Detailed Daily Itineray for McKenzie group

2008 Day-by-Day Guide

Asterisk (*) signals a more detailed treatment in the handout packet.

SYRIA
May 20
Prospectus: Arrive in Damascus

Visit: Time permitting, a short bus ride to Jebel (“Mount”) Qasiyun on the W/NW of the city. DON’T BE LATE or you’ll miss a fantastic overview of the city of Damascus.

Look for: From Qasiyun, locate the green basin formed by the Barada River. See if you can spot the Great Mosque complex and the Cham Palace Hotel where we’ll be staying.

Bible Connection: The Barada was called the Abana in antiquity and is referred to in the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:12.


May 21 Damascus*
Prospectus: A walking tour of Damascus beginning with a short bus ride to the old city. We won’t return to the hotel until the end of the day, so bring all you’ll need – cameras, hats, etc. We will be visiting holy sites, so suitable clothing is required, as throughout Syria; shoulders and legs must be covered. We will also have to remove shoes at these sites.

Highlights: (1) The Great (Umayyad) Mosque built by al-Walid (705-715), the second of the Umayyad caliphate, which was the first caliphate following Muhammed and his four “rightly guided” successors. The mosque replaced the Basilica of St. John built by Theodosius I (379-395), which replaced the 3rd cent CE temple of Jupiter, which replaced a temple of Hadad-Rimmon.
Look for: (a) the columns of the temple to Jupiter outside of the mosque at the entrance to the suq; (b) the shrine inside the mosque said to contain the head of John the Baptist; (c) Shiite pilgrims who come to visit because the mosque also contains the head of Hussein, son of Ali, the 4th of the “rightly guided” caliphs assassinated in 661; (d)
(2) Tomb of Saladin (1137-1193), who defeated the Crusaders at the Horns of Hattin in 1187; you will see a statue of him mounted on a horse outside of the city wall near the entrance to the suq
(3) House of Ananias who helped Saul of Tarsus after the latter’s vision on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:10-19; 22:12-16)
Look for: the nearby Bab Sharqi (“eastern gate”) of the Roman city via the cardo maximus or main street, traditionally associated with the “street called straight” in Acts 9:11
(4) The Azem Palace, once the home of a prominent, 18th century Ottoman family, now a museum of Ottoman (1516-1918) life. Prince Faisal had his headquarters here at the end of WWI until his expulsion by the French in 1920.
(5) Suq al-Hamidiyeh – the largest suq (market) in Damascus; probably the best shop opp on the METS tour; a reasonable walk or short taxi ride from the hotel; just remember that what you buy you carry for the next three weeks.

(6) National Museum. The museum is rich with archaeological treasures too many too describe in detail. Of special note for those interested in the Hebrew Bible are the inscribed materials from Ugarit and other famous sites such as Ebla and Mari. The murals from the synagogue at Dura Europas (3rd cent. CE) are a special treat.

Bible Connections: Damascus and Aram (ancient Syria) are mentioned many times in the Hebrew Bible. Three contexts may be of special interest: (a) the stories in 1 Kings 20 and 22 and those about Elisha (2 Kings 3-8) reflect a period of domination by Aram over Israel; since this does not correspond well to the time of the Omri dynasty when the stories are set, they may actually come from a later period; (b) the “Syro-Ephraimitic Crisis” of 734 was a crisis for Jerusalem which was besieged by Aram and Israel; it is recounted in 2 Kings 16 and is the setting of the famous Immanuel oracle in Isaiah 7; (c) the prophets often include oracles against foreign nations and cities, notably Damascus (Isa 17:1-3; Jer 49:23-27; Amos 1:3-5; Zech 9:1-4).
In the NT, Paul’s conversion to Christianity in Damascus was mentioned earlier.


May 22 Maaloula* and North
Prospectus: A bus ride 30 miles north of Damascus will take us to the picturesque mountain village of Maaloula, the home of two monasteries, one dating to the 4th century. From there we will continue north, skirting the Ante-Lebanon mountains. We will turn east at Homs, whose inhabitants are brunt of Syrian “aggie” jokes and drive on to Crac de Chevaliers.

Look for: the presence of Christian churches and symbols; the population of the area around Crac is largely Christian, a heritage from the Crusaders; many residents are also fair skinned and light haired.

