Bethlehem Handicraft :: Tower In The Holy Land

The Nativity Church: This is the oldest church in the holy land still in use. The original church was constructed under the patronage of Constantine’s mother, Helena, who came on a pilgrimage to Palestine in 325 AD to in investigate the sites associated with the life of Jesus Christ which had been revered since the early days of Christianity. Helena chose the Grotto of the Nativity, the traditional place of Jesus, as the site for the huge basilica which was completed in 339 AD. Inside the church, two sets of stairs on either side of the altar lead down into the Grotto, the site where Jesus was born. A silver star embedded on white marble and bearing the Latin inscription “Here of the Virgin Mary Christ was born” marks the site.

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Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Built around what is believed to be the site of Christ’s Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection. This complex church is the most important in Christendom. The first basilica here was built by roman emperor Constantine between AD 326 and 335 at the suggestion of his mother Helena. (Top)

The Last Supper: is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his arrested. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper". (Top)

Jordan River: The Holy Land’s most important river, feeding the Sea of Galilee and Dead Sea. Jesus was baptized in the river by John the Baptist near Jericho . The Jordan River is an unusual stream that flows from 3000 feet above sea level at Mt. Hermon in Syria to the Dead Sea at 1300 feet below sea level. (Top)

The Garden of Gethsemane: is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most famous as the place where, according to Biblical texts, Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before Jesus' arrested. (Top)

The Sea of Galilee: also known as Lake Tiberias, one of the largest fresh water lake in the area. Many of Jesus's disciples were fishermen there, and he did much of his preaching by its shores and performed the miracle of the Multiplication of the loaves and fishes. The lake is fed partly by underground springs although its main source is the Jordan River which flows through it from north to south. (Top)

The Mount of Beatitudes: The hill at the northwestern point of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. The flower-filled gardens of the Mount of Beatitudes are a treat for visitors. (Top)

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Bethlehem: it means "House of Bread". its a Palestinian city in the central West Bank, with a population of about 30,000 people. (Top)

Beit Sahour:‎ is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority. With a population of about 12,367. (Top)

Beit Jala: is an Arab Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, Beit Jala had 12,239 inhabitants. (Top)

Shepherd's Field: It is located in the town of Beit Sahour 2 km east of Bethlehem. This is the where the angel of the Lord appeared before the shepherds bringing them the good tidings of the birth of Jesus. (Top)

Manger Square: is an important city square in the center of Bethlehem. It takes its name from the manger where Jesus was born which, according to Christian dogma, is in the Church of the Nativity. Also around Manger Square is the Mosque of Omar and the Palestinian Peace Center. (Top)

Jerusalem Wilderness: It is a protectoral area and, there are Bedouin in this area come from Arab Al Kina’n and Al Rashida family. They from area to another asking form water and grass, some of them stay at this area by all the year, some become citizens in this area and farmers. (Top)

Herodian palace: Some 12 km. south of Jerusalem, on a hill shaped like a truncated cone that rises 758 m. above sea level, stood Herodium, the palace-fortress built by King Herod. It had a breathtaking view, overlooking the Judean Desert and the mountains of Moab to the east, and the Judean Hills to the west.(Top)

Hebron: is located in the southern West Bank, 30 km south of Jerusalem. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians. (Top)

Abraham’s Path: is a long-distance walking trail that traces the footsteps of the ancient patriarch from Sanliurfa in southeast Turkey through Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. Designed as a cultural route, the path offers hikers the opportunity to engage with the peoples and landscapes of the region firsthand, and to see the region from a new. (Top)

Solomon’s Pools: are located immediately to the south of al-Khader and about 5 kilometres southwest of Bethlehem. The pools consist of three open cisterns, each pool with a 6 metre drop to the next, fed from an underground spring. (Top)

Milk Grotto: is located to the south of the Church of the Nativity. It is considered sacred because, according to the tradition, the Holy Family took shelter here during the slaughter of the Innocents, before their flight to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. While Marry was nursing her child Jesus, a drop of milk fell on the ground of the cave turning it white. (Top)

Jerusalem: is the capital of Palestine, though not internationally recognized as such. If the area and population of East Jerusalem is included, it is Palestine's largest city in both population and area, with a population of 763,800 residents. (Top)

