TroyBarton: March 2006

Wednesday March 15, 06

Today was our free day. We got to sleep in then we went into old Jersualem for some shopping and exploring. During the last few day the jewish people have been celebrating Purim. Purim is a holiday that celebrates Esther saving her people from death (book of Esther). They dress up like Halloween

We are leaving for the airport at 1am Thursday morning. We will be getting back to the island about 2m Friday morning. till then

Russian orthodox jew

Purim Costumes

Tuesday March 14, 2006

We started out to day visiting the site of Caiaphas, the Chief Priest who tried Jesus. We saw the original walkway where they would of bought Christ up. We also saw an empty cistern, where Jesus would mostly have been held. Next we went to a Biblical garden. It had many plants that would of been present in bible times. We also had a meal made up of some of these plants. After lunch we went to the site of the battle between David and Goliath.

Tomorrow is our free day. We will be exploring Jerusalem and visiting the Temple Institute. They are a group that are producing the impliments of the temple to be used in a new third temple

Site of Caiapasis House

View from within Cistern. Note Crusader era cross

Original staircase in which Christ would have been lead
to Caiapasis house

Site of battle between David and Goliath

Monday March 13, 06

Today we went to Vad Vashem. It was a Holocaust history museum.

We then went to the Tower of David, where we learned about how Jerusalem has changed over the last 4000 years. We then went to the Garden tomb and Gordons Calvary. Here we saw the "Place of the skull" and a 1st century tomb. This is one of two possible sites. The church of the Holy Sepulchre being the other. Here we had communion with Meno from the Jerusalem assembly leading the service.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Gordon's Calvary "Place of the Skull"

See if you can spot the eyes and nose of the skull

Garden Tomb - 1st century tomb with rolling rock cover

Burial chamber in Garden tomb

Sunday March 12, 06

Today we had a very busy exploring Jerusalem. We started of going to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsmane, Church of Saint Mark (location of last supper), King Davids tomb and the Western wall. Every inch of Jerusalem has some history, be it 1st temple, 2nd temple, Roman, Byzantium, Crusader or Muslim

Left side of Jerusalem from Mount of Olives
Gray building on left is El-Asqa mosque
Golden dome building is the Dome of the Rock, it
sites on the site where the temple stood
Middle of Jerusalem from Mount of Olives

Right side of Jerusalem from Mount of Olives
The buildig with the golden onion dome is the
Church of Mary Magdalena

Young soldiers
All guys and girls have to serve in the army after
they graduate from high school for 1 0r 2 years.
Notice they are all carring M16 assault rifles

Saturday March 11,06

On Friday, we had a free day. We spent the day swimming in the Dead Sea, the hotel pool and the spa

Today we started out visiting Masada (Herod the Great desert fortress). We then went to Engeti (where David hid from Saul) and finally to Qumram where the dead sea scrols were found

Coney (rock badger)

Ibix

Davids waterfall at Engeti

Us floating in the Dead Sea

Saturday March 11 Con't

Massada is a mountain top fortress built by Herod the Great in the Judean desert. Around 70AD the Romans crushed a Jewish Revolt. About 900 survivors fled to this fortress. The Romans layed seige to them for 3 1/2 yrs while they built a dirt ramp up the side of the mountain. As the romans were about to take the fortress all the jews but 4 killed themselves

Massada

Remains of dirt ramp

Around 1947 a shepard who was chasing his sheep through a rock, it went into a cave and he heard a sound of breaking pottery. What he found was 2000 year old copies of all of the bible except for Esther. Many more caves were found that also contained writings

One of the caves that contained acncient copies of the bible

A copy of what the dead Sea scrolls look like

Thursday March 9 con't

Taberacle

Beth Shean ruins

Theatre

Ark of the Covenant

Thursday March 9, 2006

Hi Everyone,

Today we went Nazareth. A christian group in the city has a 1st century village reinactment with realistic building, animals and actors. It is my favorite place I have seen yet. Next we went to Beth Shean. When Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle, their bodies were hung on the walls of a city at this location. Later a roman city was built here, we saw the ruins of this city. At the end of the day we saw a life size replica of the taberacle. We are staying at a hotel at the Dead sea tonight and tommorrow. Tomorrow is a free day to relax

Ladies siting around the town well

Goat

Shepard and his lamb

Town people

Wednesday March 8 Con't

Amphitheatre in Zipori

Ancient Mansion at Zipori

Battle site between Muslims and crusaders as seen in
"Kingdom of Heaven"

Baptism in Jorden River

Wednesday March 8

Today we headed back to the Golen Heights to see some Syrian bunkers and mine fields in the land captured by Israel. We then checked a little Jewish city called Safad. Then we went to the ruins of a city called Zippori. We saw the remains of the city and a Crusader Fort which was built much later. At the end of the day we stopped at the Jorden river and steve and John baptisted one of the group

This is one of many bunkers in the Golen Heights
Notice the Eucalypus trees, A Israeli spy in Syria suggested to the Syrian army that they should put these trees by all the bunkers to give shade to the Syrian soldiers. The Israelis then knew wherever there is a tree there must be a bunker.

Mine field in Golan Heights

Narrow street in Safad

Crusader Fort in Zippori

Tuesday March 7

We started the day with a vist to the Mount of Beatitudes. We then went for a relazing boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We went to Capernum to see where Peter lived. We went to Caesaria phillipi to see the temple of Pan and finally to the Golan Heighs, land Israel captured from Syria