April 2025
7-Day Trip to Israel Proposal
Day 1 – Jerusalem: City of David & Temple Mount Area
- Garden Tomb (possible Jesus Crucifixion site & burial site, Golgotha, Calvary, “Skull hill”
- City of David Archaeological Park – oldest core of Jerusalem, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Gihon Spring
- Davidson Center & Southern Wall Excavations – Herodian Street, monumental staircase to the Temple
- Western Wall Plaza & Kotel (walking under the ground in a tunnel under the wailing wall tour!)
- Temple Institute (plan for the building of the third new Jewish Temple in Jerusalem
- Jewish Quarter – Broad Wall (First Temple), Cardo Maximus (Roman), Herodian Mansions
Day 2 – Jerusalem: Old City & Israel Museum
- Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif also called dome of the rock (golden dome)
- Walk through the old City of Jerusalem 4 different quarters (little shopping time)
- Gethsemane Hill, mountain & Valley of Yehosaphat, valley of Kidron, Cidron where the earthquake will take place
- City of David (walk in a tunnel in water up to ankles Hezekiah’s Tunnel)
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre – multi-period archaeology
- Tower of David Citadel – Herodian and medieval walls
- Israel Museum – Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea Scrolls), world-class archaeology wing
Day 3 – Dead Sea Region: Masada & Qumran
- Baptismal site of Jesus, Yeshua (Or if you want to be baptized)
- Masada National Park – Herod’s palace fortress, Roman siege ramp, bathhouses
- Qumran – caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, Essene community ruins
- Ein Gedi – ancient synagogue (mosaic floor) & nature reserve (not strictly archaeology but highly recommended)
- Enot Tsukim Nature Reserve (Prophecy in the Bible: fishes will be in the “healed dead sea, fresh water)
- Sodom and Gomorra area (sulfur balls and structures)
- Dead Sea (visit and float on the Sea, and or take a mineral bath, mud bath)
- Visit Kibbutz (a Jewish and also a Messianic community, right now only one in the world
Day 4 – Jordan Valley & Galilee: Beit She’an & Megiddo
- Beit She’an – one of the best-preserved Roman/Byzantine cities: theater, bathhouse, colonnaded streets
- Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) – 26 layers of civilizations, water tunnel, Canaanite/Israelite palace complexes
- Tel Jezreel or Tel Yokneam as drive-by views
Day 5 – Nazareth & Sea of Galilee Basin
- Sepphoris (Zippori) – exquisite mosaics (“Mona Lisa of the Galilee”), Roman theater
- Capernaum – synagogue ruins + ancient village where Simon Peter & Jesus lived
- Chorazim & Magdala – home of Mary Magdalene; first-century synagogue
- Mount Arbel – cliffside caves from the Hasmonean period
- A walk on the Water of Galilee & A boat trip on Galilee
Day 6 – Northern Israel: Acre, Caesarea & Atlit
- Acre (Akko) – Crusader city underground halls, Hospitaller fortress, Ottoman walls
- Caesarea Maritima – Herod’s port city, theater, aqueduct, palace promontory, Apostle Paul imprisoned
- Atlit – Crusader fortress exterior + Atlit Yam (submerged Neolithic village; viewed via visitor center exhibits)
Day 7 – Negev Desert: Be’er Sheva, Avdat & Shivta
- Tomb of Lazarus Ressurected (Jesus brought him back form the dead)
- Graves of Abraham and Sara & Tel Be’er Sheva – UNESCO site; Israelite period city with water systems and gate complex
- Avdat (Ovdat) – Nabatean/ Roman/ Byzantine desert city & Shivta – remarkably preserved Byzantine desert town with churches
- Timna Park near Eilat (ancient copper mines, Egyptian temple to Hathor)
budget (luxury, mid-range, low-cost, with or without breakfast, breakfast buffet)