gallivanting 2006/07
YALLA HABIBIMIDDLE EAST
09 APR 07, 18 OCT 07
16 DAYS: 3 nights in Beirut, 1 night in Hama, 2 Aleppo, 1 Palmyra, 2 Damascus, 1 Amman, 2 Aqaba , 2 Jerusalem, 1 Tel Aviv.
By bus, accompanied by a tour leader and local guides in each country.
TWIN SHARE EUR 1950.-, SINGLE EUR 2130.-
Land program only – 4 & 5 stars hotels, full breakfast every day, meals as per program, transportation, guiding, all entrances, no hidden extras. Flight ticket not included.
VISA: easy to get, we would need a photocopy of your passport’s front pages. Your passport must not have a stamp of Israel in it (from your eventual previous visits).
Day 1: Arrival to Beirut - one of the loveliest cites on Mediterranean, accommodation for the next 3 nights. Dinner.
BEIRUT is a vibrant, stylish metropolis, with all of the fun, fashion, and flair that a city lover could look for. All over sleek, modern buildings are springing up, alongside arabesque Ottoman and French-style buildings, giving Beirut a unique style that is all its own. Perched on the shore of the blue Mediterranean Sea, it has a balmy, mild climate that is perfect for year round visits. From sipping coffee at an open air café, to shopping for cutting edge fashions at a boutique shop, to exploring the treasures of the country’s National Museum, to dancing the night away at a trendy club…
FOOD: A traditional dining experience in Lebanon will soon turn newcomers into lifelong devotees. The appeal of Lebanese food likely comes from the use of a variety of fresh fruits, nuts, cheese, yogurt, and freshly baked pitas in combination with hearty and flavorful meat (lamb, chicken, beef, fish) and vegetable dishes. Mezzes are the savory beginning to a traditional meal and typically include hummus (pureed garbanzo bean dip), baba ghanoush (purée of eggplant), tabouleh (parsley and cracked wheat salad), and lebneh (yogurt dip with garlic). Hot pita bread, small bowls of olive oil, and fresh thyme accompany these dips and salads.
Day 2: Beirut, morning panoramic tour and visit to the National Museum. Visit to cave Jeita and historic town Byblos. Dinner. Return t Beirut.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM closed its doors at the beginning of the Lebanese war, 1975. In order to be protected, some objects were poured in cement screed. 1995 and onward: With the return of calm, the rehabilitation of the museum became the main concern of the Ministry of Culture. Today the national Museum proudly exhibits six thousand years of civilization and heritage, a landmark for generations to come.
JEITA: One of the most beautiful caves of the world by excellence. Celebrated by its stalactites and stalagmites. It is composed of two great caves superposed. The superior visits on foot. The inferior visits by boat.
BYBLOS - is a true microcosm of the civilizations that have populated Lebanon over the centuries. Believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is not simply a picturesque seaside town, but has a history that has been closely tied to the Mediterranean for millennia. Perhaps the Phoenicians’ most impressive contribution to the world is the development of the first alphabetic phonetic script, the precursor of the modern-day alphabet.
Day 3: Full day trip from Beirut to mountain town Deir El Kamar and to palace Beitteddine. Continuation to valley Bekka, wine cellar Ksara, Lunch and visit of Baalbek – magnificent archeological complex. Return to Beirut.
DEIR EL KAMAR - 'Monastery of the Moon' is the ancient residence of Lebanese Governors, especially at the 16th and 17th century.
BEITTEDDINE PALACE is a masterpiece of the early 19th Century Lebanese architecture, build on a headland, which overlooks a terraced mountainside. It is a composite work, conceived by Italian architects and built by the finest artists and craftsmen from the whole region. The Palace is enriched by its glorious garden.
BEKAA VALLEY has been known since ancient times as the “bread basket of Lebanon.” The valley is a checkerboard of fields, dotted with small villages – a testament of the region’s agricultural heritage
BALBEK’S ruins are among the largest and finest examples of Roman architecture in the world. From the grandeur of the columned temples to the intricately carved stonework, and the sheer size of the stones used to construct the temples. It was here that the triad of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury were grafted onto the indigenous deities of Hadad, Atargates and a God of fertility. Despite of war, earthquakes and theft, Baalbek monuments survived.
