October 13, 2011 Day 3-Part 2 Mt. Carmel and Megiddo and Nazareth Village

 These are olive trees on the way to Mt. Carmel.  The pictures don't do them justice.  The leaves look silvery.

 This is one of the Druze villages we passed..  Today two Druze villages are situated on Mt. Carmel.  The Druze religion is an offshoot of the Islam faith from about 1000 A.D.  The Druze people speak Arabic, live also in the hills of Galilee and the Golan Heights, and have good relations with the Jews of Israel.  They are often persecuted by Muslims.

 

Looking northeast to Megiddo Valley (Armageddon) from the top of a Carmelite Monastery on Mt. Carmel.  Mt. Carmel is the site of one of my favorite Bible stories about Elijah from 

I Kings 18. I faced north, south, east and west and declared "The Lord, He is God!!"

I'm not sure but this may be Jordan in the distance.  

As we traveled around Israel we were reminded about how vulnerable Israel was to attack.

Statue of Elijah at the Monastery

This was a roadside restaurant we stopped at after Mt. Carmel where I discovered Falafel.  I couldn't imagine that I would like it but...I was in Israel and it is a popular food in Israel so I had to try it. Falafel is usually made with chick peas and I don't like them nor do I like hummus. I was surprised to find that I love the taste of falafel-probably because it is deep fried and served in a pita with salad garnishes and sometimes tahini..

Beginning the 2nd part of the climb to the overlook of Megiddo. The tel of Megiddo consists of twenty superimposed cities, the oldest dating back to 4000 B.C.

Megiddo was one of the walled city-states taken by Joshua.

Continuing the climb and a look at the different archeological layers.

Cistern where water was stored.

Overlooking the Valley of Jezreel (Armageddon)

The stables were originally thought to have been built by Solomon but  have been proved to have housed Ahab's 2000 horses.

It is hard to see but in the left middle is a circular raised area that was a Baal altar.

Mickey wanted us to walk down the stepped water shaft and tunnel built during the time of Ahab. This Iron Age tunnel connected the bottom of Ahab's shaft to the spring.  Before its construction, Megiddo residents had to leave the city walls in order to get water from the spring.  This tunnel was hewn from both ends at the same time (like Hezekiah's Tunnel) and its builders were only one foot off when meeting in the middle.  It started out with this slight incline but soon turned into steep steps going down.  There were 190 steps and...my thighs were sore for 3 days!!

                                                            Olives at Nazareth Village

We drove through Nazareth and then went to a place called Nazareth Village. Nazareth Village offers a unique synthesis of historical, archaeological, and ethno-archaeological science applied towards reconstructing a First Century Village upon some of the last natural landscape in Nazareth.

Caning

Weaving

Shepherds

 

 

 

Tomb

Wine-press

This is an old wine skin.

Matthew 9:17  "Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins.  If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, 

and both are preserved."   Mark 2:22,  Luke 5:37

Ron Beach Hotel at Tiberias

Full moon over the Sea of Galilee