The State of Israel was created in the Land of Israel which was promised to the People of Israel according to Jewish tradition. It was where Jesus, the Christian Messiah, was born and the place where Mohammed, the Moslem Prophet, ascended to heaven. The meeting place of three continents and two seas, the country is a skein of cultures, customs and traditions, a country that was home to many people, cultures and changing religions.

Jesus, the Christian messiah and the founder of Christianity, was born when the country was under Roman rule, but it took 300 years until Christianity was legitimized in the Roman Empire.

In the year 1948, the British Mandate came to an end and the State of Israel was created.  Its population includes different peoples and religions, religious and secular, Arab Moslems and Arab Christians, Druze, Bedouins, Circassians, Samaritans and Jews from 70 diasporas, from East and Western Europe, North Africa, Asia, North and South America. All of these cultures, peoples and religions created a rich tapestry of tradition, beliefs and customs that encapsulate the holy and the secular, the past and the present, the east and the west.

Bethlehem View Map Bethlehem is a Palestinian city located in the central West Bank and approximately 5 miles south of Jerusalem and is the birth place of Jesus of Nazareth. The town is inhabited by one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, although the size of the community has shrunk due to emigration. Bethlehem's chief economic sector is tourism which peaks during the Christmas season when Christian pilgrims throng to the Church of the Nativity. Rachel's Tomb, an important Jewish holy site, is located at the northern entrance of Bethlehem. It has over thirty hotels and three hundred handicraft work shops. Caesarea View Map In the Byzantine period, Caesarea was an important Christian center and according to Christian tradition it was here that the first idol worshiper the Roman centurion Cornelius, was converted. Standing side by side over an area of 125 acres, there are architectural remains from the 3rd century BC to the 12th century BC, when Caesarea was a port city and spent many years as Israel’s capital. Caesarea is named after Augustus Caesar who gifted this city to King Herod. Herod built a massive port there alongside entertainment facilities, bathhouses and temples. Cana View Map Capernaum View Map Capernaum is sometimes referred to as the 'City of Jesus' - the town where Jesus lived in the house of Peter performing from there his miracles, healings and teaching.  The property was first bought by the Franciscans in 1894 and excavations in 1968 uncovered the house of the apostle Peter as well as a 4th century synagogue.  It was also in Capernaum that Jesus performed eight miracles. This small fishing village is where Jesus first called his disciples after leaving Nazareth. Carmel View Map There are excellent places for nature hikes all over the Carmel. The Mukhraka, which means “burned place,” where Elijah faced off against the prophets of Baal and God sent down fire from Heaven, and the Carmelite monastery are sites highly recommended for their beautiful views.  Dead Sea View Map This is the lowest section of the earth's crust. It is 1200 feet below sea level, 60 miles long and 13 miles wide and lies between the present-day Jordan and Judean mountainside of Israel. No living organism can survive in these waters since its geological bottom is full of minerals, sulfur, iodine, and potassium. The mud found at its bottom is quite medicinal for skin disorders. Towards the southern end of the sea, pillars of salt begin to emerge from the waters. Not far away from this region lies Sodom and Gomorrah. Eilat View Map Eilat is Israel's southernmost city, a busy port as well as a popular tourist resort, located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Eilat. The city is part of the Southern Negev Desert, at the southern end of the Arava and is adjacent to the Egyptian village of Taba, to the south, and the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, to the east. Ein Karem View Map Galilee View Map In  the present village of Kefar-Kanna Jesus performed his first  public miracle, changing water into wine for the wedding party at Cana. The most important site in the village is the Catholic church built in 1879, on the traditional site of this miracle. Beside this church is the Greek Orthodox church of St George, built in 1886 which house two stone jars that Greek Orthodox followers believe are the jars in which Jesus performed the miracle of the wine. On the northern shoreline of the Sea of Galilee is where Jesus first called his disciples Peter, Andrew, James and John. It was on this lake that he calmed the storm and walked on its waters. Golan Heights View Map The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau and mountainous region at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains and remains a highly contested land straddling the borders of Syria and Israel. Two-thirds of the area is currently governed by Israel. In addition to its strategic importance militarily, the Golan Heights contributes significantly to the water resources of the region. This is true particularly at the higher elevations, which are snow-covered much of the year in the cold months and help to sustain baseflow for rivers and springs during the dry season. The Golan Heights are the source of about 15% of Israel's water supply. Haifa View Map Jericho View Map Jericho sits between Mt Nebo in the east, the Central Mountains to the west and the Dead Sea to the south and is the oldest city in the world, dating from 7000 BC.  