The document provides a travelogue summary of a trip to Israel and Jordan from March 16th to 29th. It describes visits to important biblical sites including Caesarea, Meggido, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, Beth Shan, Jericho, Masada, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem sites like the Dome of the Rock and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Bethlehem. Photos document the group's experiences at these locations, including baptisms in the Jordan River, Roman ruins, mosaics, and other historical and religious sites relevant to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

1. I S R A E L A N D J O R D A N : M A R C H 1 6 T H T O
M A R C H 2 9 T H
The Holy Land 2015

2. Arrival
 We arrived in Tel Aviv, after a long flight that began
in Baton Rouge, then took us to Atlanta and NYC for
an overnight flight. After landing we boarded a bus
to Caesarea, where we spent the night. Caesarea was
named for Augustus Caesar. St. Paul was imprisoned
here. Caesarea was a Roman port city and the
aqueducts are 2000 years old. They supplied this
important city with water.

4. Tom & Robin
underneath one of the
many arches of the
aquaduct.
The body of water seen
in the following slide is
the Mediterranean Sea.

7. Armageddon Valley

9. Roadside chapel on the
road to Meggido.

11. Meggido
Meggido is one of the
oldest cities in the
region, dating back to
4000 b.c. It’s also called
Armageddon. In
“Revelations” this is
where the forces of
Good and Evil do battle.
This staircase is
reputed to have been
used by King Solomon.

13. Robin & Tom
“driving” a
sculptured
chariot at
Meggido, where
Roman races
took place.

14. Site of the Sermon on the Mount

16. Dan
T E L D A N N A T U R E R E S E R V E
T H I S I S W H E R E T H E J O R D A N R I V E R B E G I N S .
I T F L O W S I N T O T H E S E A O F G A L I L E E

17. Headwaters of the Jordan River

18. The ancient Wall of the
Tel Dan nature reserve,
which dates to 1500 b.c.

19. Caesarea Philippi
 Situated 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee and at
the base of Mt. Hermon, Caesarea Philippi is the
location of one of the largest springs feeding the
Jordan River.

20. Caesarea Philippi
Grotto of Pan
The spring emerged
from the large cave
which became the center
of pagan worship.
Beginning in the 3rd
century B.C., sacrifices
were cast into the cave
as offerings to the god
Pan.
It’s here that Jesus
reportedly gave Peter the
keys to the Kingdom of
Heaven.

21. This fish, a tilapia, is
known as St. Peter’s
Fish. It was delicious.

22. The Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is
actually a fresh
water lake.

23. Baptism in the Jordan River
T H I S W A S A M O R N I N G C E R E M O N Y I N T H E
J O R D A N R I V E R . T H R E E M E M B E R S O F O U R
G R O U P C H O S E T O B E ( R E - ) B A P T I Z E D B Y O U R
G R O U P L E A D E R D R . W A Y N E B A R N E S , A
R E T I R E D B A P T I S T M I N I S T E R , W H O I S A L S O
T H E O W N E R O F T H E T O U R A G E N C Y W E U S E D .
H E ’ S B E E N T O T H E H O L Y L A N D M O R E T H A N 4 0
T I M E S .

24. Stephanie, Tim, and
Bonnie before their
baptism.
.

28. Beth Shan
B E T H S H A N I S A C I T Y I N T H E N O R T H D I S T R I C T O F I S R A E L
W H I C H H A S P L A Y E D H I S T O R I C A L L Y A N I M P O R T A N T R O L E
D U E T O I T S G E O G R A P H I C A L L O C A T I O N , A T T H E J U N C T I O N
O F T H E J O R D A N R I V E R V A L L E Y A N D T H E J E Z R E E L V A L L E Y .
I T H A S A L S O P L A Y E D A N I M P O R T A N T R O L E I N M O D E R N
T I M E S , A C T I N G A S T H E R E G I O N A L C E N T E R O F T H E
V I L L A G E S I N T H E B E I T S H E ' A N V A L L E Y .
T H E A N C I E N T C I T Y R U I N S A R E N O W P R O T E C T E D W I T H I N A
N A T I O N A L P A R K , K N O W N A S B E T S H E ' A N N A T I O N A L P A R K .

