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social news websites to get information and web traffic

2008-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

A list of social news websites to get information and web traffic

Social News web sites bring a method for Internet users to store and organize, searches and to save and manage bookmarks or diggs ,stumbl's ,memory burns or snipets of web pages on the World Wide Web

In a social news web site, the users save links to web pages that they want to remember and/or share.
links are public, and can be saved privately, shared only with specified people or groups
or, shared only inside the network,
people can usually view these links chronologically, by category or tags, or via a search engine.

the social News web sites encourage users to organize their links and posts with tags instead of of folders, although some services feature categories/folders or a combination of folders and tags
There is also options view bookmarks/posts/links associated with a chosen tag, and include information about the number of users who have bookmarked them.

Some social News web sites draw inferences from the relationship of tags to create clusters of tags or bookmarks.

Some social News web sites provide web feeds for their lists of posts and links, including lists organized by tags.
allowing subscribers to become noticed of new posts/news and new links as they are saved, shared, and tagged by the other users.

As these social news web sites became more popular- they added extra features:
such as ratings and comments on Posts and links
the ability to import and export bookmarks from browsers,
emailing of posts and links, groups or other social network features

Search engine friendly social news and bookmarking sites

reddit.com

The
site has discussion areas in which users may discuss the posted links and vote
for or against others' comments. When there are enough votes against a given
comment, it will not be displayed by default, although a reader can display it
through a link or preference. Users who submit articles which other users like
and subsequently "vote up" receive "karma" points as a
reward for submitting interesting articles. Reddit also includes several
topical sections called "subreddits", which focus on specific topics,
such as programming, science, "not safe for work", and politics.
There are dozens of subreddits

The Reddit logo changes for various holidays and often for no reason, paying
homage to Star Wars, classic video games, and geek culture in general. It often
changes in response to major discussion subjects within the site or major news
stories.

Although Reddit is not moderated by its owners, the Reddit developers
have built a system to aid with curtailing spam, which works based on the
"reports" of users.

Digg

Digg.com

Digg is a website made for people to discover and
share content from anywhere on the Internet, by submitting links and stories,
and voting and commenting on submitted

links and stories. Voting stories up and down is the site's cornerstone
function, respectively called digging and burying. Many stories get submitted
every day, but only the most dugg stories appear on the front page.

Digg's popularity has prompted the creation of other social networking
sites with a story submission and voting system

Propeller
www.propeller.com

A social news site that
covers all topics from technology to politics and entertainment. Operates in a
similar fashion to Digg.

Propeller, previously known as Netscape.com, is a
social news aggregator operated by AOL-Netscape. It is similar to Digg; users
can vote for which stories are to be included on the front page and may comment
on them as well.

Propeller was hosted on the Netscape.com domain from June 2006 to September
2007 when it was replaced by the AOL Netscape generic portal.The previous
version of Propeller was released to mixed reactions. Some users liked that
they had more participation ability while others found the pages to be harder
to navigate and not as structured. Soon after the release of the new site, a
story entitled "Netscape's Blunder" was the top rated story

Fark

www.fark.com

A community news site which allows users to comment on news articles. User
submitted links will be posted on the main page once they are approved by the
administrators.

Fark.com is a community website created to allows users to
comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various
websites. It is one of the top 100 English language websites,receiving over
2,500 submissions a day and over 5 million unique visitors per month.

It is
frequently used as a humorous source on CNN, Fox News, The Daily Show, The
Colbert Report, and many radio stations. It is generally seen as the
destination for strange news stories and snarky commentary

Links are submitted by Fark members, which administrators
can approve for posting on either the main page or one of the subsidiary tab
pages ("greenlit") . All links, approved or not, have associated
threads where users can comment on the link. Fark moderators police the
discussion threads to delete forbidden content

Yahoo! Buzz

buzz.yahoo.com

Yahoo! Buzz is a community-based news article website, much like Digg, that
combines the features of social bookmarking and syndication through a user
interface that allows editorial control. Users can be allowed to publish their
own news stories, and link to their own or another person's site that links to
a full story of the information, therefore driving traffic to that person's
website and creating a larger market for sites that research and publish their
own news articles and stories, such as CNN or smaller, privately owned
websites.