Day 4: Departure from Beirut to mountain forest of cedars and to valley Kadisha, visit to maronite monastery. Continuation to Syria. Accommodation in Hama for 1 night. Dinner.
QADISHA VALLEY lies in the heart of the Mount Lebanon range, below red-roofed villages that dot the mountainside, Cut deep into the mountainous rock, it has a unique landscape of steep walls and dizzying cliffs. The Qadisha is also the home of the famed Lebanese poet and artist Khalil Gibran, the author of the famous book The Prophet.
MONASTERY ANTONIOS QOZHAYA - this rock-cut monastery has been in continuous use since the Middle Ages. It is also famous for housing the first printing press in the Middle East, put into use in the year 1585. The hermitage is the largest in the valley and has a museum.
CEDARS OF LEBANON - High above the Qadisha Valley lies this small grove of Cedars, contains about 300 trees – all are at least 200 years old, and some are over 1,000 years old. These majestic trees stand as tall as 35 meters high, and their branches form a green canopy that is especially striking against a backdrop of winter snow. The Cedar of Lebanon is the emblem of the country.
Day 5: After a visit of Hama’s huge water wheel departure to the masterpiece of crusaders architecture - fortress Crack de Chevalies. Lunch. Continuation to abandon area called “dead cities” and to the second biggest Syrian city – Aleppo (2 nights). Dinner.
HAMA - one often qualifies this Syrian town as traditionalist due to its religious conservatism but also romantic with its norias, huge wheels of wood that have not stopped turning since the 14th century.
CRAC DE CHEVALIERS: The most famous medieval citadel in the world. It was built in order to control the so called Homs Gap, the gate-way to Syria. It was crucial importance to the Crusaders and other foreign invaders in their conquest of the coast. Conflict over the Crac des Chevaliers continued through the ages. It was a fierce and bloody dispute, but in the end, Sultan Beybars managed to recover it in 1271 through a military trick and one month of fighting.
DEAD CITIES: 700 towns spread over a perimeter of 2 000 Km2. To qualify them as "dead" seems displaced when one contemplates them today. It seems as if their inhabitants have just left the site, so much the conservation is exceptional, thanks to the quality of the stone. From the 6th century onwards, the Byzantine-Persian wars ruin micro-economy. With the Muslim conquests in the 7th century, the villages, no longer able to trade with the Christian West, abruptly lose their population.
Day 6: Aleppo, morning sightseeing including the National Museum. Lunch. Afternoon excursion to monastery ruins St Simenon. Return to Aleppo. Dinner.
ALEPPO’S CITADEL has always been extremely important, both strategically and militarily. The fortified entrance is a marvelous example of Arab militarily architecture.
SUUQA - the covered souqs of Aleppo, which extend for more than 10 km, are the most striking in any Islamic city. They are named after various crafts: hence, we find the souq of gold, the souq of copper, cotton, etc. Traditionally, there is always a fountain in the centre and sometimes a little garden planted with jasmine and roses. They are living museums which depict mediaeval life. The khans are in the same area as the souqs, since they were used for the accommodation of traders and their goods.
VISIT: Al-Jami' al-Kabir (The Great Mosque), similar to the Omayyad mosque in Damascus.
-Old schools, churches, mosques, baths and ancient houses, some dating back to the 15th century.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM; this includes in particular documents and relics from historical sites Ebla and Mari.
Day 7: Free morning. Departure from Aleppo to ancient archeological site Ebla and continuation to desert town Palmyra, 1 nights. Dinner.
EBLA: Archaeologists excavated 17,000 clay tablets from the site of the prominent kingdom, Ebla. These tablets, inscribed in Sumerian cuneiform signs, are considered to be part of one of the oldest libraries in the world, which held the first bilingual dictionary. The site dates back to the 4th millennium BC. The centre of Ebla, the acropolis, progressively took importance until it became the capital of a powerful kingdom to the north of Syria.
PALMYRA is in the heart of the Syrian desert. Its magnificent remains tell of a heroic history during the reign of Queen Zenobia. Palmyra was an ideal halt for the caravans moving between Iraq and al-Sham (present-day Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan), trading in silk from China to the Mediterranean.
A tour among the ruins, which cover an area of 6 sq. km, requires a full day in order to form an adequate idea of the beauty of the architectures which has remained. Worth visiting are the Baal temple, the Arch of Triumph, the amphitheatre, the baths, the 'Straight Street', the Congress Council and the Cemeteries.