29. Beth Shan was a
Greek/Roman city,
located 17 miles south of
the Sea of Galilee.
Excavations were
conducted between 1921
and 1933 by the
University of
Pennsylvania. At that
time, almost the entire
top five levels on the
summit were cleared.
The main finds include a
series of temples from
the Middle and Late
Bronze Ages.

30. This mosaic floor dates to the 4th c
B.C. and was located on the central
walkway along with many others.

37. Jericho
J E R I C H O , W H I C H I S A L S O C A L L E D “ T H E C I T Y O F
P A L M S ” , W A S O C C U P I E D B Y J O R D A N F R O M 1 9 4 9 T O 1 9 6 7 ,
A N D H A S B E E N H E L D U N D E R I S R A E L I O C C U P A T I O N
S I N C E 1 9 6 7 ; A D M I N I S T R A T I V E C O N T R O L W A S H A N D E D
O V E R T O T H E P A L E S T I N I A N A U T H O R I T Y I N 1 9 9 4 . I T I S
B E L I E V E D T O B E O N E O F T H E O L D E S T I N H A B I T E D
C I T I E S I N T H E W O R L D .
T H E O L D E S T H U M A N S T R E E T I S S A I D T O B E L O C A T E D
H E R E A T 1 0 , 0 0 0 Y E A R S O L D

38. The World’s
Oldest Building
This building dates to
8000 B.C. – which
makes it roughly
10,000 years old!

39. Jordan Valley
This is a picture of the
Judean Desert.

40. St. George Greek Monastery
S T . G E O R G E ' S M O N A S T E R Y B E G A N I N T H E F O U R T H C E N T U R Y
W I T H A F E W M O N K S W H O S O U G H T T H E D E S E R T E X P E R I E N C E S
O F T H E P R O P H E T S . T H I S M O N A S T E R Y I S O N T H E E A S T E R N
W E S T B A N K . T H E S I X T H - C E N T U R Y C L I F F - H A N G I N G C O M P L E X ,
W I T H I T S A N C I E N T C H A P E L A N D G A R D E N S , I S A C T I V E A N D
I N H A B I T E D B Y G R E E K O R T H O D O X M O N K S . I T I S R E A C H E D B Y A
P E D E S T R I A N B R I D G E A C R O S S T H E W A D I Q E L T , W H I C H M A N Y
I M A G I N E T O B E P S A L M 2 3 ' S V A L L E Y O F T H E S H A D O W O F
D E A T H . T H E V A L L E Y P A R A L L E L S T H E O L D R O M A N R O A D T O
J E R I C H O , T H E B A C K D R O P F O R T H E P A R A B L E O F T H E G O O D
S A M A R I T A N ( L U K E 1 0 : 2 9 - 3 7 ) . T H E M O N A S T E R Y I S O P E N T O
P I L G R I M S A N D V I S I T O R S . U N F O R T U N A T E L Y W E D I D N ’ T H A V E
T I M E T O G O T H E R E O U R S E L V E S .

43. This was a private home
close to our hotel.

44. The Damascus Gate in
Jerusalem
This gate into the Old
City of Jerusalem is the
most famous and most
ornate of the seven gates
into the ancient part of
the city, which houses
Jews, Muslims, and
Christians alike.

45. This is our tour group
overlooking the center
of Jerusalem.

46. Bethlehem
 From our base in Jerusalem we took an afternoon
excursion to the town of Bethlehem, the birthplace of
Jesus. Bethlehem is 3000 years old, dating back to
1000 b.c. It’s located in the Palestinian Territory.
The next six slides show parts of the interior of the
Church of the Nativity, which is Greek Orthodox and
Christian Armenian. This is the oldest Christian
church in the world.

