(Left) Mar Elias Monastery; (right) The bensh in memory of Holman Hunt; the inscription reads: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and thy neighbour as thyself."
A short distance and on the left-hand side is the Monastery of Saint Elijah also known as Mar-Elias. This 14th century Greek Orthodox monastery is said to be on the site where Prophet Elijah rested on his journeys to the wilderness (the Judean Desert). Opposite the entrance is a stone bench, erected in honour of the British painter W. Holman-Hunt by his wife Edith. Hunt spent several years in Jerusalem painting the sites of the holy places (1854-1902). His numerous trips to Palestine, and the need to acquire a close connection with the locals urged Holman Hunt to build a home in Jerusalem. It is at No. 64, Road of the Prophets, west Jerusalem.
A short distance further and we arrive at the Tomb of Rachel. Rachel was Jacob's wife, the mother of Benjamin.
"And Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day" (Genesis, 35, 19).
"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judah; until the city of David, which is called Bethlehem" (Luke, 2, 4).
Church of the Nativity is built over the cave where Jesus was born. The church built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine. The church had many alterations to the structure throughout the centuries, the latest ones added in the 19th century. A few steps lead down from the church to the Grotto of the Nativity. The small enclose illuminated by many candles, a large star on the floor indicates the spot where Jesus was born. Every year the Christmas Mass is televised and broadcasted worldwide from this place.
Close by is the Field of the Shepherds, according to tradition, shepherds watched their flock by night at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ (Luke: 1, 8). Also nearby in the valley is the Field of Ruth where the stories from the Book of Ruth took place. Bethlehem area is now governed by the Palestinian self-rule, the checkpoint is near Rachel's Tomb.
Very important: the Judean Desert and the shores of the Dead Sea are very hot and dry country, and temperatures are much higher than those experienced in other parts of Israel. Take plenty of water, 2 bottles each, and drink regularly. Do not over dress with extra clothes. Pullovers and sweaters should be left in the car. Remember to have a wide rim hat with you. Those who are not accustomed to the arid climate might find it too hot. The use of Anti Burn Sun Lotion is advisable. Also, notify friends or hotel desk that you plan to hike off the road in these areas.
The road turning left immediately next to the Tel brings us to the mountain cliff and the entrance to Wadi Naima. Looking to the south side of the wadi cliff we notice a group of buildings hanging almost in mid-air. This is the site of Mount of Temptation and the Byzantine Monastery of Quarantel (Caranta = 40 ). Here are caves where Jesus fasted for 40 days and night and was tempted by Satan (Mark 4, 1:5). A steep path leads up to the monastery, a journey worthwhile the climb as the view of the city below is astonishing. Recently a cable-car connection
Has been established and the visitor can rest his muscles and ride easily up the steep mountain side.
10 miles (17 km) further brings us to the foot of Massada, a natural fortress-like mountain rising above the surrounding plains, its peak 450 meters above the Dead Sea level. It is assumed that as early as King David's role that Massada was used as a fort. (Samuel II, 24, 23). King Herod the Great (as being half Jewish and half Edomite), was never too sure of his seat in Jerusalem and made it a custom to prepared hiding places for him and his family. He fortified the mountaintop turning it into one of the strongest fortresses in the country. As he prepared for a long siege, water holes were carved in the mountainside; flood streams were diverted in the winter to fill them. He built barns to sore much food and had a garrison of soldiers available. He built a 3-tire palace on the northern slopes in a Roman fashion. Even on the hottest summer days, the palace is cool with a gentle northern breeze. At the time of the Rebellion against the Romans, Massada was the last stronghold, which held out against the Romans. The 10th Legion in the command of Flavious Silva, tried to take the fortress by building a wall around the mountain. For three years they were not able to blast their way up the steep cliffs, the fortress held by the Jewish rebels commanded by Elazar Ben-Yair. Only after preparing a large ramp on the western side, raising war machines to the top, and hammering the fortifications, then setting the walls on fire did the Romans manage to break into the fort. The supply of food and water lasted for 3 years, but with the walled breached there was no more hope for them, Elazar summoned his men and together they decided to commit suicide, all 960 men, women and children rather than fall in the hand of the Romans. When the Roman eventually made it into the fortress and down the steps to the palace they found only 2 women and a child, alive, hiding in the palace. The fall of Massada in 73 A.D. marked the end of the Jewish Independence. Josephus Flavious, the Jewish scholar describes the battle for Massada in great detail in his book "The war of the Jews against the Romans". Excavations in the 1960's conducted by Professor Yigael Yadin of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (following Flavious's writings) discovered, and renovated much of the buildings atop to mountain. In 1971 the cable car was erected allowing thousands of visitors to make their way to the top in ease. When atop the mountain, you will notice the siege wall the Romans built below around the mountain, with the outline of the 8 camps positioned in strategic places along this wall.
"But the men of Sedom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. . . . Then the Lord rained upon Sedom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire".
In 1934 the Potash Works were established at the southern end of the sea. Today this is the only inhabited spot where ancient Sedom stood. Opposite the entrance to the works, a road takes us to the flat plateau of Mount Sedom. From here it's a short walk to the summit for a panoramic view. The dry Wadi is Nahal Perazim, a wonderful display of colorful layers of soil deposited by many thousand of years of erosion. Along the wadi are several caves, the famous of all is Mearat ha-Kemach (the cave of flour, see photo on left), as its soft white flour-like stone rubs and crumbles at your touch. The dried-up area of the sea and the canals that draw water to fill the pans is seen clearly from the mountain top, the color of the pans changes with the amount of evaporation. The salt is later scooped up and transferred to the factory for processing.
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Six more miles to the Arava Junction. From here you may return to Tel-Aviv via Dimona and Beer-Sheva (about 2 hours drive). The road winds as it ascends the slopes and leads us to the Negev (the Israeli word for desert). As we progress westwards we pass the Sea Level sign reminding us we were below sea level on the shores of the Dead Sea. Noticing the weather change slightly as the dryness changes to slightly humid climate, a slight breeze blows and with it brings the distinct smell of wild flowers. Half an hour drive and we reach the ancient ruin city of Mampsis, one of the known Nabatean cities that have been dug and restored by archaeologists.
A visit to the site is under construction and will be added to this page in due course.
You may also decide to turn south towards the city of Eilat on the northern shore of the Red Sea. Take the single desert road (Route 90), a one hundred miles trip through the arid Arava wilderness.