Dust of ages on the soles
Calling with tape conveyor luggage, you leave Ben Gurion International Airport. Looking at a curious look a huge space, scored by all kinds of transport, between which rare green plantings are blocked. So, it became, and the country of books looks like? Not the slightest hint of old days, on history, on great events. Listen, yes, everything happened here?
Doubts begin to dissipate on the way in Jerusalem, when you from your bus heights discover the ruins of the ancient hotel on the side of the road. Centuries ago, pilgrims who were walking from the Mediterranean port of Yaffo (now Tel Aviv) were found here, koleni. The slopes of the hills are covered with a flat neat forest – Jerusalem Pine, landed after the six-day war of 1967.
Gorge between the mountains planted with orange trees. Water is connected to each village, everything is pouring strictly on schedule. The invention of Israeli engineers has long ceased to be news, but is striking everyone who saw the fruits of their many years of work alive.
Twenty minutes of the path from the ancient inn – and in front of the eyes there are white-named Jerusalem buildings, descending along the hills like stairs, – a sample of the magnificent modern Israeli architecture. Once the British issued a decree, according to which it was possible to build in Jerusalem the only one of the white stone mined in quarries around the city. A variety of build-style builds formed thanks to a single material architectural ensemble. Old Decree After the formation of the state, Israel turned into a voluntarily executable law, thanks to which the new areas were scattered in Jerusalem Hills do not fall out of the general picture.
Here is the gate of the old city. Their eight around the perimeter of the city wall, erected in the XVI century by Sultan Suleiman Magnificent. The most crowded of them are the Yafsky, erected at the same Suleiman, through which in the morning and until the dark crowd of foreign crowds of foreign tourists.
New (so-called) The gate were punched at the end of the last century for the direct entry into the Christian Quarter of the Old Town. Schhem gates open access to Muslims. The only closed gates are also drawn – gold, through which sooner or later in Jerushalim will include Masters – Messiah. Hoping to prevent him from and counting on the law-abidingness of the Jews, the Arabs a few centuries ago littered the golden gate tightly, and outside the Muslim cemetery were arranged: according to the Jewish tradition, no shrine, whether the temple or burial place, let him be belonging to the enemy, could not be destroyed.
Zion gates (David’s gate) open four hundred years ago on Mount Zion and directed towards Hebron. And, finally, the garbage gate – not so much entry into the old city, how much the shortest path leading to the main Jewish shrine, to Western Wall, as foreigners, or the wall of crying, as we call it the only surviving wall of the temple complex, erected at Irode. Between huge stones forming the wall, the grass makes itself, and all the slots are covered with notes with the words of requests and plentic. And in front of the wall – the shocked and frozen in amazement is a shocked multi-faceted public, more or less religious, and even the absolutely secular, combined at best of the unified historical homeland.
Turning your head, you will see a giant Golden Dome of the Omar Mosque, built on the site of the destroyed temple. Muslims are confident that the prophet Mohammed will be ascended from this sacred place. If you are lucky and you will find yourself on the square in front of the wall in those rare hours when visitors are allowed in the lobster mosque (twice a day for two hours), do not regret 25 shekels (about $ 8, which for Jerusalem museums is indecent expensive) and look at it. Optional to divide Islam’s doctrine to evaluate an amazing transparent blue ornament, decorating the mosque for all eight faces, not sweating from the VII century, when the lobster mosque and the second mosque of the Tempent Mountain were built – Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Romans, founding the colony of Elia Capitoline destroyed by Jerusalem, laid two roads through it – from north to south and from east to west, dividing the whole territory for four quarters – Jewish, Christian, Armenian and Muslim. Approximate this confessional and national division exists now. In the Armenian Quarter and today inhabit the main Armenians (they, unlike Jews, repeatedly from Jerusalem expelled, live in the city longer than any other people). There are also shops with a wonderful ceramics, and the Armenian seminary, and the church, ascetic, but very beautiful, opening their doors only an hour per day, with hanging on chains of boards instead of bells.
