An ancient tomb traditionally associated with Jesus’s midwife is being excavated anew by archaeologists in the hills southwest of Jerusalem, the antiquities authority said Tuesday. The intricately decorated Jewish burial cave complex dates to around the first century A.D., but it was later associated by local Christians with Salome, the midwife of Jesus in the Gospels. A Byzantine chapel was built at the site, which was a place of pilgrimage and veneration for centuries thereafter. A view shows the interior of the Salome Cave Clay lamps that were discovered in the Salome Cave A volunteer digs at the site of the Salome Cave A volunteer takes a break from digging at the Salome Cave) The cave was first found and excavated decades ago by an Israeli archaeologist. The cave...
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An ancient shipwreck found off the shore of Israel and loaded with cargo from all over the Mediterranean shows that traders from the West still came to port even after the Islamic conquest of the Holy Land, researchers say. A surprise storm? An inexperienced captain? Whatever the reason, the merchant ship made from fir and walnut trees and carrying containers with delights from far-off lands sank in the shallow waters off what is today the Israeli coastal community of Maagan Michael more than 1,200 years ago. It was around the time the largely Christian Byzantine Empire was losing its grip on this area of the eastern Mediterranean region and Islamic rule was extending its reach. FILE PHOTO: A view of the excavation of a 25-metre cargo ship from the 7th or 8th century AD which car...
Read MoreA rare heavy snowfall covered Jerusalem, some of northern Israel and hilly areas in the occupied West Bank overnight into Thursday, shutting down roads and schools. Worshippers had to trudge through inches of snow to reach the holy sites in Jerusalem's walled Old City, including the snow-capped Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall. A general view of Jerusalem after a snowstorm, as seen from the Mount of Olives, shows the Dome of the Rock, located in Jerusalem's Old City on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, January 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun Heavy snow is rare in the city, so children went out into the streets to watch the flakes falling and hurl snowballs at each other. Abed Shabany, 39, took his two sons to play on a hill overl...
Read MoreAn outbreak of avian flu has killed more than 5,000 migratory cranes in Israel, prompting authorities to declare a popular nature reserve off-limits to visitors and warn of a possible egg shortage as poultry birds are culled as a precaution. FILE PHOTO: Cranes fly during the migration season at Hula Nature Reserve, in northern Israel November 17, 2020. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met his national security adviser and other experts to discuss efforts to contain the outbreak and prevent it passing into humans. So far no human transmission has been reported, Bennett's office said. Israeli media said children who had visited the reserve may have touched a stricken crane and thus contributed to the spread of the flu. "This is the worst blow to wildlife in th...
Read MoreIsrael will allow small foreign tour groups from selective countries to visit from Sept. 19 under a pilot programme to kick-start tourism, the government said on Sunday. Tour groups of between 5 and 30 people from countries on Israel's green, yellow and orange lists will be allowed to enter the country provided all group members have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the tourism ministry said. FILE PHOTO: Beachgoers hang out on the shore of the Mediterranean sea in Tel Aviv as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions eased in Israel May 21, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen Individual tourists, who have not been allowed to visit Israel since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic there in March 2020 unless they are visiting family members, will still not be allowed to enter outsi...
Read MoreIsrael reopened its borders to foreign tourists on Sunday after a fall in COVID-19 infections but said it would take time for visitors to start arriving and to revive the tourism industry. Under an easing of coronavirus restrictions, the government went ahead with a plan to start letting in small groups of tourists from countries using vaccines it has approved. FILE PHOTO: A woman wears a face mask as she sits by the Mediterranean Sea in Tel Aviv as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions were eased in Israel May 21, 2020 REUTERS/ Amir Cohen Foreign airlines are also resuming flights they suspended when Palestinian militants began rocket attacks on Israel this month. A ceasefire has now halted the fighting, helping the government meet Sunday's target date for starting the pla...
Read MoreOrthodox Christians flocked to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday to celebrate the Holy Fire ceremony, gathering in far greater numbers than last year because coronavirus restrictions have eased. This season’s religious holidays in the Holy Land, home to religious sites sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, have been overshadowed by tragedy, as Israel mourns the death of 45 Jewish worshippers killed in a stampede overnight between Thursday and Friday at a religious festival in the north of the country. Children were among the casualties. Orthodox Christian worshippers attend the Holy Fire ceremony amid eased coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City, May 1, 2021. REUTERS/Ammar Awad “I listened to th...
Read MoreIsrael’s struggling tourism sector hopes to reap quick benefits when the country reopens next month after a rapid COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Airlines are racing to add flights to Tel Aviv as groups of foreign tourists who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed into Israel from May 23. "As we look to the world reopening and travel resuming, the Italies and Frances are a little behind Israel in terms of when we anticipate travel will reopen. And that's due to vaccines," said Brian Znotins, vice president of network and schedule planning at American Airlines, referring to two other tourist destinations. Israel, which has vaccinated more than half its population, sees its main challenge as ensuring its reopening does not allow another increase in COVID-19 infec...
Read MoreCustomers are lining up at a Jerusalem bakery-cafe for the “Abu Dhabi” doughnut, a date-flavoured confectionery inspired by Israel’s new relations with the United Arab Emirates. Doughnuts, called “sufganiyot” in Hebrew, are a popular fare in Israel during the current holiday of Hanukkah, in which Jews traditionally eat deep-fried delicacies. Customers take photos of "Abu Dhabi" doughnuts at a patisserie in Jerusalem December 13, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen This year, pastry chefs Itzik and Keren Kadosh put a new twist on the treat. At their Cafe Kadosh, they devised the Abu Dhabi doughnut, filled with cream made from dates shipped by the UAE’s Jewish community, with a nougat crown topped with an edible gold leaf. It sells for 22 shekels ($6.76), compared with 18 shekels ($5.50) f...
Read MoreDark Times: Both Holy sides of conflict wall gearing up for dismal Christmas
On both sides of the West Bank Barrier the signs are dismal for the coming festive season. Its dark and gloomy over the region what normally used to be beaming with tourists at this time of the year so close to Christmas. While Jerusalem is yet to come with the terms with the new normal, Bethlehem has announced that it is ‘not going to cancel its Christmas.’ As night grips Jerusalem’s walled Old City, its ancient alleyways become a ghost town of haunting shadows and light. Mornings used to reveal bright picture-postcard scenes of tourists from around the world stopping to buy souvenirs at Palestinian shops as they made their way to biblical sites holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians. A man closes a shop at night amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, at a market in J...
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