49. Mosaic Floor in the Church of the Nativity

57. Masada
M A S A D A I S A N A N C I E N T F O R T I F I C A T I O N S I T U A T E D O N
T O P O F A N I S O L A T E D R O C K P L A T E A U , O N T H E E A S T E R N
E D G E O F T H E J U D E A N D E S E R T , O V E R L O O K I N G T H E
D E A D S E A . H E R O D T H E G R E A T B U I L T P A L A C E S F O R
H I M S E L F O N T H E M O U N T A I N A N D F O R T I F I E D M A S A D A
B E T W E E N 3 7 A N D 3 1 B C . T H E S I E G E O F M A S A D A B Y
T R O O P S O F T H E R O M A N E M P I R E T O W A R D S T H E E N D O F
T H E F I R S T J E W I S H – R O M A N W A R E N D E D I N T H E M A S S
S U I C I D E O F 9 6 0 P E O P L E .

58. Aerial View of Masada

59. In order to attack
Mesada, the Romans
built a ramp using
Jewish slaves. This ramp
is the only Roman siege
ramp still in existence.

67. The Dead Sea Scrolls Caves
It was in one of these
caves that Bedouin
shepherd children found
what have come to be
known as the Dead Sea
Scrolls. They were made
of leather dating back to
300BC – 70AD. The
children brought them
to a village cobbler in the
hope that he’d buy them
to make shoes and
sandals. He kept them
for years after
recognizing their biblical
significance.

68. One of the
Dead Sea
Scrolls
The two shepherd boys
found 7 earthenware
jars containing the
priceless biblical
manuscripts.

69. The Dead
Sea
The Dead Sea is
actually a large
salt lake and at
1000 feet below
sea level it is the
lowest spot on
earth.

71. Robin Ankle
Deep in the
Dead Sea
The mud was so thick
and the suction of the
water so strong that it
was all Robin could do
to pull herself out, as
can be seen in the next
slide.

73. Jerusalem
After checking into our
hotel and although it was
already getting late, we
and several others from
our group were invited to
accompany Dr. Wayne
Barnes on a walk into the
Old City, about 15
minutes away. Passing
through the Damascus
Gate we found the bazaar
of the Old City still alive
with people of all three
major religions –
Christian, Jew, and
Muslim – buying and
selling wares of all kinds
or eating at any number
of the small restaurants
that lined the streets.

76. Tom along the Via Dolorosa

77. Tom with the Dome of the Rock in
the background.
The golden dome in the
background is the
famous “Dome of the
Rock.” The silver dome
in the foreground is
Tom’s head.

80. The “Dome of the Rock”
 The most famous Islamic site in Jerusalem is the Dome
of the Rock, which can be seen from all over Jerusalem.
It is the crowning glory of the Temple Mount.
 The Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, but a Muslim
shrine. Like the Ka'ba in Mecca, it is built over a sacred
stone. This stone is believed to be the place from which
the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven during his
Night Journey to heaven.
 The Dome of the Rock is the oldest Islamic monument
that stands today and certainly one of the most beautiful.

90. The Garden of
Gethsemane
There are 8 ancient
olive trees found in the
garden today. Nearby is
the Church of Agony,
also called the Church
of All Nations, which
was erected over the
rock at which Jesus was
believed to have prayed
and wept blood.

91. Rock of Agony
Surrounding this Rock
of Agony is a wrought
iron crown of thorns.

92. Garden of Gethsemane

93. Church of Agony

95. Image from the Church
of Agony depicting
Christ’s arrest in the
Garden of Gethsemane.

97. The Garden of Gethsemane

98. Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives

100. The cobble stone road is
said to be the road Jesus
would have walked
down after being
condemned to death by
Pontius Pilate

101. The Garden Tomb
This is one of two
possible sites where
Jesus is thought to have
been buried.

102. Valley of Elah: where David slew Goliath
This is our guide Leslie

103. Dr. Wayne Barnes

106. Joppa: Tel Aviv

108. Robin crashing a
wedding party in
Jerusalem – mazaltov!

109. Children’s art: …we are all the same.

110. That’s what I call bread!
Joppa restaurant.

111. This is one of the several
gates leading into the old
city of Jerusalem.

113. Tom & Robin with the
resident monk at
Samuel’s Tomb.

114. The bazaar in
Jerusalem’s Old City

115. Fresh Fruit from a Street Vendor

116. The Stone of Unction Where Christ's Body was Prepared
for Burial Outside of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

