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The first place we went this morning was to the Mount of Olives to get better pictures of Jerusalem. Yesterday the sun was in our eyes. I put four pictures together to make this panorama. |
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Holy Land Journal March 12 - Wednesday Click Here to Return to Calendar
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The first place we went this morning was to the Mount of Olives to get better pictures of Jerusalem. Yesterday the sun was in our eyes. I put four pictures together to make this panorama. |
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We all enjoyed this great view. That is "The Dome Of The Rock" in the center. |
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We then went to Qumran where the dead sea scrolls were found. These are replicas of the jars and items found. |
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Here is a replica of one of the scrolls. They were made by the Essene monks who lived in this area. |
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These are the ruins of the buildings used by the monks while creating the scrolls. |
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They used these buildings but most likely lived in tents nearby. |
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This is one of the caves they used to hide the scrolls to protect them. |
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When we went to Masada we first saw a movie telling us about this fortress. |
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It told of King Herod building this fortress and palace high on this flat topped mountain. |
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We took a cable car to the top. It transports 80 people at a time. |
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There is a foot path from the bottom to the top. Many people ride the cable car to the top and then walk down. |
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Here our guide tells us more about the building of the complex atop this mountain. |
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This is a model of Herod's palace which was in three levels down the mountain side. |
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Looking down one can still see the remains of the lower two levels. |
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The buildings even included a Synagogue to satisfy the Jewish slaves and servants in the group. |
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In 70 AD a group of Jewish zealots held the fortress for three years until Roman soldiers attacked. |
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The redone outline of the Roman encampments can be seen where they worked out the plan to attack. |
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The Roman conquest was successful by building a earthen bridge from adjacent mountains. The Jews, however all took their own lives in the end. |
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We next went to this beach on the shores of the Dead Sea. Due to the high mineral content there is no life in the water. |
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These eight from our group enjoyed the unusual buoyancy of the salt water. |
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The rest of us observed on the beach, some wading in the water. |
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Our last stop was Jericho. This is believed to be the oldest city in the world. |
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The walls have been excavated to help determine the time of the different groups living here. |
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This nearby mountain is believed to be the where Jesus fasted forty days to resist the devil's temptation. |