The Jewish Quarter was destroyed to the foundation by Jordanians, and therefore a brand new. And perhaps the only bright and clean. The only truly old Jewish, so to speak, the construction is the Wall.
Muslim Quarter – Infinite Market Rows. There are arabs and live. You step under the arranging of the Arab market, from which drying laundry, and, look at the white and purple Arab handkerchief, ringing decorations and transfusions with all colors of Hevronskoye glass, see on the wall of the first plate VIA Doloryozo, pointing to the godstock stop. Focusing on these parking, you approach the temple of the coffin of the Lord – a strange building, to the entrance to which steps, but not up, as usual to the temple, and down.
Constantinople Elena Elena decided that in this place is Calvary – respectively, and the temple is here. Since then, new versions and theories confirming and refuting this statement have occurred. Be that as it may, in the middle of our century, documents for possession of the temple were signed by several Christian denominations – the Orthodox Greeks, Armenians-Gregorians, Catholics and the Syrian Church. Protestants to the section of the cake did not have time, and they did not have anything, as soon as nourishing his own version of Calvary. True believer such little things, rather a mercantile character, rather than religious, usually indifferent. On that he and believer.
Oilseed mountain with a hethymansky garden, a historic olive, a little older than Jesus, Russian "White" The church of Mary Magdalene and a couple more churches – already behind the feature of the old city. Behind the ancient wall there are still many Jerusalem sights, old and modern, personifying Jerusalem at no less than Via Doldoros or the Tower of David.
This is the Mill Montteophiri, who pulled out the Jews because of the walls of the Old Town, and the Knesset building with mosaics and tapestries Mark Stegal, and the University Hospital Synagogue, for which the same Chagall created his "Window" – 12 stained glass windows, each of which is dedicated to one of the knees of Israel.
The most lively – and the long – Central Street of Yaffo, with a huge market, noisy and abundant, and next to the respectable King George and the expensive pedestrian Ben-Yehuda, for which the usual motley of Jerusalem crowd is in a hurry: the orthodox gentlemen in hats and expensive fur heads, large families Families, recent Soviet immigrants, and not changed native speech, bright vulgar, with legs to heads in gold, Moroccan Jews, amazing beauty of yemente, fine-eyed drone black ether. Together, they form the population of the city of the world – one of the versions is so deciphered by the name "Jerusalem" ("IR" – town, "Shalom" – peace).
At the place of the tree, from which the cross was made, the monastery of the cross was erected, where the Rustaveli Shoteli rushed as a novice. Over time, the Georgian church was depleted and forced to sell the shrine of the Greeks. The grave of Rustaveli, as we know, not found – but maybe he was stubborn there, under the arches of the Georgian monastery?
Even more than in the old town, monasteries and churches on the outskirts of Jerusalem, in Ein Coreme. Women’s monastery of the Order of St. Vincent, where the nuns with one characteristic patient patients are careful with children, the church of the meeting (Mary with Elizabeth) from an ancient source, where the famous prophecy of her husband Elizabeth is written in ceramics in all languages of the world – Zechariah, Franciscan Men’s Monastery "John in the desert", Monastery of the Order of Zion Sisters, at which there is a hotel, and the non-microgenic female Russian Gorenia Monastery, the property of the Moscow Patriarchate. Monasteries – in the mountains, their foot – the former Arab village, turned over the past thirty years in a luxurious, drowning the area in the gardens, populated by lucky musicians and artists (a beggar of Bohemia is inhabited by the market that in Yaffo).
The artistic and archaeological collections of the Israel Museum are certainly inferior to the best galleries and historical meetings of Europe and States. If only because younger. But there, in the museum of the book, the original Svitkov Torah are kept (the building so cherry is built that in case of danger, it will immediately fall under the ground – and the scrolls will not suffer). And on the huge territory of the museum, in the open sky, the fragments of the Roman columns peacefully adjacent to the cubist masterpiece of Picasso and a funny column, the framework of which is composed of the interconnected, sticking out of all directions from concrete cast bases of sewing machines "Singer" – like the one on which scum your grandmother.
