All the way to the distant skyline. Sightseeings, greenways in European, Israeli nature, towns, pictures, photo extreme tours from usual life. Black and white photo

Tel Aviv Jaffa, Israel


 

Tel Aviv ( תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ ,  تَلْ أَبِيبْ يَافَا) is the second largest city in Israel after Jerusalem, and the largest metropolitan area. It is on the Mediterranean coast. The official name is Tel Aviv-Yafo, and reflects the fact that the city has grown beside the ancient port city of Yafo (english: Jaffa), believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Yafo located to the south of the new city center, in addition to many other neighboring cities. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.

The airport train station is easily accessible at the lower level on Terminal 3 (one level below the arrivals hall). It offers good connection to many parts of the country, including the city of Tel Aviv, with a single-ride ticket to the city for only 12 NIS (roughly $3US). Buy a ticket from the cashier or from an automatic machine, and use it to enter the platform area. Keep the ticket for use to exit the electronic gate at your arrival station. The train service operates around the clock on weekdays, with 3 trains per hour most of the day and one per hour at night. On weekends and Jewish holidays, from Friday afternoon till Saturday evenings, it doesn’t operate. Trains stop at all four Tel Aviv stations, with the exception of late night trains that stop only at Tel Aviv Merkaz/Savidor station. The stations are, in order of arrival from the airport: Tel Aviv HaHagana, Tel Aviv HaShalom, Tel Aviv Merkaz/Savidor, Tel Aviv University. For most travelers, HaShalom or Merkaz/Savidor would be the place to disembark. Most stations are suitable for non-Hebrew speakers, nonetheless, passengers will often be glad to assist.

This pictures have been taken on 28 of September, 2011.

Jerusalem, Israel


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Jerusalem is a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam. A city called Rušalimum or Urušalimum (Foundation of Shalem) appears in ancient Egyptian records as the first two references to Jerusalem, in c. 2000 BCE and c. 1330 BCE respectively.

Jerusalem is situated on the southern spur of a plateau in the Judean Mountains, which include the Mount of Olives (East) and Mount Scopus (North East). The elevation of the Old City is approximately 760 m. The whole of Jerusalem is surrounded by valleys and dry riverbeds (wadis). The Kidron, Hinnom, and Tyropoeon Valleys intersect in an area just south of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Kidron Valley runs to the east of the Old City and separates the Mount of Olives from the city proper. Along the southern side of old Jerusalem is the Valley of Hinnom, a steep ravine associated in biblical eschatology with the concept of Gehenna or Hell. The Tyropoeon Valley commenced in the northwest near the Damascus Gate, ran south-southeasterly through the center of the Old City down to the Pool of Siloam, and divided the lower part into two hills, the Temple Mount to the east, and the rest of the city to the west (the lower and the upper cities described by Josephus). Today, this valley is hidden by debris that has accumulated over the centuries. In biblical times, Jerusalem was surrounded by forests of almond, olive and pine trees. Over centuries of warfare and neglect, these forests were destroyed. Farmers in the Jerusalem region thus built stone terraces along the slopes to hold back the soil, a feature still very much in evidence in the Jerusalem landscape.
Water supply has always been a major problem in Jerusalem, as attested to by the intricate network of ancient aqueducts, tunnels, pools and cisterns found in the city.
Jerusalem is 60 kilometers east of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea. On the opposite side of the city, approximately 35 kilometers away, is the Dead Sea, the lowest body of water on Earth. Neighboring cities and towns include Bethlehem and Beit Jala to the south, Abu Dis and Ma’ale Adumim to the east, Mevaseret Zion to the west, and Ramallah and Giv’at Ze’ev to the north.

Given the city’s central position in both Israeli nationalism (Zionism) and Palestinian nationalism, the selectivity required to summarise more than 5,000 years of inhabited history is often influenced by ideological bias or background. For example, the Jewish periods of the city’s history are important to Israeli nationalists (Zionists), whose discourse suggests that modern Jews descend from the Israelites and Maccabees, whilst the Islamic, Christian and other non-Jewish periods of the city’s history are important to Palestinian nationalism, whose discourse suggests that modern Palestinians descend from all the different peoples who have lived in the region. As a result, both sides claim the history of the city has been politicized by the other in order to strengthen their relative claims to the city, and that this is borne out by the different focuses the different writers place on the various events and eras in the city’s history.

