Country - Israel
Israel Country Information
Israel is a country in the Middle East and is primarily known for the birthplace of Christianity. The biggest city in Israel is Jerusalem, a self-proclaimed capital and the ruling centre of political power. Israel is considered as a sacred land by three major monotheistic religions Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Though the status of Jerusalem as the capital for Israel is under a vague dispute, the city of Tel Aviv is the active financial and industrial hub of the country.
Its major part of southwestern border is shared by Egypt and a small of it is in contiguity with Gaza Strip. The lengthy coast line of Israel on its west is under constant batter of Mediterranean sea waves. Israel has common borders on northeastern side with Lebanon and Syria and eastern side with Jordan. Between Israel and Jordan is located an inland salt water lake called Dead Sea. The southernmost tip of Israel touches the Red Sea that separates Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. There is a vast mix of cultures and multi religions in the country rendering it a queer external facade for curious travellers.
Bogged down by the heavy history of religions, Jerusalem appears as a place replete with caramel-coloured stones, yet dominated by gold-domed massive structure, more commonly known as “Dome of Rock”. For exploring more about the city, roaming through labyrinthine network of roads is inevitable which can lead you to archaeological museums and religious places of international fame. However, the picture does not end there. Jerusalem is no longer an ancient city reminding the visitors of the main events of religions.
Jerusalem has rebounded with full energy and caught up with its modern-looking counterparts Tel Aviv and Haifa cities. Contrary to the general belief, Jerusalem has changed its colour to incredibly bright green ambience and environment. The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens house more than 10,000 species of plants, cheering the nature-lovers. The uber-modern “Bridge of strings”, also known as “Chords Bridge” is a sophisticated light rail route, eluding to the distant visitors as a colossal mosquito umbrella canopying a good part of the area. The giant building complex “Cinema City” hoards in itself as many as nineteen movie theatres like a big hen sheltering its numerous newborn chicks. The First Railway Station in Jerusalem has ceased to be operational in the original sense of the term but it stands out as the true cultural centre of Israel recreating the visitors manifold. Resembling the concave stem of base-and-stem of a goblet, the shiny metallic mega structure in the precinct of Israel museum lures kids and aged alike showing the erect and inverted surroundings on its surface. Jerusalem Festival of Lights celebrated every summer makes the city dazzling with vivid scintillations.
Tel Aviv, apart from being considered as the financial capital of Israel, is abuzz with energetic recreating activities all through the year. The vibe of enjoyment is so high that people are busy enjoying themselves to the core every night, caring very less about what day of the week and relax indolently at home in the weekends. The nightlife in Tel Aviv surpasses its own advertisements. The Yarkon river in the city lends a great relief to the citizens after an exhaustive work in the day. The river serves as a good alternative for those who find it hard to reach Mediterranean sea shores. Testing the physical stamina of the participants, there are three big events of runs/sprints/marathons in Tel Aviv regularly… the Samsung Tel Aviv Marathon in February, the sea to Jerusalem Race (held biannually) and the Tel Aviv Night Run in every October.
Haifa, apart from being a famous international education centre, is the third largest city in Israel reflecting volumes of its modern culture. An evening walk in Ben Gurion Boulevard of the city’s own German colony amuses the pedestrians by well-laid clean roads illuminated by halogen street lamps. Places like The Tikotin Museum of Japan located in Haifa city is a rarity in the Mediterranean region. The city of Haifa dumps plenty of opportunities to beach-lovers for indulging in water sports at Mediterranean sea shores.
In addition to being a vibrant city of jubilation for visitors as well as regular residents, Israel has earned a special reputation of nurturing strong patriotic spirit. The defence of Israel is considered as one of the most powerful forces in the world. Israel is known to be formidably dangerous to anyone who tries to heckle with its sovereign powers and aggressively protective of its national sentiments. Despite its relatively geographical small size, Israel has come to be regarded as a fiercely retaliative force by the developed nations in the world.