Quseir Amra, Jordan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Quseir Amra, Jordan

Weather: Cloudy skies, 49/69F.

Route: From Amman 84 km east on Route 40.

Significance: Built in the 8th century by the Umayyad caliphs as a pleasure palace. There are many richly pain murals within the fortress.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Exterior of Quesir Amra (from whc.unesco.org)

One of the murals on the interior (from whc.unesco.org)

Amman, Jordan

 Place: Amman, Jordan

Weather: Mainly sunny, 49/65F.

Route: From Masada 129 km NNE on 90 and 40.

Population: 4,536,500

Places to visit: The Citadel, Royal Automobile Museum, Roman Theatre, The Jordan Museum, King Abdullah Mosque, Temple of Hercules, Qasr al-Kharrana, Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Iraq Al Amir, Jordanian Museum of Popular Tradition.

Images:

Temple of Hercules overlooking the city (from theculturetrip.com)

Grand Husseini Mosque (from international.visitjordan.com)

Masada, Israel - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Masada, Israel

Weather: Sunny, 61/76F.

Route: From Hebron 111 km SE on route 60, 31, and 90.

Significance: The hilltop fortress of Masada was the last stand for Jewish patriots against the Romans in 73 CE. As a symbol of the ancient state of Israel it has great symbolic importance for the current state of Israel.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

Ruins at the top of the fortress with the Dead Sea in the background (from whc.unesco.org)

Remnants of mosaics at the bottom of the walls in the palace part of the fortress (from whc.unesco.org)

Hebron, Palestine - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Hebron, Palestine

Weather: Considerable cloudiness, 48/65F.

Route: From Bethlehem 25 miles south on Route 60.

Population: 215,452

Significance: The Tomb of the Patriarchs was built in the 1st century CE. It was built to protect the tombs of Abraham and his family. Given that Abraham is an important figure for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - Hebron became an important place for all three religions. Much of the town is built of the local limestone.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Aerial view of the city (from whc.unesco.org)

Building complex at the Tomb of the Patriarchs (from whc.unesco.org)

Bethlehem, Palestine - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Bethlehem, Palestine

Weather: Partly cloudy 46/62F.

Route: From Jerusalem 10km south on Hebron Rd.

Population: 28,591

Significance: Claimed to be the site of Jesus' birthplace, there are churches here from as early as the 4th century CE. There is a pilgrimage route and many other places important to Christians all the way to the middle ages.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The Church of the Nativity (from whc.unesco.org)

The silver star is said to be where Jesus was born (from whc.unesco.org)

Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine

Weather: Partly cloudy, 43/59F.

Route: From Tel Aviv 67 km SE on Route 1.

Population: 936,425

Places to visit: Yad Vashem, Israel Museum, Western Wall, Temple Mount, Eglise du Saint-Sepulcre, Western Wall Tunnels, The Garden Tomb, Garden of Gethsemane, City of David National Park, Church of All Nations, Church of Saint Anne, Dome of the Rock.

Images:

Dome of the Rock (from whc.unesco.org)

The Western Wall (from whc.unesco.org)

Tel Aviv, Israel - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Tel Aviv, Israel

Weather: Occasional light rain, 62/70F.

Route: From Bosra 245 km WSW on Route 109 and Route 6.

Population: 460,613

Places to visit: Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Palmach Museum, Jaffa Port, Yitzhak Rabin Center, ANU - Museum of the Jewish People, Ilana Goor Museum, Independence Hall Museum, Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, White City (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Video:

Images:

Beachfront and modern Tel Aviv (from timesofisrael.com)

Building typical of the "White City", built from the 1930's-50's (from whc.unesco.org)