Jerusalem has been sacred to Judaism for roughly 3000 years, to Christianity for around 2000 years, and to Islam for approximately 1400 years. The 2000 Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem lists 1204 synagogues, 158 churches, and 73 mosques within the city. Despite efforts to maintain peaceful religious coexistence, some sites, such as the Temple Mount, have been a continuous source of friction and controversy.

  • Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Also Jerusalem has been sacred to the Jews since King David proclaimed it his capital in the 10th century BCE. Jerusalem was the site of Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple. Although not mentioned in the Torah / Pentateuch, it is mentioned in the Bible 632 times. Today, the Western Wall, a remnant of the wall surrounding the Second Temple, is a Jewish holy site second only to the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount itself. Synagogues around the world are traditionally built with the Holy Ark facing Jerusalem, and Arks within Jerusalem face the “Holy of Holies”. As prescribed in the Mishna and codified in the Shulchan Aruch, daily prayers are recited while facing towards Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Many Jews have “Mizrach” plaques hung on a wall of their homes to indicate the direction of prayer.

Christianity reveres Jerusalem not only for its Old Testament history but also for its significance in the life of Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus was brought to Jerusalem soon after his birth and later in his life cleansed the Second Temple. The Cenacle, believed to be the site of Jesus’ Last Supper, is located on Mount Zion in the same building that houses the Tomb of King David. Another prominent Christian site in Jerusalem is Golgotha, the site of the crucifixion. The Gospel of John describes it as being located outside Jerusalem, but recent archaeological evidence suggests Golgotha is a short distance from the Old City walls, within the present-day confines of the city. The land currently occupied by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is considered one of the top candidates for Golgotha and thus has been a Christian pilgrimage site for the past two thousand years.

  • The Temple Mount

Jerusalem is considered by some as the third-holiest city in Sunni Islam. For approximately a year, before it was permanently switched to the Kabaa in Mecca, the qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims was Jerusalem. The city’s lasting place in Islam, however, is primarily due to Muhammad’s Night of Ascension (c. CE 620). Muslims believe Muhammad was miraculously transported one night from Mecca to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, whereupon he ascended to Heaven to meet previous prophets of Islam. The first verse in the Qur’an’s Surat al-Isra notes the destination of Muhammad’s journey as al-Aqsa (the farthest) mosque, in assumed reference to the location in Jerusalem. Today, the Temple Mount is topped by two Islamic landmarks intended to commemorate the event—al-Aqsa Mosque, derived from the name mentioned in the Qur’an, and the Dome of the Rock, which stands over the Foundation Stone, from which Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to Heaven.

The pictures of Jerusalem photo gallery have been taken on 30 of September, 2011.

wikipedia.org

Rome, Italy


There is archaeological evidence of human occupation of the Rome area from at least 14,000 years, but the dense layer of much younger debris obscures Palaeolithic and Neolithic sites. Evidence of stone tools, pottery and stone weapons attest to at least 10,000 years of human presence. The power of the well known tale of Rome’s legendary foundation tends also to deflect attention from its actual, and much more ancient, origins.
This is an amazing city! City that shook the world and continues to shake world by own architecture and history.

  • Pantheon

In the aftermath of the Battle of Actium (31 BC), Marcus Agrippa built and dedicated the original Pantheon during his third consulship (27 BC). The form of Agrippa’s Pantheon is debated.  Augustus’s Pantheon was destroyed along with other buildings in a huge fire in 80 AD. Domitian rebuilt the Pantheon, which burned again in 110 AD.  Not long after this second fire, construction started again, according to a recent re-evaluation of the bricks dated with manufacturer stamps.  Therefore, the design of the building should not be credited to Hadrian or his architects. Instead, the design of the extant building might belong to Trajan’s architect Apollodorus of Damascus.  The degree to which the decorative scheme should be credited to Hadrian’s architects is uncertain. Finished by Hadrian but not claimed as one of his works, it used the text of the original inscription on the new facade, a common practice in Hadrian’s rebuilding projects all over Rome. How the building was actually used is not known. The Pantheon dome. The coffers for the concrete dome were poured in molds, probably on the temporary scaffolding; the oculus admits the only light. Cassius Dio, a Graeco-Roman senator, consul and author of a comprehensive History of Rome, writing approximately 75 years after the Pantheon’s reconstruction, mistakenly attributed the domed building to Agrippa rather than Hadrian. Dio appears to be the only near contemporaneous writer to mention the Pantheon. Even by the year 200 there was uncertainty about the origin of the building and its purpose: Agrippa finished the construction of the building called the Pantheon. It has this name, perhaps because it received among the images which decorated it the statues of many gods, including Mars and Venus; but my own opinion of the name is that, because of its vaulted roof, it resembles the heavens. (Cassius Dio History of Rome 53.27.2) The building was repaired by Septimius Severus and Caracalla in 202 AD, for which there is another, smaller inscription. This inscription reads ‘pantheum vetustate corruptum cum omni cultu restituerunt’ (‘with every refinement they restored the Pantheon worn by age’).

