jesus Christ’s execution, entombment and resurrection were placed together under one roof. Following structural improvements in 1555, management of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre alternated between Franciscans and Orthodox. After many discussions and arguments, they were given permanently shared control in 1853.

This land of Golgotha — of the Hill of Calvary — where Jesus was crucified, entombed in a sepulchre and then rose again, was worshiped as holy. But in 135 AD, seething with anti-Christian rage, Roman Emperor Hadrian blotted this landscape with a temple to Venus and her Greek equivalent, Aphrodite. He also dumped his province’s ‘Judaea’ name, re-branding it as ‘Syria Palaestina’. Then, around 325 AD, 1st Emperor Constantine fully supported his mother’s ambition to destroy Hadrian’s tasteless temple. And over its foundations a basilica was built to honour the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Visit Jerusalem on the Holy Land Journey Tour with Encounters Travel

http://www.encounterstravel.com/israel/holy_land_journey_tour.html

Special offer departing 12 February 2011 from £800 per person.