Kiryat Shmona

Kiryat Shmona, Israel’s northernmost city, nestles in the Hula Valley, in the heart of one of the most beautiful nature and tourism regions. The city is named in memory of the eight fallen heroes of the 1920 battle over nearby Tel Hai (Shmona is the Hebrew word for eight). 

Kiryat Shmona was founded in 1949 on the ruins of the Arab village of Khalsa, as a transit camp for immigrants who worked mainly in farming, and over the years the city was built and industries developed there. There are currently a number of successful manufacturing plants in Kiryat Shmona, although the city serves mainly as a commercial and tourism center for the surrounding communities.

The southern entrance to Kiryat Shmona is at the bottom of Manara cliff, the site of Israel’s longest scenic cable car (1,900 meters), which takes visitors up the high cliffs to Kibbutz Manara. The site has a breathtaking observation point overlooking the Hula Valley and the surrounding area, a restaurant, hiking path, activities for children, a challenging sports center with a climbing wall and the longest omega in Israel, with the steepest slope in the world (!). Visitor can also rappel down a 42-meter cliff face ride on an all-terrain bicycle trail with bicycles that can be rented on site.

Shehumit hill rises on the east side of Kiryat Shmona, offering an panoramic view of the city and the northern Hula Valley. Not far from here is the municipal Golden Park, built on both sides of the route of the Ein Zahav (Golden Spring) Stream. At the center of the park are broad lawns and small forest of poplar and Syrian ash trees. A flour mill from the Ottoman Period (1517-1917) still stands beside the stream, and in the north part of the park there is a small mosque made of checkered basalt and chalk stone, a remnant of the Arab village. The mosque now houses a museum of Kiryat Shmona’s history, including a photographic exhibition from the city’s early days and an audiovisual program documenting the city’s development. The old inn near the city center is an ancient building that once served as a castle. The inn is made of chiseled stone adorned with arches and has a small courtyard and a theater in the center. This building is now used as an arts center and hosts various events. 

Kiryat Shmona offers tourists guest rooms, restaurants, shopping centers and entertainment, and surrounding the city are many streams and natural and historic sites, including Khurshat Tal National Park, the Hula Valley Nature Reserve, the Tel Dan Nature Reserve and Tel Hai.

come and see Zikhron Ya’akov

Zikhron Ya’akov is a wonderful town for tourists, both local and foreign. This picturesque moshava semi-cooperative farming community built at the tip of the Carmel mountain range is the first moshava ever built in Israel and is a main tourism and vacation site in this region. 

Anyone who visits Zikhron Ya’akov goes straight to Ha-Nadiv Street, and Ha-Meyasdim Street in the town center, which has become a very popular pedestrian mall, thanks to the special atmosphere in this place. The streets are paved with stones and pass between the moshava’s original houses (some of which have been reconstructed), which are bustling with activity. 

There are many quaint and charming restaurants and coffee shops, interspersed between beautifully designed stores that sell local art works and lovely souvenirs. There are art galleries, unique artists' studios and workshops. New, modern buildings stand alongside old ones, such as the synagogue and the administration building, an old courtyard with a display of antique agricultural implements. 

Two of the moshava’s original buildings have been turned into history museums:Beit Aharonson - dedicated to the history of the pre-state NILI underground resistance organization - and the Museum of the First Aliya (wave of immigration to Israel). All these and more make the main street a vibrant and colorful celebration of history and life.

From its early days, Zikhron Ya’akov had two main characteristics: wine and tranquility. The moshava’s founding farmers cultivated vineyards and the large winery built here in 1889 became the area’s most important industry. The winery (now owned by Carmel Mizrahi wineries), has a visitors center with free guided tours. During the British Mandate period (1917-1948), the moshava became a holiday resort and rural vacations site, and to this day has hotels, spas and guesthouses.

Zikhron Ya’akov was founded in 1882 and was assisted greatly by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, a Jewish philanthropist who established and financially supported many of the early moshava communities. During World War I the moshava became the headquarters of the NILI underground organization, which provided the British with intelligence information in order to help the British conquer the Turks, who ruled the country at that time. Despite rapid urban development after Israel’s independence, and even though the local population has grown thanks to immigration absorption, the unique rustic character of the town has been preserved.

Zikhron Ya’akov is surrounded by many tourism sites. To the south are the Ramat ha-Nadiv Gardens, a special, well-tended garden planted around the tombs of Baron Rothschild and his wife Adelaide. Opposite the gardens is a lovely nature reserve with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean coastline. Near the entrance to these sites is Ha-Nokdim farm, which offers activities from the past, such as camel rides and Bedouin hospitality, for children and families. Further south is the beautiful Shuni fortress, from the Roman period, and to the north the Carmel mountains rise in all their glory.

trip to Be’er Sheba

The capital of the Negev, the Old City, the university, the Turkish railway station, and the Bedouin market represent only a part of the colorful mosaic offered by the city of Be’er Sheba, a city full of life and proud of itself, as you will be told by any of its 185,000 inhabitants. 