Day 8: Departure from Palmyra to picturesque Christian village of Maaloula, famous for its architecture. Continuation to Damascus (2 nights). Dinner.
MAALOULA - an impressive screen of mountains conceals a little Christian village with houses painted in periwinkle blue. Its inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language of Christ. One of the oldest churches in Syria overhangs the village, the Mar Sarkis church, where one can admire icons dating back to the 16th and 18th centuries.
DAMASCUS is considered to be the oldest surviving capital in the world. Its population is approximately 3.5 million. Geographically, is built in a basin surrounded by mountains. It consists of two parts, the central old city, and the surrounding modern part.
SOUQS of Damascus have a unique flavor you can savour with eyes closed. As you walk about in the warm darkness of these streets with their fragrant scents, spices, and colourful merchandise spilling out of the shops onto the pavements, you enter the strange world of exotic legends.
Day 9: Damascus, morning panoramic tour, visit to the National Museum, Ommayad mosque and old town. Azem palace, souqs. Enjoy a massage in a hamam – steam bath. Dinner.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM is generally recognized as one of the finest of its kind in the world. Visitors can see art crafts of the great civilizations that emerged and flourished in Syria. There are thousands of statues, stamps, pieces of jewellery, weapons, precious stones; sculpture, masks, tablets, textiles, mosaics, glass-work and earthenware, coins, and manuscripts from the ancient Syrian kingdoms.
THE OMMAYAD MOSQUE was build 705 A.D. when Damascus was the capital of the Arab Islamic Empire. When al-Walid decided to erect an impressive mosque suited to the grandeur of the Arab state 'whose like was never built before, nor will ever be built after' as he is reported to have said, he negotiated with the Christian community of Damascus, and undertook to construct a new church for them (St.John's) and allot several pieces of land for other churches, if they relinquished their right to their part of the Mosque. It became an architectural model for hundreds of mosques throughout the Islamic world.
THE AZEM PALACE is an astonishing example of a Damascene house, where the simple, almost primitive, exterior contrasts rather sharply with the beauty and sophistication of the interior. Here one finds a sense of space, a wealth of polychrome stone, splendid marble, cascading fountains, and fragrant flowers. The palace was built in the mid-eighteenth century for the Governor of Damascus.
Day 10: Departure from Damascus to Jordan - the biblical Mount Nebo with the impressive view over Jordan valley and Promised land. Swimming in the Dead sea. Overnight in Amman (1 night). Dinner.
MOUNT NEBO is the place where God had ordered Moses to go to the top of the Arabot mountains, to mount Nebo, opposite to Jericho, to see the Promised Land and to die on the mountain where he will go! Moreover, this site will not fail to surprise you with its mosaics which testify the finesse of the Byzantines.
THE DEAD SEA offers one of the most exciting experiences. With more than 400 m below the sea level, and a density ten times higher than any other sea, a small quick dip in water will make you live an exciting and unforgettable experiment. You can benefit of black mud, rich with minerals, to soften your skin and to revitalize your body..!!
AMMAN - Approximately 1, 8 million inhabitants, at an altitude of 750 m, represents the capital of the kingdom, and the main engine of the country. A city tour of Amman allows you, on one hand, to note that the city, in spite of its modern aspect, is not deprived of a long history. On the other hand, it gives you the opportunity of having a direct contact with the Jordanians.
Day 11: Departure from Amman and drive along desert highway to world famous ancient archeological site Petra. Continuation to Aqaba (2 nights). Dinner.
PETRA is one of Jordan's national treasures and by far its best known tourist attraction. It is the legacy of the Nabataens, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago. Admired then for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels.
Much of Petra's appeal comes from its spectacular setting deep inside a narrow desert gorge. The site is accessed by walking through a kilometre long chasm (or siq), the walls of which soar 200 meters upwards. Petra's most famous monument, the Treasury, appears dramatically at the end of the siq.
Used in the final sequence of the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", the towering facade of the Treasury is only one of myriad archaeological wonders to be explored at Petra.
Day 12: Free day in Aqaba to relax and swim or other activities in the Red Sea. (optional trip to desert Wadi Rum). Dinner.
