The BLMJ celebrates its 18th Anniversary with a week full of exciting tours and activities. The annual Gala Dinner, on May 27th, 2010, will be held in honor of Museum Founder, Batya Borowski, in celebration of her 80th birthday. Proceeds from the evening will go towards reaching out to children at risk and underprivileged populations in Jerusalem.
Professor Sir John Boardman, one of the world's leading experts on Classical Art from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, will present a special lecture dedicated to the late Dr. Elie Borowski on Wednesday, May 26th.
See Israel as you have never seen it before 23-28.5.10. Join BLMJ for Ancient Roads and Crossroads: six days of fascinating archaeological tours led by world-renowned experts. This unique tour package will shed light on archaeological discoveries in major sites and surprise you with some newly discovered wonders…
Sunday, May 23
Gateway to the Land of Israel
7:30 – Coffee & cake at the Museum. 8:00 departure
Caesarea, the flourishing Mediterranean port will be the focus of our first tour. A major gateway to the land of Israel in ancient times, settlement at what later became Caesarea, began in the third century BCE during the Hellenistic period as a small Phoenician port city known as Straton’s Tower.
In 90 BCE, the Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus conquered the city to expand the borders of his kingdom and develop its shipping industry. The population of Straton’s Tower remained Jewish until the Roman conquest in 63 BCE, when they granted the city its freedom. King Herod the Great transformed the city beginning in 22 BCE with the construction of its sophisticated port, warehouses, markets, streets, bathhouses, temples and magnificent public buildings, naming it Caesarea.
We will tour the main sights and see the new "Travel Through Time" multi-media presentation on Caesarea’s history. We will have lunch in the beautiful port at Caesarea.
The tour will be led by Sara Arenson, a Maritime Historian and a consultant on the site.
Late afternoon return to Jerusalem
Monday – Tuesday, May 24 – 25
Beit Shean, Tiberias and their surroundings - two-day tour following the main routes and strategic crossroads in the land of Israel in ancient times.
Monday, May 24
7:00 – Coffee & cake at the Museum. 7:30 departure
The Beit Shean region has been a strategic crossroads linking the Mediterranean coast with Transjordan, and the southern part of Israel with the Syro-Mespotamian world for millennia. We will visit the Beit Shean National Park of and witness four thousand years of history, making it one of the most important archaeological sites in Israel. Our tour will then visit the Kiri Maria Monastery, hiding a unique mosaic depicting the Zodiac. After lunch we will visit the Gan Hashlosha National Park, enjoying its history and cool fresh water springs.
Check-in to the charming Kibbutz Ein Harod guest house. After a short rest at the hotel and dinner we will join the virtual tour, “The Nights of Shean”, a cutting edge audio-visual presentation portraying the vibrant life, architecture and characters of Ancient Beit Shean.
Guided by Sheley-Ann Pelleg, Director of the International Center for Conservation, IAA.
Tuesday, May 24
Breakfast at the hotel and departure at 8:30
The anchor of our second day is the ancient city of Tiberias that has been populated from the early Roman period. The recently dedicated National Archaeology Park combines archaeology and conservation, enabling visitors to appreciate the Byzantine wall, the Roman southern gate, the main road (Cardo) of the city, the theatre, the basilica and much more.
We will enjoy the view of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights after which we will visit the Church of the Multiplicationat Tabgha and the Korazim National Park.
Guided by Avner Hilman, Archaeologist at the Tiberias excavations, IAA.
Evening return to Jerusalem
Wednesday, May 26
Between Socoh and Azekah in King David’s Times – Khirbet Qeiyafa Excavations
8:00 – Coffee & cake at the Museum. 8:30 departure
An exciting new discovery, the site of Khirbet Qeiyafa, has revealed a fortified city in Judah from the time of King David. Its location on the hills that border the Elah Valley, a strategic location on the main road from Philistia to Judah, and the unique phenomena of two gates that were uncovered at the site, suggest that it may be the site of biblical Sha`arayim, meaning "two gates" in Hebrew. We will be guided by archaeologist and excavation director, Prof. Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University.
Lunch and early afternoon return to Jerusalem
Special Guest Lecture at the Museum, 7:30 pm
Greeks Going East, Professor Sir John Boardman, the Beazley Archive, Classics Centre, Oxford University. Lecture in English. Advanced reservations required.
Thursday, May 27
In the Path of the Crusaders in Jerusalem
8:00 – Coffee & cake at the Museum. 8:30 departure
Crusader Jerusalem will be explored beginning with panoramic views from Jerusalem City Hall. We will trace the tremendous changes Jerusalem went through under Crusader occupation and look at key sites in the city including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jaffa Gate, the colorful marketplace and more. The tour will include descriptive texts of the city during that period.
Guided by Dr. Michael Ehrlich, Bar-Ilan Univ., expert on Historical Geography.
Light lunch and early afternoon return to Museum
Thursday evening, May 27
18th Anniversary Gala Dinner honoring Museum Founder, Batya Borowski.
7:00 pm – Reception and Cocktails
7:45 pm – Gala Dinner
With the Mayor of Jerusalem, Mr. Nir Barkat
Friday, May 28
Sacred Paths in the Judean Hillside
8:00 – Coffee & cake at the Museum. 8:30 departure
First, we will visit the Tzuba Cave (also known as “The Cave of John the Baptist”). This eighth century BCE rock-cut installation is probably one of the most unusual sites ever to be excavated in the Land of Israel. The Spring of Tzuba will be our second stop where we will explore the fascinating irrigation system that dates to the time of Herod that operated in the valley beneath the spring. At the Crusader / Frankish Castle of Belmont, we will observe how Hospitaller Knights managed to protect it without isolating it from its surroundings.
Finally we will pay a visit to two "planted" entities that, although gnarled and wrinkled, have borne witness to the many changes in the landscape over the centuries. Our tour will conclude with a wine tasting at the boutique Tzuba Winery.
Guided by Rafi Lewis, member of the excavation team at Tzuba, and a member of Landscape Archaeologists, dedicated to the study of the landscapes of Israel.
Early afternoon return to Jerusalem
All programs subject to change │ Advance reservations required | Program conducted in English .
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