Bible Connections: Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken in Maaloula (cf. Mark 5:41).


May 23 Crak des Chevaliers*
Prospectus: We’ll begin the day with a walk or ride up to the world’s best preserved Crusader castle and then a tour inside it. Founded in the late 11th century, Crak was fortified and enlarged in 1147 by the Knights Hospitallers, who occupied it until 1271, when it was taken by Baybars through a ruse. The castle was never breached. On the way to Hama in the afternoon, we may stop by another castle, Qalaat Sheizar, for comparison.
Look for: The castle’s double line of defense, barracks (complete with latrine), kitchen, chapel, and the magnificent view through the castle window of the Homs Gap (mountain pass) that it was built to guard.
Qalaat Shaizar
Reputedly founded by a regiment of calvary from Alexander the Great’s army, the castle lies 25 km NW of Hama at an important crossing point on the Orontes. Taken by the Byzantines in 999 and retaken by the Arabs in 1081, it held out against Tancred and the Crusaders based at Apamea. Destroyed by earthquakes in 1157 and 1170, it was rebuilt by Nur ed-Din and Saladin. Most of what remains today was built by Baybars after damage inflicted by the Mongols.

Hama*
Look for: (1) The nurias or water wheels, dating back to Medieval times, now are mostly decorative and traditional, but once functioned for irrigating from the Orontes River. You may hear the eerie sound they emit before you see them. Near the bridge leading to the hotel is an artist colony where you can find numerous paintings of the nurias, some made from coffee grounds.

(2) a. The style of dress and behavior of people strolling around the central gardens. Hama is a conservative, Musliim city. b. The newness of many buildings in the central area. This is the result of rebuilding in the wake of the 1982 massacre at Hama when Hafez el-Assad put down a revolt of the Muslim brotherhood in Hama.

Bible Connections: Dating back to the Neolithic, ancient Hamath was an important Aramaean city-state in the Iron Age. It is mentioned many times in the Hebrew Bible. Most notably, in 2 Sam 8:9-12, Toi king of Hamath sent messengers to congratulate David when he defeated Hadadezer of Damascus. The name often occurs in the expression Lebo-Hamath, “the entrance or approach to Hamath” as the idealized, northernmost limit of Israelite territory (e.g., Josh 13:5; Judg 3:3).


May 24 Palmyra*
Prospectus: We will bus through Homs then east across desert terrain to the oasis of Palmyra, saving the main part of our visit until late afternoon to avoid the heat. We’ll plan to have worship at the Arab castle overlooking the site just before sundown.

Look for: (1) Palmyra’s key location along trade routes, which explains its longevity and prosperity, esp. under Queen Zenobia in the 3rd cent. CE; (2) As we survey its magnificent ruins, note how large the ancient city was and how much of it remains unexcavated; (3) Burial styles as exemplified in the tower tombs; (4) the shift in angle of the street (the decamanus?) at the monumental gateway as it heads toward the temple of Bel; (4) the castle (Qalaat ibn-Maan) is a later (12-13th cent.) construction.

Bible Connection: Palmyra is mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible under its ancient name Tadmor, which is still its name in Arabic. However, in 1 Kings 9:18 it should probably be corrected to Tamar, since the passage seems to locate it in the Judean wilderness. And 2 Chr 8:4 either copied the scribal error in Kings or changed Tamar to Tadmor in order to credit greater authority to Solomon, which in turn led scribes to make the same change in Kings.


May 25 Syria to Jordan
Prospectus: Departing Palmyra, we will stop for lunch in Damascus before driving to the Syrian/Jordanian border and continuing to Irbid for the night.

