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About Nazareth
Nazareth, the birthplace of Christianity and the largest Arab city in Israel today, is home to many holy sites, spectacular landscapes, and outstanding cuisine.
Israelis love Nazareth - the largest Arab city in Israel – and often spend Saturdays, holidays, and weekdays enjoying its markets, restaurants, and shops. But this is nothing new! Throughout history, Nazareth has always welcomed its visitors, including the non-Christians who come to visit the churches.
The city of Nazareth is as renowned as Jerusalem. Jesus is known as “Jesus of Nazareth,” not of Jerusalem, where he was crucified, or of Bethlehem, where he was born. In fact, the Hebrew word for “Christian” is “Notzri,” derived from “Nazeret,” the Hebrew name for Nazareth. Jesus lived here as a child and a teenager, and it is where the entire Christian story began. This is the place where the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that her future was to give birth to the Son of God - the Messiah. Jesus eventually left, as “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”
We will begin our visit to Nazareth with a view from the Mount of Ancients - the Mount of the Jump. From there, you’ll have a great view of the city and its churches and mosques as well as a spectacular view of the Jezreel Valley. This area is identified with the steep cliff from which the people of Nazareth conspired to throw Jesus into the valley because he hinted that he was the Messiah. From there, he passed between them and went on his way.
We will continue to the city, which is surrounded by mountains. The Catholic Church of the Annunciation, whose construction began in 1962, is located in the heart of the city. The church was intended to serve as a religious center and a central place of prayer for Christians in Israel. Keep in mind that, at the time, important religious sites such as the Church of the Sepulcher, the Church of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem were under Jordanian control and access was prohibited until the Six Day War in 1967.
The Italian church architect, Giovanni Muccio, who was commissioned to design the structure, was an artisan, philosopher, and theologian. He believed in the necessity to adapt the church to modern times, both in its form and in its construction materials, and it is, indeed, a modern structure. From the moment you enter the complex, you immediately notice the mix of the old and new styles and the works of artists from all over the world. Each of the craftsmen created dozens of mosaics, ceramics, wall paintings, and bronze and stone sculptures, which are scattered in and around the church, in the design of his country of origin. A visit to the church is recommended, even if only to view the artistry.
In the large complex of the church there are also the archeological remains of ancient Nazareth and the Church of St. Joseph, which was built on the site where the young Jesus worked for his adoptive father. In the crypt of the church you can see water cisterns and a Jewish purification bowl from the Second Temple period.
From the church, ascend to the small, colorful Nazareth market, a traditional market selling household goods, fabrics, coffee, spices, jewelry, vegetables, meat, and baked goods. There, among the narrow alleys, is the ancient Jewish synagogue from which Jesus was expelled by the worshippers. A narrow road towards the north will lead us to Mary's Well and the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation from where Mary’s spring rises. Pilgrims usually fill bottles with the water, which is believed to be holy.
Nazareth is the commercial and financial center of the Arabs of the Galilee, and it is also an important culinary center where the traditional Arab Galilean food is combined with Israeli and European cuisine. There are numerous excellent falafel and hummus stalls in the city, as well as quite a few first rate restaurants.
There is a wide variety of accommodations available in Nazareth. In recent years, large hotels have opened alongside small boutique hotels, some within the old city, which provide a great base for trips to the nearby sites: Kfar Cana, where the young Jesus turned water into wine; Zipori, which was the capital of the Galilee and is home to fascinating antiquity; Beit Sha’arim, a Roman-style Jewish necropolis; Nahalel, the first settlement in northern Israel. Nahalel is also home to a cemetery overlooking the valley where General Moshe Dayan is buried side by side with the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who perished in the space shuttle Columbia disaster.
You are all invited to visit Nazareth. As the locals say: "Ahlan wa sahlan” (welcome)!
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Looking for some interesting things to do in Nazareth? Here are some recommended attractions and sights for you.
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Attractions in Nazareth
- Historic Center, Nazareth
- St. Joseph Church, Nazareth
- Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth
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