  • Basilica of St.Paul

The basilica was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of Saint Paul, where it was said that, after the Apostle’s execution, his followers erected a memorial, called a cella memoriae. This first edifice was expanded under Valentinian I, in the 370s. In 386, Emperor Theodosius I began the erection of a much larger and more beautiful basilica with a nave and four aisles with a transept; the work including the mosaics was not completed till the pontificate of Leo I (440-461). In the 5th century it was even larger than the Old St. Peter’s Basilica. The Christian poet Prudentius, who saw it at the time of emperor Honorius (395–423), describes the splendours of the monument in a few expressive lines. As it was dedicated also to Saints Taurinus and Herculanus, martyrs of Ostia in the 5th century, it was called the basilica trium Dominorum (‘basilica of Three Lords’). Under Gregory the Great (590-604) the basilica was again extensively modified: the pavement was raised, in order to place the altar directly over Paul’s tomb. A confession permitted the access to the Apostle’s sepulcher. As it lay outside the Aurelian Walls, the basilica was damaged during the Saracen invasions in the 9th century. In consequence of this Pope John VIII (872-882) fortified the basilica, the monastery, and the dwellings of the peasantry, forming the town of Joannispolis (Italian: Giovannipoli) which existed until 1348, when an earthquake totally destroyed it. In 937, when Saint Odo of Cluny came to Rome, Alberic II of Spoleto, Patrician of Rome, entrusted the monastery and basilica to his congregation and Odo placed Balduino of Monte Cassino in charge. Pope Gregory VII was abbot of the monastery and in his time Pantaleone of Amalfi presented the bronze doors of the basilica maior, which were executed by Constantinopolitan artists. Pope Martin V entrusted it to the monks of the Congregation of Monte Cassino. It was then made an abbey nullius. The jurisdiction of the abbot extended over the districts of Civitella San Paolo, Leprignano and Nazzano, all of which formed parishes; the parish of San Paolo in Rome, however, is under the jurisdiction of the cardinal vicar. Cloister of the monastery of San Paolo fuori le mura. The graceful cloister of the monastery was erected between 1220 and 1241. From 1215 until 1964 it was the seat of the Latin Patriarch of Alexandria. The Holy Door. Interior of the church. Arnolfo di Cambio’s tabernacle. On July 15, 1823 a fire, started through the negligence of a workman who was repairing the lead of the roof, resulted in the almost total destruction of the basilica which, alone of all the churches of Rome, had preserved its primitive character for 1435 years. It was re-opened in 1840, and reconsecrated 1855 with the presence of Pope Pius IX and fifty cardinals. Completing the works of reconstruction took longer, however, and many countries made their contributions. The Viceroy of Egypt sent pillars of alabaster, the Emperor of Russia the precious malachite and lapis lazuli of the tabernacle. The work on the principal facade, looking toward the Tiber, was completed by the Italian Government, which declared the church a national monument. On April 23, 1891 an explosion at Porta Portese destroyed the stained glasses. On 31 May 2005 Pope Benedict XVI ordered the Basilica to come under the control of an Archpriest. That same day he named Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo as its first archpriest.

  • Colosseum

Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian’s reign (81–96). The name ‘Amphitheatrum Flavium’ derives from both Vespasian’s and Titus’s family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia).