The Mount of Olives: is the hill that rises to the east of the Old City. It's slopes have been used as a place of burial since the 3rd millennium BC. The hill is also dotted with sites connected with the last days of Jesus Christ, but the highlight for many visitors is the superb view of the Old City from the summit. (Top)

Chapel of the Ascension: is a shrine located on the Mount of Olives, in the at-Tur district of Jerusalem. Part of a larger complex consisting first of a Christian church and monastery, then an Islamic mosque, it is located on a site the faithful traditionally believe to be the earthly spot where Jesus ascended into Heaven forty days after his resurrection. It houses a slab of stone believed to contain one of his footprints. (Top)

The Church of the Paternoster: also known as the Sanctuary of the Eleona, is a partially reconstructed Roman Catholic church located on the Mount of Olives, north of the Tombs of the Prophets, in Jerusalem. It stands on the traditional site of Christ's teaching of the Lord's Prayer. (Top)

Dominus Flevit: is a Roman Catholic church located on the Mount of Olives immediately facing the Old City of Jerusalem. (Top)

The Church of All Nations: also known as the Church or Basilica of the Agony, is a Roman Catholic church located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, next to the Garden of Gethsemane. It enshrines a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before his arrest. (Top)

The Dome of the Rock: is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The structure has been refurbished many times since its initial completion in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik. The site's significance stems from religious traditions regarding the rock, known as the Foundation Stone, at its heart. (Top)

Mount Zion: an area of the city traditionally linked with the Last Supper. (Top)

The Church of the Visitation: honors the visit paid by Mary, Jesus' mother, to Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother. The church is beautifully adorned with tiled representations of that canticle in many of the worlds languages. (Top)

Jericho: is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. (Top)

The Dead Sea: also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are 423 meters (1,388 ft) below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. (Top)

St. George Orthodox Monastery: is a monastery located in Wadi Qelt, in the eastern West Bank. The sixth-century cliff-hanging complex, with its ancient chapel and gardens, is active and inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. (Top)

The Mount of Temptation: was the hill in the Judean Desert where Jesus was tempted by the devil. (Top)

Taybeh: is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, 35 kilometers north of Jerusalem and 12 kilometers northeast of Ramallah. Taybeh had a population of 1,452. (Top)

Nablus: is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately 63 kilometers north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. (Top)

Jacob's Well: is a deep well hewn of solid rock that has been associated in religious tradition with Jacob for roughly two millennia. It is situated a short distance from the archaeological site of Tell Balata. (Top)

Tell Balata: is the site of the remains of an ancient city located in the Palestinian West Bank. The built-up area of Balata, a Palestinian village and suburb of Nablus, covers about one-third of the tell, and overlooks a vast plain to the east. (Top)

Sabastia: Located 10 kilometers to the northwest of Nablus is the ancient royal city of Sabastia. It is best reached from Nablus via a magnificent colonnaded street that leads to the top of a hill. (Top)

Nazareth: is the largest city in the North District Palestine. The city is described as the childhood home of Jesus, and as such is a center of Christian pilgrimage, with many shrines commemorating biblical events. (Top)

The Church of the Annunciation: located in Nazareth is a modern Catholic church built over the remains of Byzantine and Crusader churches. It incorporates the cave in which the Virgin Mary received the news from Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus. (Top)

Mary’s Well: is reputed to be located at the site where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would bear the Son of God. (Top)

Capernaum: Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500. (Top)

Tabgha: is an area situated on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee in Palestine. It is the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. (Top)

Mt. Tabor: is located in Lower Galilee, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, 11 miles (18 km) west of the Sea of Galilee. (Top)

Haifa: is the largest city in northern Palestine, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. (Top)

Mount Carmel: is a coastal mountain range in northern Palestine stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. (Top)

Caesarea Maritima: was a city and harbor built by Herod the Great about 25–13 BC. Today, its ruins lie on the Mediterranean coast about halfway between the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, on the site of Pyrgos Stratonos. (Top)

Emmaus: was an ancient town located approximately 7 miles (11 km) northwest of present day Jerusalem. The New Testament reports that Jesus appeared before two of his followers in Emmaus after his resurrection. (Top)