Look for: indications of how close Damascus is to Jerusalem. See if you can spot the location of the Golan Heights, a hotly disputed area between Syria and Israel.
JORDAN

Bible Connections: In Jordan especially, watch the highway signs for names like Bashan and Gilead, which are used in the Bible for these Transjordan areas. Also, note the changes in terrain. Bashan was prime pasture land in antiquity, as suggested by Amos’s reference to the upper-class women of Samaria as “cows of Bashan” (Amos 4:1). Jabesh-Gilead figures prominently in the stories about Saul as the people whom he rescued to become king (1 Samuel 11) and who returned the favor by rescuing his corpse from the Philistines (1 Samuel 31). David sought to win over this loyal Saul enclave with his letter in 2 Sam 2:2-7. Ramoth-Gilead was an area of dispute between ancient Israel and Aram (1 Kings 22) and the place from which Jehu launched his bloody revolt against Jezebel (2 Kings 9). The Golan Heights in antiquity was approximately the kingdom of Geshur, whose king, Talmai, made a treaty with David sealed by marriage to his daughter, Maacah, which produced Absalom (2 Sam 3:3).


May 26 Habitat and Jerash
Prospectus: In Irbid we will meet Phillip Griffith and the other team members of HFH Jordan. They will take us to the village of Habakah to meet with some of the village leaders and to view some of the projects they are engaged in. Then, we will proceed to the site of Jerash for a tour of its impressive ruins.

Jerash*
Look for: (1) The hippodrome where gladiator battles are reenacted; (2) Hadrian’s arch, to commemorate his visit in 129 CE; (3) the forum, unique for its oval shape; (4) the immense temples of Zeus and Artemis with its “earthquake proof” columns (put a spoon or knife under one and watch the movement); (5) the large southern theater—Go on, test the acoustics, and can you guess why the Jordanians in military uniform are playing bagpipes? (6) the paved, colonnaded cardo with its nymphaeum.

Bible Connections: Jerash was one of the ten cities (along with Damascus and Philadelphia=Amman) on the eastern edge of the Roman empire in the region known in the Decapolis (“10 cities”). It is mentioned in the NT as Gerasa, mostly prominently in the story of the Gerasene demoniac in Mark 5 (// Matthew 8; Luke 8). A curiosity of the story is that the pigs into which the demons are cast rush into the sea (of Galilee), which is some 30 miles from Jerash. This apparently led to scribal efforts to locate the site of the event closer to the Sea (Gedara, Gergese). But some NT scholars postulate that Mark is making a point about the Roman Legion stationed at Jerash.


May 27 Amman to Petra
Prospectus: A full day with plenty to see. We have a long bus ride with a number of stops at important sites. On the way to our first stop, we will try to point out Mukawir/Machaerus* one of Herod’s palaces, where John the Baptist was imprisoned.



Amman*
The capital of Jordan, which preserves the name Ammon. As one of the Decapolis cities, it bore the name Philadelphia.

Bible Connections: The Ammonites are especially prominent as the enemies of Gideon (Judges 11) and Saul (1 Samuel 11). The capital, Rabbah or Rabbat-Ammon, probably stood where Amman is now and was where Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, was killed (2 Samuel 10-12). The Ammonites and Rabbah are also mentioned in Amos’s oracles as waging particularly brutal warfare.


Mt. Nebo*
Look for: (1) On approach, note the memorial to the visit of Pope John Paul II in 2000. (2) The northern end of the Dead Sea and Jericho. On a clear day, you can even make out the outskirts of Jerusalem, but this is rare. (3) The church, excavated beginning in the 1930s by Franciscans, shows that the association of this location with Moses is at least as old as the 4th century. The church was expanded in the 6-7th century and contains beautiful mosaic floors. Keep in mind that this is a place of worship and requires modest dress and respectful comportment.

Bible Connections: The traditional site from which Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death, also called Pisgah (Deut 34:1-7). The adjoining Wadi Musa (Moses) is reputed to be Moses’ burial place. The story of the plague of poisonous snakes and Moses’ erection of a bronze serpent (Num 21:1-9) is also associated with this site (hence the modern sculpture of a snake on site as a symbol of the crucified Christ), as is Balaam’s cursing of Israel (Num 23:14)

Madaba*
The Basilica of St. George in Madaba houses the oldest extant map of the Holy Land as a mosaic on its floor. The map dates to the 6th cent. CE and is important because changes over the centuries, particularly in the walls of Jerusalem.

Wadi Mujib*
Look for: You can’t miss the “Grand Canyon” of Jordan.