Yad Vashem, the Catastrophe Museum, where evidence of the destruction of European Jewry are collected, is not included in the list of historical objects. And no one is a museum, but rather, a monument. Not wanting to think on vacation about tragic, you can not go to it. It is clear that at least half a day for an unemployed event (not enough), in a break between hurry shopping in the Arab market and a long-awaited visit to the diamond stock exchange, is difficult. But to understand what Jerusalem is and what is Israel, without having passed on the children’s memorial, where the only candle is reflected in the fragments of thousands of mirrors, and the monotonous voice lists the names of the children killed during the Holocaust, and without making several steps along the alley of the righteous, – it is impossible.
Unlike Israelis, considering the main city of Jerusalem, most of the governments of foreign states recognize the right to be called the capital for Tel Aviv. Attractions – not the strong side of Tel Aviv. Restored anew an ancient port of Jaffa today is the main decoration of the city, his "Old" part, asylum of local artists. Modern business city, very temperate sizes, in some places, expensive and well-groomed, somewhere slightly, surrounded by suburbs forming together "Big" Tel Aviv.
Luxury streets are descended to the sea, at which the first floors of houses are divided between small expensive gallery, boutiques, private dentists and lawyers: imperrupt traditions. Along the embankment stretches the endless chain of hotel towers, on the beach – small sand. To swim and sunbathe, however, it is possible not in Tel Aviv, but, let’s say, in Netanya, located nearby: Hotels are not worse than in Tel Aviv, and life is calmer. And the feeling that I did not go from Russia: everything is explained in Russian around. But for swimming is not yet – not the season, and postponing Mediterranean fun for a couple of months, you will touch the way towards Galilee.
On the way, the settlement of Bedouins is scattered – "True Arabs", According to their own definition. It is believed that they are fabulously rich – while inconsistent treasures, allegedly overgoing centuries from generation to generation, no one has seen. In the evening, when it is dark, under a tightened decking awning, the TV screen is shine, and next to the camel can easily stand a new microach Volkswagen or Ford Tranzit.
In line, another capital of Israel, the time of the Roman Empire, the residence of the procurators of Judea – Caesarea, the first in the history of artificial port. City, built during Herod, with amphitheater, baths, aqueducts. The amphitheater on a cool hill is perfectly preserved and serves as a scene for opera performances: in the days of the premier, the monument comes to life, the stars sing on stage, and in the open-air hall, the crowd of Melomanov’s crowd. Caesaria itself is almost erased from the face of the earth and appears in front of us in the form of ruins, only hinting on the former splendor.
Lake Kinyet (Galilee or Genisaret Sea, Tivsel Lake) – "Honey" the whole country that keeps huge and almost the only stocks of fresh water in Israel. Circling the lake along banana plantations, the bus rises to the Golan heights, a real oasis, striking juicy greens, amazing even for a non-sung of Kineteta Valley. Disputes around the mentioned hill do not shut down from the moment of joining it to Israel, that is, since 1967. But settlements are standing, and people cultivate their gardens there, as if nothing had happened. The refined boastful poem of Mayakovsky, readily told by each Russian-speaking Israeli ("And from our window of Jordan is visible, and from your window – only Syria is a little bit") – not sounded. There are places on the Golan, from which the openwork minarets of Damascus are viewed as a palm, but Jordan can only be distinguished by gazing in the distance, and then with perfect weather.
But the city of Tiberia, the Galilee Capital stands the other coast of Long Kineta. Tourists are planted here in the boat – for a walk on the lake (on the water of Aki, do not for everyone). A small one, a person for 30-35, it seems like built according to old drawings, almost the beginning of a new era, but equipped with a completely modern motor. There are several such vessels, all worn the names of the apostles or the teacher himself.
