irodion
1 day tour
Description
A magnificent structure, a fabulous castle-fortress built by Herod the Great - IRODION! Located in the Judean desert, Herodion is like an extinct volcano. The fortress was surrounded by double walls 20 meters high. Inside, Herod built a palace with large halls, inner courtyards and rich baths. Numerous gardens were planted throughout, and water was brought by aqueduct from the Solomon Basins near Bethlehem. This is how Joseph Flavius describes him:
"On the mountain, against Arabia, he built a fortress, which he called by his own name... Made by the hands of men and decorated with luxurious buildings: on the top of this hill he has surrounded with circular towers, and on the enclosed square he has built so majestic palaces that not only their insides, but also their outer walls, teeth and roofs, were exceptionally rich in jewelry... Two hundred dazzling white marble steps led up to the castle, because the hill was quite high and constituted the entire creation of human hands."
The underground part of it became almost essential outside: on the outside, it was like a flight of fantasy, whereas on the inside it was a fortification structure, essentially a bunker.
From the top of the Irodion, the highest peak in the Judean desert, there is a stunning view of the desert, the Moav Mountains to the east and the Judean Hills to the west.
We’ll walk with you through the halls of a magnificent palace, go down to the ground, and we’ll see cyclopic tank sizes. Visit the burial place of the Great Herod, admire the views of Jerusalem and the blossoming desert.
Admired by the insatiable fantasy and engineering genius of the great ruler, we will go to Jerusalem mystical.
Today we will walk through the two most famous valleys in Jerusalem - Cedrona and Ennoma.
Let us begin the walk down to the valley of Ennnoma, which is known to the world as Geena the Fire, and we shall see where, day and night, the fires on which the First Born were sacrificed, where the people of Jerusalem were buried, during the First Temple.
Walking on Geene Fiery, we will reach the Land of the Blood - it is, according to the New Testament, a plot of land bought with money received by Judas from the High Priests, for betraying Jesus.
Our journey through the valleys will end in Cedron Valley, or Yoshofat Valley. It is believed that this is where the trumpet of the archangel will sound, and the resurrected dead will be brought before the Court of God. That is why, on the slopes of the valley, there are Christian, Jewish and Muslim cemeteries in which tombs of different times and peoples have been layered on each other for centuries.
We will find out whether the cedron trees once grew in Cedron Valley, and whose burials we see there, who these people were, and whether the son of King David Avshalom is buried there. By unveiling the riddles of the valleys that surround Jerusalem from the West, the South, and the East, making it impregnable, we will bid farewell to one of the most mysterious cities on planet Earth, to return again and again.
Getting back
Description
A magnificent structure, a fabulous castle-fortress built by Herod the Great - IRODION! Located in the Judean desert, Herodion is like an extinct volcano. The fortress was surrounded by double walls 20 meters high. Inside, Herod built a palace with large halls, inner courtyards and rich baths. Numerous gardens were planted throughout, and water was brought by aqueduct from the Solomon Basins near Bethlehem. This is how Joseph Flavius describes him: "On the mountain, against Arabia, he built a fortress, which he called by his own name... Made by the hands of men and decorated with luxurious buildings: on the top of this hill he has surrounded with circular towers, and on the enclosed square he has built so majestic palaces that not only their insides, but also their outer walls, teeth and roofs, were exceptionally rich in jewelry... Two hundred dazzling white marble steps led up to the castle, because the hill was quite high and constituted the entire creation of human hands." The underground part of it became almost essential outside: on the outside, it was like a flight of fantasy, whereas on the inside it was a fortification structure, essentially a bunker. From the top of the Irodion, the highest peak in the Judean desert, there is a stunning view of the desert, the Moav Mountains to the east and the Judean Hills to the west. We’ll walk with you through the halls of a magnificent palace, go down to the ground, and we’ll see cyclopic tank sizes. Visit the burial place of the Great Herod, admire the views of Jerusalem and the blossoming desert. Admired by the insatiable fantasy and engineering genius of the great ruler, we will go to Jerusalem mystical. Today we will walk through the two most famous valleys in Jerusalem - Cedrona and Ennoma. Let us begin the walk down to the valley of Ennnoma, which is known to the world as Geena the Fire, and we shall see where, day and night, the fires on which the First Born were sacrificed, where the people of Jerusalem were buried, during the First Temple. Walking on Geene Fiery, we will reach the Land of the Blood - it is, according to the New Testament, a plot of land bought with money received by Judas from the High Priests, for betraying Jesus. Our journey through the valleys will end in Cedron Valley, or Yoshofat Valley. It is believed that this is where the trumpet of the archangel will sound, and the resurrected dead will be brought before the Court of God. That is why, on the slopes of the valley, there are Christian, Jewish and Muslim cemeteries in which tombs of different times and peoples have been layered on each other for centuries. We will find out whether the cedron trees once grew in Cedron Valley, and whose burials we see there, who these people were, and whether the son of King David Avshalom is buried there. By unveiling the riddles of the valleys that surround Jerusalem from the West, the South, and the East, making it impregnable, we will bid farewell to one of the most mysterious cities on planet Earth, to return again and again.