DAY 1 - AMMAN-Daily -Year Round
Arrive at Amman Airport.
Our local rep will meet you upon arrival and help with the transfer to
your hotel in Amman . While this is a daily tour, you may choose your
own arrival date, we may have to change the sequence of the itinerary to
accommodate any closure of specific sites and/or border crossing,
subject to local holidays and regular maintenance of sites etc.
Day 2 - Amman (BL)
Breakfast at the hotel, then we will
start by heading out to Salt and its surroundings where we will see and
visit several tombs of prominent figures of Islam and others mentioned
in the Holy Qur'an. Within a modern mosque in Wadi Shu'ayb lies the
shrine of Prophet Shu'ayb (Jethro), the Midianite father-in-law of
Prophet Moses and with whom Prophet Moses took refuge after he killed an
Egyptian. Repeatedly he preached to his people about monotheism and to
abandon their corrupt practices such as under-weighing and
under-measuring the commodities they sold. Within a mosque to the west
of Salt, on a hill carrying his name lies the shrine of Prophet Yusha
(Joshua). He was the apprentice of Prophet Moses and later his
successor. Prophet Joshua led the army of the tribes of Israel in
conquest over the land of Palestine. Lunch is included enroute, then
continue to Amman and your hotel.
Day 3 - Amman and Jerusalem - Al Qouds Al Shareef (BLD)
Breakfast
at your hotel main, checkout the hotel and transfer to the borders
(king Hussein Bridge) for departure. Meet and assist upon arrival at
Allenby Bridge and drive to Jericho to visit Hisham's palace and old
Jericho.
Continue to Jerusalem to visit the rest of Raba'a Adawia and to see a panoramic view of the old city of Jerusalem.
Al-Masjid
El-Aqsa is an Arabic name which means the Farthest Mosque. To
understand its name, and its importance, it must be remembered that the
roots of Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia today).
Ten
years after the Prophet Mohammad (SAAWS) received his first revelation
he made a miraculous night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and to the
Seven Heavens on a white flying horse called Al-Buraq El-Sharif . During
his interval in Jerusalem, the Prophet (SAAWS) stopped to pray at the
rock (now covered by the golden Dome), and was given the commandment to
pray five times a day.
Today, Muslims throughout the World use
Mecca as the direction of prayers (Qibla). However, for 16½ months
following the Prophet Mohammad's miraculous journey, Jerusalem was the
Qibla.
During Prophet Mohammad's life, he instructed Muslims to
visit not only the mosque where they lived in Mecca, but also the
'Farthest mosque' from them which lay 2000 kilometers north, in
Jerusalem. Hence the name Al-Masjid El-Aqsa, or Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Aqsa
Mosque is the second oldest mosque in Islam after the Ka'ba in Mecca,
and is third in holiness and importance after the mosques in Mecca and
Medina.
The rectangular Al-Aqsa Mosque is 144,000 square meters,
35 acres, or 1/6 of the entire area within the walls of the Old City of
Jerusalem as it stands today. It is also called Al-Haram El-Sharif (the
Nobel Sanctuary). The Dome of the Chain marks the exact central point of
this Mosque.
Al-Aqsa Mosque holds up to 400,000 worshippers at
one time, bearing in mind that the space required for each person is
roughly 0.8m x 0.5m to enable the submissive kneeling in prayer. On
Fridays at noon, during the fasting month of Ramadan, and particularly
the 27th of Ramadan (Lailat El-Qadr), the area is filled to virtual
capacity.
There are 11 gates to Al-Aqsa Mosque: 7 of which are open. Of the 4 closed gates, one is the Golden Gate.
Indications
of any Muslim mosque the World over is the thin spiral minaret which
always immediately adjoins the Mosque wall. Minarets are used to call
Muslims to prayer five times a day, seven days a week throughout the
year. At Al-Aqsa Mosque, there are four minarets: 3 square and 1
cylindrical from the Mamluk period.
There are no minarets on the
Eastern side of Al-Aqsa Mosque because there were no inhabitants and
thus no-one to call to prayer. After all, it was not till the late
nineteenth century that Jerusalem began to expand outside the city
walls.
Al-Aqsa is made up of 3 parts, narrow arcades run along one end, a huge atrium and a covered area at the south.
Running
alongside the arcades are several family burial sites (maqamat). These
persons contributed to the schools and charities in the vicinity of the
Mosque run by the Supreme Muslim Council.