117. Robin at The Stone of Unction Where Christ's Body was
Prepared for Burial

118. The Wailing Wall
… I S L O C A T E D I N T H E O L D C I T Y O F J E R U S A L E M . I T I S A
R E L A T I V E L Y S M A L L S E G M E N T O F T H E S T R U C T U R E
W H I C H O R I G I N A L L Y C O M P O S E D T H E W E S T E R N
R E T A I N I N G W A L L O F T H E S E C O N D J E W I S H T E M P L E
A T O P T H E H I L L K N O W N A S T H E T E M P L E M O U N T T O
J E W S A N D C H R I S T I A N S . T H E W A L L A C T U A L L Y E X T E N D S
B E L O W G R O U N D A N D O U R G R O U P W A S A B L E T O W A L K
A L O N G I T , T H R O U G H N A R R O W P A S S A G E W A Y S , L E A V I N G
P A R Y E R S I F W E W I S H E D I N C R E V I C E S I N T H E W A L L .

121. School Field Trip

122. Visitors to the Western “Wailing” Wall

123. Tom at Scale Model of 1st c. Jerusalem

128.  Church of
the
Assumption

129. School Field Trip

130. Robin with a Franciscan
Monk

131. The Judean Desert in Springtime

133. Robin, Margaret, and Tom

134. Petra, Jordan
I N H A B I T E D S I N C E P R E H I S T O R I C T I M E S , T H I S C A R A V A N -
C I T Y , S I T U A T E D B E T W E E N T H E R E D S E A A N D T H E D E A D
S E A , W A S A N I M P O R T A N T C R O S S R O A D S B E T W E E N
A R A B I A , E G Y P T A N D S Y R I A - P H O E N I C I A . P E T R A I S H A L F -
B U I L T , H A L F - C A R V E D I N T O T H E R O C K , A N D I S
S U R R O U N D E D B Y M O U N T A I N S R I D D L E D W I T H P A S S A G E S
A N D G O R G E S . C A L L E D T H E “ L O S T C I T Y ” I T I S O N E O F
T H E W O R L D ' S M O S T F A M O U S A R C H A E O L O G I C A L S I T E S ,
W H E R E A N C I E N T E A S T E R N T R A D I T I O N S B L E N D W I T H
H E L L E N I S T I C A R C H I T E C T U R E .

135.  This is
 where
 the tour
 bus
 stopped
 for the
 walk --
 or mule
 /horse
 ride
 down
 into the ruins
 of Petra.

136. Cave Dwellings at Petra
 Until a few years ago, when Petra was designated a
UNESCO world heritage site (1985), these sandstone
caves were still being inhabited, primarily by goat
and sheep herders.

141. Entrance into the Valley

144. Robin about to emerge
into the open area in
front of the famous
Treasury.

145. Visitors can ride down to the site in mule-
drawn carts. Most of us walked.

146.  Emerging
into the
open after a
mile and a
half walk.

148. The Treasury is the
centerpiece of the
ancient site; it was
carved out of solid rock
and stands over 40
meters high.

150. Some of the locals who sell a variety
of souvenirs.

159. Dr. Wayne Barnes relaxing after
a long trek down into Petra.

160. Tom holding tight to his
‘rock’ behind some very
important big rock, the
significance of which
we’ve both forgotten.
Definitely important
though!

161. F R O M P E T R A , T H O S E I N O U R G R O U P W H O ’ D
O P T E D F O R T H E A D D - O N T O P E T R A , D R O V E
T O T H E C A P I T O L O F J O R D A N , A M M A N
W H E R E W E T O O K A V E R Y Q U I C K T O U R O F
T H E C I T Y B E F O R E R E T U R N I N G T O O U R
H O T E L F O R D I N N E R , A N A P , A N D A L A T E
N I G H T D E P A R T U R E F O R H O M E
Amman, Jordan

162. Ruins of the Ancient Roman Theater

164. View of Downtown Amman from our Hotel Room