Bible Connections: We are driving through the territory of ancient Ammon and Moab, recognized by the Israelites as “distant cousins” (Genesis 19). Known in the Bible as the Arnon, Wadi Mujib was the traditional northern boundary of Moab (cf. Num 21:13). In addition to the Balaam episode, famous stories involving Moab are: the judge Ehud fought against Eglon of Moab (Judges 3); Ruth was from Moab; and King Mesha freed Moab from Israelite domination (2 Kings 3). The last story is particularly interesting in view of the famous Mesha Stele*, found intact in 1868, which gives the Moabite version of their relationship with Israel. We will see reproductions of the Stele at the Kerak museum (next stop).


Kerak*
Prospectus: The second Crusader castle that we’ll tour after lunch. Built in 1142, it is best known for its association with Renaud de Chatillon, who broke treaties by attacking Muslim pilgrims and was personally beheaded by Saladin.

Look for: the enlargements by Baybars after he took it in 1263. We will see its sister castle, Shawbak* (Montreal), from a distance as we drive on.


May 28 Petra*
Prospectus: A long walking/climbing day. We will take in much of the site before lunch, including a climb to the “high place.” Then after lunch, we’ll climb again to the Deir or “monastery.” Across from the Deir is a shop for buying Bedouin-made jewelry supported by the Queen Noor Foundation. The shop is run by a man named Harun (Aaron) and his wife, who is Spanish. Go a few yards beyond the Deir for a spectacular view of the Wadi Araba.

Look for: too much here to comment on. But look for the “Tomb of Aaron,” the white building visible from the hotel. And keep an eye out for niches and monoliths carved into the sides of the siq for Dushara, the principal god venerated by the Nabateans, whose capital here thrived in the 3rd century BCE – 1st century CE.

Bible Connections: This is the area of ancient Edom (“red”), whose eponymous ancestor was Esau, Jacob’s twin (Genesis 25 – 27; 33). The rock formation within the site of Petra known as Umm el-Biyara may have been the Sela (“rock”) of 2 Kings 14:7.


May 29 Aqaba
Prospectus: From Petra we drive to Aqaba to ferry across the Gulf to the Sinai Peninsula. Lunch will be on board the boat and at personal cost, so place your order when the steward comes around. Once across, we will pass through Egyptian customs and then bus to Mt. Sinai. The conquest of Ottoman Aqaba in 1917 by overland attack of an Arab force led by Prince Faisal and T.E. Lawrence was grist for the 1962 film, Lawrence of Arabia.

Look for: the people of different nationalities and styles of dress on board the ferry. Some are tourists; many are pilgrims returning home.
MOUNT SINAI AND ISRAEL

May 30 Mt. Sinai*
Prospectus: after an early (1:30) wake-up call, we’ll bus to the foot of the mountain to mount camels for a trek up the mountain. The camels take us about 2/3 of the way up, and then we climb the 3750 “steps of penitence” to reach the top before sunrise. We’ll take a more direct route down and then visit St. Catherine’s monastery, which dates from the 4th century, in the afternoon before busing to the resort at Taba.


May 31 Taba to Arad*
Prospectus: We will bus from the resort to the border to pass through Egyptian and then Israeli customs. Once in Israel, we will stop for lunch in Eilat and then continue to Arad for the night. We will try to reach Arad in time to visit the ancient city. We will have worship in the evening at a spot near the hotel.

Look for: (1) the contrast between Arab countries we’ve visited and Israel. You can’t avoid seeing the Western influence in Israel. (2) Watch the terrain, as our route takes us up the Arabah past the southern Lisan/Lishon, the “tongue” of the Dead Sea or what is left of it.

Arad
Look for: (1) the two distinct parts of the site—the large Early Bronze Age (“Canaanite”) city and the Iron Age (“Israelite”) fortress; (2) the line on the walls of the latter marking the point from which reconstruction began; (3) the Israelite (7th century) temple area with its tripartite structure and two! incense altars and sacred pillars

Bible Connections: (1) The rugged Judean wilderness around Arad long served as a hideout for outlaws and fugitives; many of the stories about David in flight from Saul in 1 Samuel 19-31 are set in this wilderness. (2) The temple at Arad furnishes the sort of evidence that many scholars point to as indicating that Israel was much less orthodox than often thought—a point suggested also by the OT prophets.


June 1 Arad to the Galiliee
Prospectus: We have a long day today as we will bus from Arad to the Galilee region, making stops at several important sites along the way. We’ll get an early start to get to Masada, our first stop, when it opens.