For Christians, Jericho took on importance because of its association with John the Baptist, who was said to have been baptized by the banks of the Jordan. It was here that the tax collector, Zacchaeus, touched by Jesus' spirit gave half of his belongings to the poor. Here lies also the Chapel of the Mount of Temptation where Jesus was tempted by Satan. The city briefly returned to glory when Caliph Hisham Ibn Abd el-Malik built his winter palace in Jericho in 743, but an earthquake destroyed virtually the entire city just four years later. About four miles east of Jericho is the Allenby Bridge, one of the two crossing points into Jordan. Jerusalem View Map The city of Jerusalem with its roots reflected in Judaism and Christianity in the early centuries and then later with Islam in the 7th century AD is the eternal city for some 600,000 people.  Its ancient walls measure two and a half miles in circumference and has nine gates, eight of which are open for the pubolic. The closed gate is called 'The Golden Gate'. Within its ancient walls some 33,000 inhabitants share four principle quarters - Jewish, Christian, Armenian and Moslem. From ancient times it was a prize possession to govern. For Jews, its importance lies within its ancient Temple first built by Solomon and later re-built by Herod the Great. For Christians, it is within these walls that Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity was crucified on Calvary and then rose from his tomb. For Muslims, the Dome of the Rock is the place where Mohammed the prohpet made the night journey to heaven. Massada View Map Massada is a fortress built by Herod the Great on an isolated plateau rising some 1,440 feet above the western side of theDead Sea. It was here at Massada that the Jewish Zealots held out against the Roman soldiers. The northern tip of the fortress contained lavish palatial apartments for Herod the Great. The larger palace was bulit near the Western Gate. Metula View Map This is Israel's most northern town bordering with Lebanon.  The only Olympic-size ice rink is located in a local sports complex in Metula. The weather is usually cold and wet, and summers warm and dry. Snowfall occurs once in a number of years. Nazareth View Map Nazareth is the cradle of Christianity, the city where, according to tradition, the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the place where Jesus spent his childhood and youth. Right next to the Church of the Annunciation - built on the traditional site of Joseph and Mary’s home is the Church of St Joseph, built on the site where he had his carpentry shop. The Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation is built over Mary’s Well, from which Jesus' mother is said to have drank. The Old City also has important buildings from the Ottoman period, including the Saraya, or Government House and the White Mosque, which is used today as a house of prayer and an education and culture center. Netanya View Map Petra View Map Petra  is an archaeological site lying on the slope of Mount Hor. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. Petra is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced to the West by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage. Safed View Map A rather small town located in Northern Israel, 3200 feet above sea level in the mountains of the Upper Galilee, Safed commands magnificent views east to the Golan, north to the Hermon and Lebanon, west to Mt. Meron and the Amud Valley, and south to Tiberias and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). Tabgha View Map Tabgha is on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. The Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes where Jesus fed the 5,000 and the Church of the Primacy of Peter, where Jesus handed over the leadership of the Church to St Peter are located here. Tel Aviv View Map Tel Aviv is Israel's largest city and biggest commercial center spanning along the beautiful beach strip of the Mediterranean. It is a busy metropolis, which inspires its visitors with a unique energetic atmosphere of excitement and fun. It is also the country's greatest cultural center, with a variety of museums, galleries, theatres and concert halls. The ancient port city of Old Jaffa is one of the most attractive places to tour in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. There are ancient churches, which are among the most beautiful in Israel.  Tiberias View Map Tiberias is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Lower Galilee. It was named in honour of the emperor Tiberius. According to Christian tradition, Jesus performed several miracles in the Tiberias district, making it an important pilgrimage site for devout Christians. Tiberias has historically been known for its hot springs, believed to cure skin and other ailments.