AMERICAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY SAGE SOCIETY ISRAEL & JORDAN LED BY DAVID HENDIN FEBRUARY 20-28, 2012 PROPOSED ITINERARY BY DA'AT EDUCATIONAL EXPEDITIONS (AUGUST 9, 2011) DAY ONE: Monday, February 20, 2011 ARRIVAL Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport. Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities. Welcome to Jerusalem הבאיD ברוכיD : enter the vibrant and colourful 3,000 year old city of Jerusalem and experience the convergence of the old and the new. Upon entering Jerusalem stop on Mount Scopus to say the traditional shehechiyanu blessing, recited upon entering Jerusalem. The Hills around Jerusalem - לה סביב הריD :ירושליD drive around Jerusalem while viewing the city from many of its overlooks and promenades. Check into the hotel. Welcome dinner at a local restaurant and orientation to the program. Overnight: Jerusalem 1
DAY TWO: Tuesday, February 21, 2011 THE LAYERS OF JERUSALEM Early morning visit to the Temple Mount, site of the First and Second Temples and the third holiest place to Islam, with the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aksa Mosque. Visit to some of the major archaeological sites excavated in the Old City over the past 30 years, including the Jerusalem Archaeological Park and visit the Davidson Center and the Southern Wall Excavations. Stop at the Kotel and then special tour of the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Western Wall along the Temple Mount, with archaeologist Dan Bahat. David s personal tour of the Old City, including the Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the amazing markets. A light lunch on own at the famous Abu Shukri and then a brief stop buy baklawa and other sweets at Abu Jafar. Return to the hotel Dinner on own. Overnight: Jerusalem DAY THREE: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 A KALEIDASCOPE Visit the Israel Museum, one of the most creative and innovative museums in the world to visit the Second Temple Model of Jerusalem, the Dead Sea Scrolls visit the Museum with David and Dudi Mevorah (to be arranged by David), curator in the antiquities departure, including a viewing of the restoration of Herod I's sarcophagus being prepared for exhibition. Lunch on own at the Israel Museum. Option 1: Afternoon on own in the Israel Museum. Option 2: Visit to the renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including: The Avenue of the Righteous The new Historical Museum The Children's Memorial Time permitting: visit Mt. Herzl, including the new center dedicated to the life and achievements of the founder of Political Zionism, Theodore Herzl, followed by a visit to his grave and the graves of Yitzhak Rabin and other leaders of the nation. 2
DAY THREE: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 (cont'd) Option 3: Free time for leisure and/or shopping. All: Group dinner on own account. The Night Spectacular at the Tower of David Museum - The walls of the Citadel serve as a stage for a night-time show which is a celebration of sight and sound, depicting the story of Jerusalem. Overnight: Jerusalem DAY FOUR: Thursday, February 23, 2012 THE DEAD SEA Check out of the hotel and drive to the Dead Sea Basin. Visit Qumran, explore the area where the Dead Sea Sect established a community, see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and view the interactive audiovisual program. Short hike to Nahal David the freshwater spring at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a lush oasis in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. Lunch on your own. Ascend Masada by cable car to visit Herod s mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots last stand against the Roman Legionnaires. Explore the many archaeological remains from the Roman and Byzantine Eras. Check into the hotel and enjoy the facilities and chance to float on the Dead Sea. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight: Dead Sea 3
DAY FIVE: Friday, February 24, 2012 THE ARAVA VALLEY Check out of the hotel and drive south via the Arava Valley to the Arava Border Crossing. Upon completing your passport procedures, cross into Jordan and meet your local guide and driver. Drive north to the colorful Wadi Rom, site of the filming of Lawrence of Arabia and embark on a jeep tour. Lunch en route. Continue to Wadi Musa and check into the Taybet Zamam, formerly a Bedouin village. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight: Petra DAY SIX: Saturday February 25, 2012 PETRA AMMAN Check out of the hotel. Guided tour of the ancient Nabatean City of Petra, situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea which was an important crossroad between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges. It is one of the world's most famous archaeological sites where ancient Eastern traditions blend with Hellenistic architecture. Lunch at the site. Late afternoon drive north via the main highway to Amman. Check into the hotel. Optional: meeting with a noted archaeologist from the University of Amman. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight: Amman 4
DAY SEVEN: Sunday, February 26, 2012 CROSSING THE RIFT Check out of the hotel and take a short drive through the city of Amman, Jordan s capital, once known in the Roman Empire as Philadelphia. Visit Jerash, one of the largest and most preserved cities in the Byzantine Empire; Jerash was in its heyday part of the Roman Decapolis. Lunch at the site. Continue to the Sheikh Hussein Border crossing and return to Israel. Drive via Tiberias, a bustling city located on the shores of the Kinneret, one of the four holy Jewish cities in Israel and where Maimonedes is buried check into your guesthouse on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight: Kibbutz Hotel, Sea of Galilee DAY EIGHT: Monday, February 27, 2012 THE GALILEE FROM EAST TO WEST Check out of the hotel. Visit the ancient synagogue at Capernaum, a remnant of the once thriving Jewish community from the second century and then stop at Tabgha to visit the heptagon church with the mosaic floor commemorating the Miracle of Loaves and Fish. Explore Israel's security situation on the Southern Golan Heights while overlooking the Sea of Galilee from former Syrian fortifications. Lunch on own en route. Visit the innovative Zippori National Park, site of Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi s codification of the Mishna and a renowned mosaic collection Finish the day with a visit to the boutique Tulip Winery, near Kiryat Tivon, including wine tasting. Drive to Haifa and check into your hotel. Enjoy dinner on your own in Haifa. Overnight: Haifa 5
DAY NINE: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 ALONG THE COAST Check out of the hotel. View the Ba'hai Gardens and Shrine, one of the holiest sites of the Bahai religion, located on Mount Carmel in Haifa while standing atop Mount Carmel. Visit Acre (Akko), a UNESCO Heritage Site, and a multi-layered experience from the days of the Crusades through contemporary Israel, including guided visits to: The newly renovated Crusaders City with Danny Syon, Chief Scientific Officer of the Israel Antiquities Authority and excavator of the site (separate from package). The Ottoman Fortifications around the city. The famous Acre Shuk (Market). Lunch on your own. Drive south along the coastal plain to Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's most important cities during the Roman Period; visit the Herodian Theater and new excavations along the Mediterranean shore concluding with a visit to the 900-yearold crusader city built on the same site. Drive to Tel Aviv, known as the city that never sleeps and pass by centers of culture and recreation such as the Habima Theater, sprawling beaches, Dizengoff Street and Rabin Square. Check into a hotel for use of day room in order to freshen up Check out and time permitting visit the Old City of Jaffa and stroll through the renovated artists colony and the ancient port. Festive farewell dinner. Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport for departure flight to the USA. Overnight: Flight 6