Masada*
Look for: As you explore the site, keep your eyes open for two levels: the mountaintop retreat built by Herod the Great (37-31 BCE) and the use of the site as a true fortress (the meaning “Masada”) by Jewish zealots (66-72 CE). The story of the latter is well known from Josephus’ account, certain details of which are doubtful. Also look for (1) giant cisterns for water storage; (2) the ramp built by the Romans on the western side; (3) Herod’s 3-tiered northern palace; (4) Roman baths for Herod’s comfort; (5) the Roman camps and surrounding wall below

Dead Sea
We’ll stop for a quick group dip in the Dead Sea. Because the mineral content is so high (ca 30%), it’s a unique experience. You can’t sink. But try not to get the water in your eyes. You will also find that it irritates cuts and scratches.

Bible Connections: The etiological story in Genesis 19 that explains the climate and area around the Dead Sea, its sulfur smell, salt formations, the name of the town Zoar, and the origin of the Ammonites and Moabites.

Qumran* and the Dead Sea Scrolls*
Near the northern end of the Dead Sea is the site of Qumran, the community generally associated with the caves in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The scrolls date from as early as 250 BCE, but the community thrived basically ca. 150 BCE – 68 CE.

Bible Connections: With the possible exception of the Ugaritic tablets that we sampled in Damascus, the DSS are the most important discovery of 20th century for Bible study. They are the oldest extant manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible and sometimes differ significantly from the received Hebrew text. They also give a fascinating glimpse at a sectarian Jewish community at the time that Judaism and Christianity are in formative stages of development.

Jericho*
Look for: Founded near a spring in an oasis and dating back to ca. 7000 BCE, Jericho is one of, if not the oldest, known city in the world. Its Neolithic tower is impressive. Unfortunately, the site is badly eroded and there is not much else to see now.

Bible Connections: Jericho is mentioned numerous times in the Bible, but is best known for the story of its conquest in Joshua 1-6. While the city flourished in the Early and Middle Bronze Ages, most archaeologists would date its destruction to ca. 1550 BCE and believe that only an unwalled village survived there in the Late Bronze (1550-1200), the presumed setting of the exodus and conquest. If correct, these data may call for a different understanding of the genre and intent of the Bible’s stories. NT Jericho is nearby by separate. The traditional “Mount of Temptations” is visible.

Beth Shan*
Look for: At the confluence of valleys, Beth-Shan was settled almost continuously from the Chalcolithic period (ca. 4000-3200 BCE). (1) On the top of the tell was the residence of a Late Bronze Egyptian governor’s residence where inscriptions from the 13th century Pharaohs Seti I and Ramses II were found. (2) Rebuilt/renovated by Pompey in 63 BCE, it was named Scythopolis, the only city of the Decapolis West of the Jordan. It thrived through the Byzantine period until it was destroyed by earthquake in 749 CE; note the pillars toppled in the same direction that attest earthquake damage.

Bible Connections: Mount Gilboa, where Saul and Jonathan were killed, is a short distance to the SW. According to 1 Samuel 31, the Philistines hung their corpses on the walls of Beth Shan.


June 2 The Galilee
Prospectus: I hope to begin the day with a ride up to Mount Arbel for an overview of the Galilee region, and then a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. On the other side, we will bus into the Golan Heights, perhaps for a brief visit to Kursi*, the presumed site of Gergesa, an alternative to Gerasa (Jerash) for the demoniac story. We’ll continue on to Tel Dan*, and then visit Capernaum*, the traditional site of Peter’s house and the location of an early (3rd cent. CE or later) synagogue and Tabgha*, the traditional site of the feeding of the 5000, before returning to our lodgings.

Look for: In the Huleh basin that drains waters it receives from Mount Hermon into the Jordan, Tel Dan is presently in the midst of a nature preserve. It’s pictureseque greenery and often thick growth contrasts with regions we have seen and illustrates the variety of landscape in the Holy Land. Also look for: (1) the triple-arched, Middle Bronze (2000-1550) gateway—the only one ever found intact—that survived because it was defective and had to be closed up in antiquity; (2) the Iron Age sacred precinct; (3) the Iron Age gateway

Bible Connections: Dan has produced several very important finds in recent years, in particular, the sacred precinct with what appears to have been an enormous platform and altar, described in 1 Kings 12 as having been built as a royal shrine by Jeroboam I, the first king of divided Israel; (2) the “House of David” stele fragments in Aramaic from the 9th century contain the only mention of David’s name outside of the Bible in any ancient inscriptional source.