AQABA - This single port of Jordan is located at the bottom of the Gulf of Aqaba, and occupies a narrow crack in the prolongation of the Aqaba depression. In addition to its harbour functions it became also one of the principal tourist centres of attraction. It is at the same time a tempting seaside resort, and a marvellous garden of coral benches.
Optional trip to Wadi Rum it is a nature-lover's paradise. Serious mountaineers relish its challenging climbs (some 1,750 meters up sheer granite and sandstone cliffs), while casual hikers enjoy the peace and tranquillity of its sweeping vistas, towering rock faces and boundless empty spaces.
Day 13: Departure from Aqaba to Israeli neighbouring city Eliat and continuation to Dead Sea and to magnificent historical site Masada and West Bank – Palestine and to Jerusalem (2 nights). Dinner.
MASADA is a mountain in the Judean Wilderness that looms high over the Dead Sea - and because of it’s uniquely isolated location and height, it was chosen two thousand years ago by Herod the Great as the mountain-top site of his winter palace. The palace was magnificent, complete with baths, ice storage and three floors of elegant halls, all in the heart of the hot desert at the lowest point on earth. After the fall of Jerusalem in 70, 960 Jewish escapees from the Romans’ orgy of destruction, sought refuge atop Masada - where they remained three years as the last outpost of Jewish independence in the Land of Israel. The three-year-long Roman siege of Masada took on legendary proportions as tens of thousands of Roman soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Jewish slaves created a ramp to the top of the mountain. During the night of the eve of the Roman conquest, Masada’s defenders elected to take their own lives rather than succumb to slavery or worse.
Day 14: Jerusalem – full day for sight seeing of the Old Jerusalem. Dinner.
JERUSALEM - is a unique combination of natural beauty - surrounded by undulating hills and forests - and the beauty that comes from varied building styles, representing many cultures and periods, but uniformly constructed in the locally quarried Jerusalem stone. See the panorama of Jerusalem's Old City from atop the Mount of Olives. Descend the mountain on foot, pausing at the Garden of Gethsemane, with millennia-old olive trees. Enter the walled Old City - which is divided into four quarters: the Jewish, the Armenian, the Muslim and the Christian. Visit the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site. Walk through the Western Wall tunnels to the Via Dolorosa. Visit the Church of St. Anne, the Chapel of the Flagellation and follow the Stations of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Continue through the Old City bazaars to Mount Zion, with its Room of the Last Supper.
Day 15: Morning to discover modern Jerusalem. Departure to Palestinian Bethlehem, visit the Church of the Nativity. Continuation to historical town Jaffa near modern Tel Aviv, panoramic tour. Accommodation for the last 2 nights.
MODERN JERUSALEM: See the "Holyland" model of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus, then visit the village of Ein Karem, home of Elizabeth and birthplace of John the Baptist, with its Church of the Visitation. Continue to Yad Vashem, Israel's Museum and memorial to the Holocaust, whose Avenue of the Righteous honours Christians who helped save endangered Jewish lives during World War II. Pause in the Hall of Remembrance.
JAFFA is incorporated into Tel Aviv municipality, so we get two cities for the price of one. Old Jaffa is not a young, booming metropolis like Tel Aviv. It has been an historically significant port city for over 4000 years and is one of the world's most ancient towns. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the city is a major tourist attraction. Combining old, new and restored, Jaffa is chock-full of cafes, boutiques, restaurants, bars and art galleries.
SUN AND FUN. Matched only by the likes of Rio and Nice, Tel Aviv is a frolicking metropolitan city. World-class hotel resorts line the miles of white sandy beaches, and sailboats and swimmers dot the warm Mediterranean sea. Hungry sunbathers clamor inside beach cabanas and cafes, seeking out an ice cream cone or iced coffee to cool them down. Bikers, skaters, joggers, and walkers cruise the strip next to the sand, working on their tan, physique and people-watching skills. So grab the paddle-ball set and suntan lotion, and join the party.
DANCING THE NIGT AWAY. Clubs and pubs shake till the crack of dawn throbbing to the sounds of record-scratching DJ's breaking out the beat. Crowds of young and old throng to Tel Aviv's many nightclubs and bars, making it one of the hottest spots to party in the world. Just take a stroll after dinner and you can't miss, but make sure to have on those dancing shoes.
Day 16: Departure from Tel Aviv.