Pictures added to Rome photo gallery on 10-11 of October, 2008.

wikipedia.org

Photos of Dead Sea, Israel


 

The first mention of the name “Dead Sea” found in the writings of the ancient Greek scholar Pausanias, who was among the first to investigate its water. The lake is determined by the title of “dead” because it was believed that because of the high salt content, it can not live neither fish nor other organisms, except for certain types of bacteria in the mouth of the River Jordan. In recent years, XX – early XXI century, there was found about 70 species of higher fungi and oomycetes, capable to live in a maximum salinity.

Several intermittent streams and the Jordan River flow into the Dead Sea. Over the past 40 years, the volume of the watercourse is down from 1.43 billion cubic meters per year to 100 million.

In the vicinity of the Dead Sea have been found the famous Qumran manuscripts. This is more than 600 manuscripts, proving that the Jewish sect of the Essenes in II century BC professed principles similar to the Gospel precepts. The first scrolls from Qumran manuscripts accidentally found the boy-Badawi in 1947. In the Dead Sea were the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Dead Sea is stunning natural phenomenon. Perhaps this is the one officially recognized health resort, where European countries send to the treatment of its citizens by providing them with free medical insurance.

The eastern side of the Dead Sea are mountains; in the west are the hills of Jerusalem. This surrounding landscape resembles an alien. Today, the Dead Sea area is very thinly populated and there are always quiet and calm.

This pictures of Dead Sea photo gallery added 01 of October, 2011.

Haifa, Israel


 

Leggi l’importanza di evitare lo stress da calore dei dipendenti su questa pagina e come lo stress da caldo può influire sulla salute della tua forza lavoro.
 

Haifa, on hebrew is as Hefa. Israel’s third largest city, Haifa is a major industrial center and has a population of almost 300,000. According to a popular Israeli saying, “Tel Aviv plays while Jerusalem prays. But Haifa works!”

Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, the history of settlement at the site spans more than 3,000 years. From  1948  the town remains under Israeli rule. Most of Haifa’s Arab inhabitants left after this, but the town still retains a cosmopolitan mixture of Muslim Arabs, Christian Arabs, and Baha’is. Haifa has several important religious sites and attracts many pilgrims and tourists alike each year.

Today, the city is a major seaport located on Israel’s Mediterranean coastline in the Bay of Haifa. Apart from its busy port on the bay, Haifa is situated on the northern slopes of Mount Carmel, where there are quiet and attractive suburbs for the city’s wealthy. Residential and business districts are on the slopes, while the finest residences and resort hotels are on the mountaintop, commanding scenic views of the entire bay area. The lower and upper cities are linked by a cable car. Haifa also has the only subway in Israel, the Carmelit, dating from 1959. Just to the south of Haifa are magnificent beaches that locals flock to, but few tourists know about.

 

Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery

The Carmelite order of Catholic monks, now spread throughout the world, was founded here in the 12th century during the Crusades. The present monastery dates from the 19th century and is made of fine marble.

 

Baha’i Shrine and Gardens

This important holy site of the Baha’i Faith is home to the Shrine of the Bab, administrative buildings and famous terraced gardens. Pilgrims come to the shrine from all parts of the world to pay homage to the first leaders of their faith.

 

The German Colony

If you are really into architecture and stuff, you’ll definitely like the German Colony. It’s located right at the base of the Baha’i Gardens. This neighborhood (viral today) was founded in 1868 by german templars. The cool thing is – most of the original buildings still stand to this day (germans know how to build, we’ll give ‘em that). Today, this picturesque location is filled with restaurants, cafes, and art galleries – coveted by many hipsters banished from Tel Aviv for numerous reasons.

 

Museums you shouldn’t miss

If you only have time to see one museum in the city, it should definitely be the Madatech Science & Technology Museum. This is the kind of museum that invites you to touch, interact, and experience to enjoy. The exhibitions are fascinating, and almost every corner of the museum is translated, so you won’t have to walk around like idiots looking at shiny moving parts. If you care for less techy and more alive (a great segue, we know), go to the educational zoo. It’s right on top of the Carmel mountain and has over 100 different species of wildlife. There’s also the Haifa Art Museum and the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art if you have the time.

 

Leggi l’importanza di evitare lo stress da calore dei dipendenti su questa pagina e come lo stress da caldo può influire sulla salute della tua forza lavoro.

 

Pictures of Haifa photo gallery added 28 of September, 2011.

wikipedia.org