Be’er Sheba, spelt Beersheba in most English translations of the Bible, is a major crossroads whose potential was felt by Abraham, father of the Jewish people, who arrived here 3,700 years ago. He dug a well to water his flock, made a covenant of peace with Abimelech, the king of Gerar in those days, and the two swore allegiance to one another. “Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath" (Genesis 21, Verse 21). To symbolize his ownership of the well, he planted a tamarisk tree. Thus the city of Be’er Sheba struck roots at that place and at that time. Abraham’s descendants continued to live here, in a place that was the cradle of monotheism. 

Be’er Sheba is located at the intersection of two ancient important international road junctions: The "Way of the Sea" (Via Maris) which extended along the shoreline in the west, and the King’s Highway (the Valley Route) in the east. Consequently, the city is mentioned throughout biblical times as a wayside station, as a resting spot, as a border point and as a ritual center.

Tel Be’er Sheba, five kilometers east of the city, is usually identified with biblical Be’er Sheba. The site is fascinating, and contains the ruins of a walled city from the Israelite monarchic period. Due to the wonderful finds there, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 2005. In the Roman Period, the settlement spread to the area of present-day Be’er Sheba, and was located in the center of the Limes Palestinae, the Roman defense layout from Rafah (Rafi’akh) to the Dead Sea, which mainly consisted of fortresses built the borderline. When the Romans converted to Christianity, it served as the Episcopal residence (the residence of the Bishop) and several churches were built there. The Crusaders also built a fortress in the city, but when it was destroyed it remained desolate for a long time.

Modern-day Be’er Sheba was founded at the start of the twentieth century by the Ottomans, and was the only city that the Turks built in the Land of Israel. Remains of buildings from this period and from the time of the British Mandate can be seen in the Old City, located in the south of the city. These include the Governor’s House – the residence and office of the city’s governor, which was built in 1906 and today houses the Negev Museum of Art; the city’s first mosque also built in 1906; the Turkish railway station built during the First World War; the station manager’s house; the water tower that supplied the trains’ steam engines with water; the Saraya – the Government House (today the city’s police station); a public garden; and additional buildings that tell the fascinating story of Be’er Sheba under Turkish rule. 

The Jewish city was established in 1949. It developed and turned into the center of the south and became the capital of the Negev. Today, it has museums, a zoo, historical sites, one of the largest universities in Israel, and on Thursdays – the famous Bedouin market. 

The market was officially opened in 1905, and became a weekly event where the Bedouins sold various wares. Nowadays, the market has modern stalls (footwear, clothing, etc) alongside authentic Bedouin stalls where you can buy unique items such as copper products, glassware, jewelry, beads and precious stones, as well as mats, carpets, cushions, and the like. The market is variegated, vibrant, exceedingly charming, and colorful. 

Another important hub is the Center for Ethiopian Craftsmanship where new immigrant women preserve the ancient handicraft traditions of Ethiopian Jewry as practiced in their home villages, and engage in modeling earthenware, embroidering, sculpting, and straw crafts.

Israel Diving in The Red Sea

Situated at the southern most tip of Israel on the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea, Eilat nestles between jagged red mountains and crystal clear waters, ruffled by nothing more then a gentle northerly breeze. 
The year-long hot, dry climate attracts not only tourists from colder reaches, but also provides a haven for myriad coral and fish species endemic to the bay.

The city of Eilat is a great choice as a dive holiday destination. The Red Sea is a narrow and elongated stretch of blue water, bordered by mountains with an average height of 1,000 – 1,500 meters, with peaks over 2,500 meters above sea level. It is connected to the Indian Ocean at the strait of Bab el Mandab – the gate of tears and to the Gulf of Aqaba at the straits of Tiran. The shallow depths of the straits at only 134 meters are avoiding the accesses of cold waters from the deep Indian Ocean to the Red Sea. 
Although the Gulf of Aqaba is very narrow, with 23.5 km at the widest point, it is very deep with a maximum of 1,829 meters at the deepest point – a fact that creates a very steady water temperature of between 22º to 28º Celsius all year long. 
The coast of the Red Sea is bordered by coral formations with more than 1,200 species of fish and more than 250 species of corals. The desert climate of the area provides a long summer with many sunny days needed by the corals to maintain themselves.

At Eilat you can find world class diving. The local nature reserve hosts a reef of more than 1,200 meters long. It is the northern point at the world in which corals can be found. Divers from all over the world arrive to Eilat to view its wonderful underwater wonders. 
Diving is very popular at this region, with more than 10 dive centers at Eilat and over 20 different dive sites, almost all of which are accessed from shore. Eilat is vary often used as a home base to divers traveling to the city of Aqaba at Jordan, or the Sinai peninsula at Egypt, but you will find no safer and diver friendly dive destination all around the world!

Eilat offers the best environment for dive courses and a few thousand certifications are issued every year. If you're interested in diving, there are a few options.

 As a certified diver you will be asked to show the following documents:

1.     Diving certificate – a card with name and picture from a known dive organization (such as PADI, CMAS, NAUI, SSI, IANTD, TDI, ACUC, and others).

2.     Divers log book – indicating you have been diving in the last 6 months. Divers who haven't been diving more than 6 months will be asked to join a refresh dive before they participate in other dive activities.

3.  Divers Insurance – specific divers insurance which covers recompression chamber treatment or any other necessary medical treatment for diving incident.