June 3 Tiberias to Jerusalem
Prospectus: We will bus to Jerusalem today with stops at Nazareth*, Megiddo*, and Caesarea Maritima*.

Nazareth*
Look for: Here we’ll visit the Church of the Anunciation, built in 1967 over the ruins of a Byzantine church built on the traditional site of the house (grotto) where Mary lived when she received the annunciation of the birth of Jesus. Enjoy the banners from different church communities around the world depicting Mary.

Bible Connections: The NT Gospels agree that Jesus was from Nazareth, and they cast it as a rather insignificant town. Some scholars have suggested that Jesus may have worked as a “carpenter” (= stone mason?) at the nearby site of Sepphoris.

Megiddo*
Look for: A magnificent example of a tel, Megiddo boasts some 26 different occupation layers dating from the Chalcolithic because of its strategic location overlooking the route from the Jezreel Valley to the coastal plain. Highlights include: (1) the Early Bronze sacred precinct and round altar; (2) the Iron Age gateway perhaps built by Solomon (other say Omri or Ahab); (3) the Iron Age water system allowing city residents access to an underground spring outside of the city walls; (4) an installation regarded variously as stables or storehouses.

Bible Connections: Solomon is said to have built Megiddo for storage and chariotry (1 Kgs 9:15-19). More enduring is Megiddo’s reputation as a battleground because of its location. King Josiah of Judah was killed here (2 Kgs 23:28-30), and the book of Revelation (16:16) uses its name, “Mount Megiddo” (har-megiddo > Armageddon) as the symbol for the final battle between good and evil.

Caesarea Maritima*
Look for: Herod the Great’s splendid port and artificial harbor. You’ll enjoy the aqueduct, an engineering marvel of the Romans, that brought water from Mount Carmel. Also, note the hippodrome.

Bible Connections: Mentioned several times in Acts, Cornelius, the Roman Centurion whose conversion brought the status of Gentiles into relief, lived here (Acts 10), and Paul was put in prison here before being sent on to Rome (23:23-26:33).


June 4 The Old City
Prospectus: Our focus today is the Old City of Jerusalem, whose wall was constructed in the 16th century by the Ottoman, Suleiman the Magnificent. Stops will include the Wailing Wall, Temple Mount, Church of St. Ann’s and Pool of Bethsaida, the Via Dolorosa, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There is too much to try to summarize. See the handout on Jerusalem in the packet; you should carry it with you today as a handy guide.


June 5 Jerusalem’s environs
Prospectus: We’ll begin by busing to the Mt. of Olives and the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane (“olive oil press”). Then, we’ll head to Bethlehem* to visit the Church of the Nativity.

Bethlehem*
Look for: Dating from the 4th century, the Church of the Nativity marks the traditional spot (a cave) where Jesus was born. Legend has it that the church was not destroyed by the 7th century Persian invaders because of the depiction of Persian Magi at the entrance, which was reduced by the Crusaders to keep horses out.

Bible Connections: Matthew and Luke both recount the story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, but their accounts are quite different. The acknowledgement of Jesus as the Messiah (“anointed”) in the line of David would foster or support a tradition that he was born in Bethlehem, although his hometown was Nazareth.

Herodium*
Another fortress built by Herod the Great; he chose to be buried here, and his tomb was purportedly discovered just over a year ago.

Look for: (1) A good example of a Roman bath, showing once again that Herod knew how to live; (2) Originally Herod’s triclinium (dining room with three tables) but transformed into a synagogue by zealots who took over the site after 70 CE.


Museums
Prospectus: Our final day in Israel will be devoted to museums: the Israel Museum and the Holocaust Museum (“Yad vaShem” = “memorial and name”).

Look for: (1) the Shrine of the Book, housing the Dead Sea Scrolls; (2) the scale model of Jerusalem ca. 70 CE; (3) finds from other sites that we have visited.