Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Old City of Jerusalem, is the traditional site of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Posts here include the Roman and Byzantine foundations of the church, the Crusader rebuild that gives much of the building its shape, and the church’s place at the end of the Via Dolorosa.
6 articles
6 articles
Bethlehem
A brief first visit to Bethlehem, just over the line in Area A, to see the Church of the Nativity, shared between Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic communities, and the crypt marking the traditional site of Jesus’ birth.
Roman and Byzantine Jerusalem
A field-trip day tracing the Roman and Byzantine layers of Jerusalem: Zedekiah's Cave by the Damascus Gate, the arches at Alexander Nevsky, the Byzantine corners of the Holy Sepulchre, the cardo, and the ruins of the Nea Church.
Crusader Jerusalem
A walk through the Old City focused on the Crusader century: the Cenacle on Mount Zion, the Nea Church, the German Knights' hospice, the Crusader market, the Church of the Redeemer and the Holy Sepulchre.
Muslim Jerusalem
Exploring Muslim Jerusalem: a morning on the Temple Mount platform with the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa, then through the Muslim Quarter learning to read Mamluk architecture, with a stop at Abu Shukri and the Little Western Wall.
The Via Dolorosa
Walking the Via Dolorosa, station by station from the Antonia fortress to the aedicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. With a morning stop at the Garden Tomb, the Church of St Anne and the Pool of Bethesda.
The Jordan Valley
A field trip down the Jordan Valley: the Byzantine monasteries of Martyrius, St Euthymius and St Gerassimos; the baptism site at Qasr el Yahud; the Jordan Valley Monument; and an evening sing-song at the Mabua spring.
If you are going to Israel, you would be mad not to give him a call.
Amol Rajan, BBC presenter and broadcaster
Having been on trips in Israel with seven different tour guides, Samuel stood above all the rest.
Seasoned Israel traveller
Samuel is one part walking encyclopedia, one part storyteller, one part stand-up comedian.
Berkeley Haas Business School student