And after the lake – it’s time in the restaurant, sit in the water and taste the fish of St. Peter: the trout is reminded in fried form, only here. (In the exquisite Viennese restaurant, where the same product was in the menu, I was confirmed: sent from Israel. But in Vienna, it is expensive to eat with a shiniel, and Petrov’s fish leave the Israeli chefs.)
Next to the Genisaret coast is a taburch, where Jesus divided five breads and two fish – the same as those that you just eaten the whole – for five thousand people. Near, in Cana Galilee, the historical transformation of water in wine happened. There are two churches on this place – the old Orthodox and Catholic, Ponovoe. And immediately offer to buy like the same wine. Inexpensive, so risk.
Born in Bethlehem (seven kilometers from Jerusalem), the first thirty years of life Christ spent in Nazareth. On the site of the housing Mary and Joseph stood a tiny chapel. In the 50s, the Vatican decided that the place where Archangel Gabriel told Mary his revelations worthy of more. Many countries participated in the construction of a new temple, and evidence of this participation – mosaic on the walls, Ethiopian, Japanese, Italian, French.
North Capital of Israel – Haifa, Huge Port and Industrial Center. According to the table of ranks, Jerusalem prays, Tel Aviv has fun and only Haifa – works. Christ did not attend these places, but here, on Mount Karmel (carmelites – it’s from here) there lived the prophet Elijah. Mount Dala Shelter New Religion – Baháhism, as if uniting all the best, what is in Judaism, Muslim and Christianity. Bahaisists have two passions: singing psalms of their own essay and paint everything that will fall under hand, gold paint. You can imagine what their majestic Bahaky Temple looks like: Golden Grille, Golden Dome, Golden Birds in the Garden, Surrounding Temple.
And in the very south of the country – the city of Eilat, the winter resort, which is superior to the level of comfort and quality of hotels All other Krasnoman. No historical value (not counting the Timna Reserve – the ancient kings of King Solomon, twenty kilometers) Eilat does not represent and serves as a place of rest. Israelis adore in the midst of winter to fly to the weekend on the Red Sea, the benefit of small planes land in the middle of the city. The water temperature is rarely lowered in Eilat below 20 degrees, and air is below 25. The bottom of the sea is littered with corals, swimming large and small fish rainbow fish in the water. And where corals are not, – Dolphins. You can see the underwater world by desolateing in the natural Yellow submarine, swimming in a boat with a glass bottom or looking into the aquarium (fenced piece of sea).
Despite the ban on gambling business, acting in Israel, in Eilat there is a casino – not on the land of the country, but on the courts. Local entertainment: buy an excursion to the game floating house, spend the night there, with or without good, and by the morning to go ashore. the Forbidden fruit is sweet.
Moving from Eilat in the Negev desert back, to Jerusalem, you go down the lower, roll over the border column with the SEA LEVEL pointer (level of the sea), watch from the bus window, how green hills turn pretty quickly into lifeless peaks, the landscape becomes more and more moon. Finally you reach the lowest point of the planet. This is also a resort, but a completely different kind – the Dead Sea.
Hotels here are simultaneously by sanatoriums and hospitals: many diseases are considered that many diseases are cured only here. Not to visit here at least once, having arrived in Israel, – stupid. But for a long time to linger the person healthy special need not.
Several useful tips to those who are going to enter the Dead Sea for the first time: do not try to swim in water, heavy oil flowing from the skin, is the sea not for speed lovers; Try to keep the balance, without turning around – the eyes hurt; Do not pay attention to the fact that the pluglet in all places is accustomed in a couple of minutes. Bathing in the company pleasant people to you. Chat with friends, "Sitting" In dense, like lifeless water of the sea – the pleasure of the incomparable. And most importantly: coming out of the sea, immediately rinse under the fresh shower (their full), while the caustic salt has not covered with crystals your skin.
Minerals dissolved in the sea may be useful for skin – if they compete correctly. What is successful and deals with one of the few profitable Israeli kibbuts. Creams made in it are known in the world under the brand AHAVA. What in Russian means "love".
