Arrival at Cairo and after emigration formalities we proceed to visit the Pyramids, Sphinx Egyptian Museum and the Holy Family Church where the Holy Family stayed during their exile to Egypt with infant Jesus. Evening proceed for a Cruise at River Nile with dinner on board. Overnight at Cairo.
Early Morning check-out and Proceed o Sinai En route pass through the Suez Canal. Arrive
Sinai, view the beautiful and historical Sinai Mountains and visit St Catherine Monastery
(subject to availability) where God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and proceed to Taba Border. Dinner and Overnight at Taba
After breakfast cross the border and complete the Emigration and Customs Formalities. Enter into Israel and then Proceed to Ein Kareem, located in the hills next to a little spring. This is the city of Judah and birthplace of John the Baptist, son of Elizabeth & Zechariah and the Church of Visitation. After lunch we go to Nazareth, the Child hood home of our Lord Jesus ,Nazareth is now the centre of Christian Pilgrimage with many shrines commemorating
biblical events. Here we will also see St Joseph's work shop and Mary's well or the Mary's spring. Found just below the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation.
Then we visit Cana where Jesus performed His first Public Miracle (John 2:1-11) by turning of a large quantity of water in to wine at a wedding feast. We can spend time in the wedding church of Cana and the couples renew their wedding oath taken during their marriage in this church. Check in to Hotel, Dinner and overnight stay at Nazareth.
Now we are in to the most important days of our pilgrimage and after breakfast we check out and proceed to Mount Tabor, where the transfiguration of Jesus took place, during which Jesus began to radiate light and was seen conversing with Moses and Elijah.
(Mathew 17:1-8) There are two bell towers on either side of the entrance to the building and two chapels on both sides too. The northern chapel is dedicated to Moses and it contains an image of him getting the tablets of stone on Mount Sinai and the southren chapel is dedicated to prophet Elijah and it and it contains an image of him in his confrontation with the Ba'al prophets in Keren – Hakarmel.
On the upper part of the church, above the altar there is a mosaic which depicts the transfiguration, and on the transfiguration Holiday which begins on August 6th , it is illuminated by the sun beams which are returned from a glass plate located on the church's floor. Capernaum is considered to be the home of Apostles Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John as well as the tax collector Mathew and more over Capernaum was the centre of Jesus' ministry. We then go to Tabgha where Jesus multiplied the Loves and fish. (Mark 6:30-44) and the Church of Beatitudes where Jesus gives the Sermon on the Mount. "Jesus sees the multitude and goes up in to the mountain is followed by his disciples and begins to preach"
(Mathew 5:1-12). We will then visit the house of St Peter where we can find the relics of the house. The Church of Primacy of St Peter is another important attraction here. Mensa Christy is another place where Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection and dined with them. Mensa Christi is a Latin Word which stands for Table of Christ. After having St Peter's fish with the lunch we proceed to the Sea of Galilee, is the largest fresh water lake in Israel. We have a boat ride in the Sea of Galilee in a replica of a Galilean boat. This is truly amazing as we recall the readings from the New Testament; we stop at the midst of the sea just to ponder over Our Lord's Teachings. After the boat ride we will drive around the Sea of Galilee to the Jordan River Baptismal site where we will have the opportunity of renewing our baptism vows. En route we will stop near the Mount of Temptation where Jesus being tempted by satan (Mathew 4:1-11) It is generally identified with Mount Qurantania and Jebel Quarantul, both names arise from mispronunciation of the Latin word Quarantine meaning 40, the number of days in Christ's fast in the desert.
Later we pass through the Sycamore tree where Zacheus sat (Luke 19:1-10) Check in to Hotel, Dinner and overnight stay at Bethlehem.
Today we come face to face with the final goal of Jesus' own journey to Jerusalem as we follow in hi footsteps to walk the Way of the Cross. We begin by entering the walled city by the magnificent Damascus/Lion's Gate. We then walk to the Crusader Church of St. Anne, a Roman Catholic Church erected over the traditional site of the birth place of Anne (Hannah) the mother of Mary, it is an excellent example of Romanesque Architecture.
The Church is next to the Bethesda Pool where Jesus healed a paralytic (John 5:1-18) Here you can see the ruins of the Roman Temple to the God of Medicine and remains of Byzantine Church built over the Temple.
The Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) begins near the Lions Gate in the Muslim Quarter and ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Christian Quarter, covering 500 meters and incorporating 14 Stations of the Cross.
Unfortunately the Via Dolorosa can prove a difficult place for prayer and contemplation as it travels through busy streets lined with snack bars and tourist shops. As we reach near the Holy Sepulchre a stair way on the right just inside the entrance leads to Calvary or Golgotha the place where Jesus was crucified.