The atrium of Al-Aqsa
Mosque is an oasis of peace and tranquillity inside a walled city of
hustle and bustle. It has trees, lawns, fountains, the beautiful Shrine
of the Dome of the Rock small domed rooms and structures which are rooms
for scholars, sheikhs and religious court offices, and a museum.
In
the center of the southern end of the atrium is the covered area of
Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Mihrab (niche showing direction of prayer) of the
Mosque is located here. Al-Aqsa building (recognizable by its lead
dome), was originally built nearly 1300 years ago by Muslim Caliph
Al-Walid the son of Abdul Malek bin Marwan in 709 AD (the same Al-Walid
who occupied Spain and made it Andalusia).
Throughout its history,
Al-Aqsa was subject to successive restoration work due to damages
caused by earthquakes, etc. The building now has the central nave and 6
aisles (the original covered area had 14 aisles).
The covered area
of Al-Aqsa Mosque is a very simple, but large and imposing, rectangular
structure. It has an area of 3500 square meters, and holds up to 5000
Muslims at prayer at one time. The Qibla facing south towards Mecca and
the Rock within the Dome of the Rock are on the same central line.
There
are 7 large gates to enter the Mosque's covered area, as well as 1
single door on both the eastern and western sides. There are over 100
clear and colored glass windows, 14 Arches, 27 Italian Marble columns on
the eastern side, and the equivalent number of stone piers on the
western side.
The outer dome was covered with Lead in 1985 replacing the Aluminum dome of 1964 in order to restore it to its original cover.
The inner dome, decorated with stucco work, dates back to the 13th century.
In
accordance with tradition, men and women are permitted to pray within
the covered area but in different sections, 3 times a day. The remaining
two daily prayers as well as Friday noon prayers, Al-Aqsa is for men
only. The covered part of Al-Aqsa Mosque was converted to a Knight's
Hostel in part, and Chapel in part during the Crusader period.
Restoration of Islamic atmosphere was done by Salahuddin Al-Ayyoubi.
The
restoration of the subterranean Marwani Musallah (praying place) was
completed in 1996. It is 4000 square meters, and was tiled in a brief 2
months entirely by volunteers. The Marwani Musallah is mistakenly
believed by some to be the site of King Solomon's stables, however its
construction is actually entirely 8th century Umayyad.
In the
middle of the 19th century Al-Aqsa Mosque was opened for Non-Muslim
visitors. For Non-Muslims, the Mosque is open during fixed times on
weekday mornings and afternoons on payment of an entrance fees. The
Mosque is closed to Non-Muslims on Fridays throughout the year and all
Muslim holidays.
Diner and overnight at Jerusalem.
Day 4 - Jerusalem - Al Qouds (BLD)
Breakfast
at the hotel, morning walking tour of the old medina, with lunch
included at an Arabic local restaurant, with afternoon dedicated to
another visit to the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Dinner is
included at the hotel.
Day 5- HEBRON - BETHLEHEM
Hebron and the pools of
Solomon, the Tomb of the Patriarchs - according to the Book of Genesis,
the patriarch Abraham purchased the site from Ephron the Hittite as
burial ground for his family after the death of his wife Sarah. Some
traditions maintain that the site is the burial place of four biblical
couples: Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekka and Jacob
and Leah.
Prayer at the Tomb of Ibrahim El Khalil Departure for
Bethlehem, the site of the death of Rachel, wife of Jacob who died in
having children Benjamin, place of birth of David and site of his
anointing by Samuel (I Samuel 16, 1) take advantage of the city of King
David then ... it is here that was born Jesus of Nazareth visit of the
basilica of the Nativity covering the Cave and then the field of the
shepherds, view over the desert of Judea.
Diner and overnight at Bethlehem/Jerusalem.
Day 6 - Jerusalem
Prayer was the Mosque of El Aqsa Mosque
on the Temple esplanade. Then we visit the Wall of lament - it Mabka
Visit the Israel Museum and its Shrine of the book or are exposed the
famous manuscripts of the Dead Sea and visit of the maquette of
Jerusalem, in the second temple period.
Dinner and overnight at your hotel Jerusalem.
Day 7 - Ein Kerem – Tel Aviv – Tal Abib
This
morning departure to Ein Kerem 'the source of the vine' - Visit of the
village. Then drive to Tel Aviv - Jaffa, visit of the city or the Muslim
community and Jewish cohabited. Visit of the flea market and the
neighborhood of artists, Visit and prayer has the Mosque Hassan Bek
built in 1916 and at a few meters from the seaside. Departure with night
flight. Or Dinner and overnight in your hotel in Tel Aviv.
