7 Wonders of Israel

This land is considered sacred to the three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The center of one of the youngest of cults is also located here - the local air provokes the mystic revelation
wailing wall


Researchers believe that this name came up Arabs saw the Jews mourn the fate of his people here. The place was holy to the Jews - there was a temple dedicated to the one God. First built by Solomon, destroyed by the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar. The temple was restored, but it defeated the Romans. All that's left - west wall length of 488 meters. The Wailing Wall is called an open 57-meter section. The Jews came to pray to the wall. Those who could not come, handed letters with requests and prayers. Thus was born the custom to put a note in the wall. Now all the messages left here, regardless of religion. Twice a year, all the notes are removed from the wall and buried nearby - on the Mount of Olives


Soreq Cave


The biggest stalactites and stalagmites cave was discovered accidentally Israel in May 1968 - the extraction of gravel on Mount Har-Tuv at an altitude of 385 meters. After another explosion rocks in a quarry opened a small hole on the spot which was later made into a cave entrance. On an area of 4800 m2 there are various kinds of stalactites (calcareous growths on the ceiling of the cave) and stalagmites (on the bottom), the age of which, according to scientists, is up to 5 million years. Since 1975, here allowed excursions. Formation of stalactites and stalagmites are still going on, and visitors are asked not to touch anything with your hands

Judean Desert



Size of the smallest desert in Israel, only 22 km2 (slightly larger than the area of Moscow within the Garden Ring), the rest - in Jordan and Palestine. Its name is associated with the descendants of Judah - one of the 12 sons of Jacob, from whom, according to the Scriptures, there was the nation of Israel. The place served as a refuge for hermits and the rebels - the future Jewish King David hid from King Saul here. Here, in a cave, lived to 30 years of John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus Christ later. Now living in a desert Bedouin and Jewish settlers

PORT Jaffa


The main port of ancient Israel and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. According to legend, it was named after Japheth - the son of the Biblical forefather Noah. It is believed that this is where Noah built the ark. This place is known and Greek myths - in Joppa (Jaffa) Perseus defeated the sea monster and freed Andromeda chained to a rock on the shore. A first written mention of Jaffa still occurs in Egyptian chronicles XV century BC. e. - It appears in the list of towns captured by Pharaoh Thutmose III. Today, the ancient settlement combined with Tel Aviv in a single metropolis of Tel Aviv - Jaffa, and the port - the main local attractions

Holy Sepulcher



The temple, built on the site where, according to Christian tradition, was crucified, buried and resurrected Jesus. Now the temple is divided between the six denominations of the Christian Church: Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian, Coptic, Syrian and Ethiopian. However, in order to avoid conflicts between believers keys from him since the end of the XII century stored in the Arab-Muslim family, and the right to unlock and lock the door belongs to another Muslim dynasty (keys all the time are transmitted in families from father to son). In the temple, opposite the entrance to the cave of the Holy Sepulchre, approximately from the IV century marked the navel of the earth - the symbolic center of the Christian world, a place of salvation of the human race. To show its exact location, here and now pose a low marble bowl with a ball inside, on which is inscribed cross. The bowl is pretty easy, and its chain chained to tourists and pilgrims are not displaced or do not blow navel of the earth

Bahai Gardens


The center of one of the young Baha'i religion is located in Haifa, and terraced gardens known stretching on Mount Carmel. The length of the terraces - about a kilometer, and they lead to the top of the mountain, where the buried relics of Baba - Iranian prophet foretold the coming of the founder of the Baha'i Baha'u'llah. The Bahá'í Faith originated in the middle of the XIX century in Persia. Baha'u'llah declared that he is the messenger of the one God, as Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, Mohammed and Baba - his predecessors. In 1868, Baha'u'llah was exiled to Haifa. These pilgrims were pulled from Persia and Egypt. Soon the city became the center of religion. On the construction of gardens, spent $ 250 million. Money donated Baha'i followers

DEAD SEA



Endorheic salt lake between Israel, Palestine and Jordan - the lowest portion of Earth's surface. The water level is at 427 meters below sea level. Dead Sea - one of the most saline water bodies. Dissolved in a liter of water of about 340 grams of salt, which is 10 times greater than the ocean. Swim in the Dead Sea's hard, but tourists come here and not for swimming, and for the treatment of skin diseases. In the local water and clay contains 50 billion tons of minerals, belonging to 21 types, 12 of them are not found in any other natural water bodies