The first chapel is t Catholic (Franciscan) chapel of the Nailing of the Cross, station 11. Through a window in the south wall the Chapel of the Agony of the Virgin Mary can be seen. Just to the left of the altar iis a statue of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, which is station 13 Jesus' body removed from cross and given to Mary) Adjacent to the catholic chapel is the Greek Orthodox Calvary which contains the actual rock of Calvary ( station 12) The rock can be seen under the glass on either side of the main altar and beneath the altar there is a hole that allows you to touch the rock itself.
After breakfast we go to the Mount of Olives where the Chapel of Ascension is situated. This place is very important for Christians and believed to mark the place where Jesus ascended in to heaven. The small round Church contains a stone imprinted with the very footprints of Jesus Luke 24:50-52 describes undoubtedly about the ascension of Jesus.
The Church of Pater Noster stands on the traditional site in Jerusalem where Jesus taught his disciples "the Lord's Prayer Our Father in Heaven" (Luke 6:9-15) Plaques in the cloister bear the Lord's Prayer in 62 different languages. Then we go to the Palm Sunday Road where Jesus makes a triumphant entry to Jerusalem an event mentioned in four Canonical Gospels. (Mathew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, John 12: 12-19) Dominus Flevit Church is a small Franciscan Church located on the upper western slope of Mount of Olives.
According to Luke 19:41-44, as he approached Jerusalem and saw the city he wept over it "the days will come upon you when your enemies will dash you to the ground. This was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Roman's destroyed Jerusalem. The current Dominus Flevit church is in the shape of a tear drop to symbolize the Lord's tears. The Church of all Nations near Garden of Gethsemane is another important place for us to see. This is also known as The Basilica of Agony a section of bedrock where Jesus prayed before his arrest.
Mark 14:32-42. In the Garden of Gethsemane we can see the 2000 years old Olive Tree at the time of Jesus! Our next attraction here is the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu. The church takes its name from the Latin word "Gallicantu" meaning cock crow. This is in Commemoration of Peter's triple rejection of Jesus. Mark 14:66-72. The church is believed to be the location of Caiaphas house. Overnight stay in Bethlehem.
Today after breakfast we proceed to the Western wall a very important place for Jews. It is sacred for it has a remnant of the Herodias retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the second Temple.
It has also been called the Wailing Wall because the Jews gather here to lament for the loss of their Temple. Later we go to Bethania, the town of Martha and Mary. In John 11: 1-57 we can see the whole description of Martha and Mary and their brother Lazar and Jesus raises Lazarus from dead. We also visit the Tomb of Lazarus.
At the end of the days we go to the Dead Sea, which is the lowest elevation point on earth's surface (1388 ft below from the sea level) The dead sea is 1237 ft deep and the deepest hyper saline lake In the world. It is 8.6 saltier than the Ocean. This salinity makes a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish. After the Dead Sea bath we proceed to our Hotel, dinner and Over Night stay.
And now this is the time to go to the Church of Nativity, the birth place of our Lord. It is one of the oldest continuously operating Churched in the world. The structure is built over the cave that marks as the birth place of Jesus Christ. In 326 AD Constantine and his mother St. Helena commissioned the church to be built over the cave and dedicated the church on May 31 339.
This was completely destroyed by the Samaritan revolt in 529 AD. The current Basilica was rebuilt in 565 by the Emperor Justinian I. We will also visit the Grotto of St Jerome who lived and worked in Jerusalem from 384 AD and he was buried in a cave beneath the church of Nativity. St Jerome was a priest, confessor, theologian and a historian, who became the Doctor of the Church.
He is best known for his translation of the Bible in to Latin (The Vulgate) and his list of writings are extensive. He is also recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church as a Saint, where he is known as St Jerome of Stridonium.
Now we go the Milk Grotto is a serene grotto only a few Minutes walk from the Manger square. The tradition says that the Holy Family took refuge here during the slaughter of the innocents. While Mary was feeding Jesus here a drop of milk fell on the ground turning it to white.
Both Christians and Muslims believe that scrapings from the stones of grotto boost the quantity of mother's milk and enhance fertility. There is also a tradition that identifies this as the burial site of the young victims of Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents.
Being this as our last day in Jerusalem we say thanks to our Lord and Proceed to SH Bridge to cross border of Israel and enter Jordan. After emigration formalities drive to hotel , dinner and overnight stay at Amman.
After breakfast we go to Mount Nebo where Moses over looked to the promised land. We will also see the Brazen Serpent Monument atop mount Nebo which is a symbolic of the bronze.
Serpent created by Moses in the wilderness. Visit Madaba and proceed to Queen Alia International Airport , Amman for departure
A common saying now is that " Visiting Holy land is equal to reading the fifth Gospel which is unwritten" After such a beautiful experience we arrive at respective Airport with sweet memories.