INTRODUCTION
In recent years there has been a great progress made in the field of archaeology when most of the biblical and historic sites were scientifically excavated. Consequently many artifacts found called for the revision of all the authoritative guide-books. However, as long as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jordan River, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee remain, the pilgrimage routes in the Holy Land remained unchanged, thus the story of the Bible will stay alive and be told to the visitor in various ways.
At present, there seems to be more interest among nations to visit the Holy Land, especially when the world is full of confusions and problems, it is inevitable that tortured humanity will once again seek inspiration and vigour from those faiths which so many build upon as the only foundation for a life worth living. Thus many people from all over the world come to visit the Holy Land, and to those places which are most essential in the history of man's development, and particularly in relationship to the development of the world's three great Monotheistic religions, namely, Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Through my many years of experience in the field of tourism, I well realized that each and every visitor to the Holy Land, be he a pilgrim or a tourist, has diverse interests. Most often they do not have sufficient amount of time in order to study or see the wealth of history and culture that this land has to offer. He is forced to be satisfied with superficial and often abrupt descriptions and explanations. Thus the experience becomes exclusive rather than comprehensive. With all these facts in mind, I have endeavored to present this work directed to the pilgrim and those interested to learn more about the Holy Land, its peoples and diverging cultures. Nevertheless my own impression is that most of the people who come, travel in the spirit of devout pilgrimage. They want to see and feel the story of the Bible here in front of their own eyes. However, it would be more meaningful, and hopefully the aim of all the pilgrims to look for the Holy in the Holy Places, simply to see Him who is Invisible.
My thanks are due to many, to whom l express my sincere greetings and appreciation, especially those who became my inspiration with their God-loving attitude and understanding.
The Author
