A journey to Israel is a journey into the past which give rise to meaning for the present- as its history  and legends is amazingly dramatic, diverse and intense. It is a land of poignant  contrast. Just 60 minutes drive from the desert landscape of Dead Sea, cliffs of caves where the Dead Sea scrolls lies in Qumran, is the Jerusalem Orthodox Mea Shearim quarter, and few block away is the labyrinthine medieval Arab bazaars of the Old City. Just a another hour drive is the Tel Aviv skyscrapers, surfboards and bikinis along the Mediterranean beaches. Two and half hours drive to the north, we come to Sea of Galilee and the forests of Galilee with some ruined castles perged on hilltops.

Mea Shearim is the Hassidic Jewish Quarter  of Jerusalem- the miraculous  remnant of the Eastern European Jewry that disappeared in the Holocaust. A little over a century old, they still retain the customs and dress code, its courtyards and alleyways, strict discipline, religious devotion and other constriants and traditions - which make Israel unique.

Upon this land, the long narrow strip which is almost diamond shaped and pointed at the Red Sea in the south. It borders Lebanon and Syria in  the north, Jordan in the east and Eqypt in the  southwest, and fringing Mediterranean Sea. Measuring just 470 km in length and 135km at its widest point with the Syrian-African Rfit Valley running north to south. More than half of Israel is desert, especially in the southern Negev, Arava and Judean deserts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ancient_Israel_and_Judah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Israeli_history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_history_of_the_region_of_Palestine

Israel defies indifference as a result of the fusion of 3 continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. The inheritors of this land comprise in a rich tapestry of many invading cultures which has laid the foundation for a great diversity of so many different people living together. Israeli nation is made up of ethnically and culturally diverse types, reflecting the people of different origins- Yemen, Iraq, Russian, North African, Ethopia Jews, Poles, Dutch anglo Saxons from USA, British Commonwealth, French South American, Mexicans, Greeks, Turks.. – a huge mosaic not only in physical apperances but also of culture , values and customs. The Israeli Arabs, Bedouins, The Druze, Circassians.

To million of Jews, Christians and Muslims, Israel is the HOLY LAND where Solomon reigned in all his glory, where Jesus taught and performed miracles, and where Muhammad visited on a miraculous night journey.

Israel is intense in history, the history of Israel – is the miraculous birth of the nation in accordance with biblical prophesies. Religion is the basis of Israel’s political importance

Afterall, it is the Land of the Bible, the Promised Land to which, Moses led the Children of Israel, Abraham forge his covenant and Abrahamic religions are rooted- Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Jewish religion and history has roots here back to the time of Abraham, 4000 ago. Before Mecca, Muhammad advised Muslims to face Jerusalem for prayers. The name and places resonate in the minds of Christians the world over, such as Jerusalem- Via Dolorosa, Church of Holy Sepulchre , Galilee, Bethlemen, Nazareth, Jericho, Qumran, Mt Tabor and Jordan river. Skies of the Negev and Aravadeserts ..etc.

ZIONIST MOVEMENT TO ISRAELI STATE

On 29 Aug 1897, Austriam –Jewish journalist Theodore Herzl organised the First Zionist Congress- to create a state for the Jewish people free from persecution-everyone will know it he declared. He published a book  The Jewish State in  which he argue sthat Jewish people need their opwn country.

On  2 Nov 1917, Balfour Declaration supported a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

On 14 May 1948, State of Israel established to be followed by invasion by 5 Arab armies on the next day, which led to  First Armistice agreement with Arab countires and with Israel increasing control to 78% instead of 55% as per UN Partition Plan  on 29 Nov 1947.

History of Jerusalem

The history of Israel is really the history of Jerusalem.

Today Jerusalem is a culmination of the city’s long history.

The old and the new, the sacred and the secular coexist in harmony.

 It was the discovery of water at Gihon Spring that establishes the existence of Jerusalem.

The city reflected its history throughout the Periods:

The beginning of Jerusalem

The Cannanite Period -2000-1200 BCE

The Israelite Period  1000-586 BCE

The Early Persian Period 537-332 BCE

The Hellenistic Period 331-164 BCE

The Hasmonean Period 129-63 BCE

The Roman Period 63-4 BCE

The Byzantine Period  324-638 CE CHRISTIAN RULE

The Persian Period 614-629 CE

The Early Moslem Period 638-1099

The Crusader Period 1099-1187

The Mameluke Period 1250-1516

The Ottoman Period 1516-1917

The British Mandate Period 1917-1948

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The beginning of Jerusalem

Today Jerusalem is a culmination of the city’s long history. The old and the new, the sacred and the secular coexist in harmony. It was the discovery of water at Gihon Spring that establishes the existence of Jerusalem.

The Cannanite Period -2000-1200 BCE

The Israelite Period  1000-586 BCE

The Early Persian Period 537-332 BCE

The Hellenistic Period 331-164 BCE

The Hasmonean Period 129-63 BCE

The Roman Period 63-4 BCE

The Byzantine Period  324-638 CE CHRISTIAN RULE

The Persian Period 614-629 CE

The Early Moslem Period 638-1099

The Crusader Period 1099-1187

The Mameluke Period 1250-1516

The Ottoman Period 1516-1917

The British Mandate Period 1917-1948