Yahoo! created the service in hopes that it would
drive larger traffic to their site and would give them an advantage over larger
online media companies such as Google or MSN, which are Yahoo!'s largest
competitors in terms of search engines that provide services and web features
to its customers. Unlike other social networking sites, Buzz allows the
publisher to modify the submission

Whats On-Memory burns
Gifts45
-Whats On-Memory burns
www.gifts45.com

an online community where users post
and rank different types of media,
this social content website encourages its members to read and share articles and news content relevant To predominantly recipes gifts, shopping and
travel destinations news articles.
Users can post and rank
articles/blogs,videos and web sites, which displays the best news and article website content as voted by its by popularity on the
gifts45-whats on social website homepage
What are -"Memory Burns"?
An idea or info on the web that has been burned in your mind
members are posting and ranking different types of memory burns.all the info they remember when crawling the web
predominantly "memory burns" that focuses on recipes gifts, shopping and travel destinations news articles.
Users that post and rank articles/blogs,videos and web sites, can see them on the gifts45-whats on "memory burns" social website homepage.
users of the site use this utility for sharing news and opinions.
needs a Sign up and a registration process to post stories, rate and share comments.

Mister Wong

www.mister-wong.com
Mister Wong is is a social bookmarking site that originated in Germany, and has since become a popular and widespread tool in Europe. It’s recent launch in America is currently in private beta testing, in an effort to prepare for a full-fledged launching of its service, which is a direct competitor to del.icio.us.
There is an emphasis on the social aspects of Mister Wong, as you can join groups and share links with others. You can also see which users have bookmarked any particular link on the site, as both public and private status. The ability to contribute to Mister Wong has also been simplified, with its multiple browser add-ons for adding and accessing different aspects of your bookmarking account and the ability to import and export bookmarks from other services.

Most recently, Mister Wong has launched in several other languages including Russian and Chinese, and has also added mobile support, which is a directory of mobile sites and can be accessed on your cell phone Cell phone reviews as well. Despite the questionable name, Mister Wong has a lot going for it, though one group feature allowing members to vote for submitted links would be useful in every other area of the site. Otherwise, the tools included in Mister Wong make for a rather helpful service.

MIXX

www.mixx.com

A general social news sites which has a category for all types of news.
Topics covered include business, entertainment, sports, health and tech.
Includes the

ability to create groups to share news with other users.

Mixx is a user-driven social media web site that serves to help users submit
or find content by peers based on interest and location. It combines social
networking and bookmarking with web syndication, blogging and personalization
tools.

Users of Mixx can control a personalized blend of web content that includes
text-based articles, images and videos.

Mixx users can search and discover
media relevant to their interests, and interact with friends and other Mixx
users who share their common interests.

The content on Mixx comes from various online sources, such as news services
and online publishers of media such as video, images, and various other
content.

Mixx users can submit items from any online source, including their
own websites.

Mixx has received partnerships with a growing list of online publishing
outlets including CNN.com, USA Today, Reuters, The Los Angeles
Times and The Weather Channel.

Newsvine

www.newsvine.com

The site, incorporates news aggregation, social networking, citizen journalism, blogging, user ratings and online discussion
the website consists of community-driven news stories and opinions. Users
have their own blogs and can write articles,and save links to external content and
vote/comment on other user stories .Newsvine is a community-powered news website which draws original content from its users and syndicated content from mainstream sources such as The Press.

Users can write articles,
seed links to external content, and
discuss news items submitted by both users and professional journalists.

Faves

www.faves.com

Faves
is a social bookmarking and networking software that installs a single browser
button for users to "fave" a webpage, making a link to the page part
of their Faves profile. Until October 2007, Faves was called Blue Dot. While
offering a service similar to the better-known del.icio.us, Faves has a wider
range of functionality that encourages interaction with "friends" in
rating the content of linked webpages. When a registered user visits their
Faves home page, they see a summary of the bookmarks, called "Faves"
by the company, that have been most recently shared by their friends.]

In addition to features shared with other
bookmarking and social bookmarking services, Faves provides an in-page dialog
for saving a Fave, thumbnails generated from the page, dynamic voting, and
topic-based auto-generated favorites pages

NowPublic

"participatory news network,"

www.nowpublic.com

where anyone can write a story, or upload images, audio or video Whatever
gets the most votes from the reading masses . (NowPublic)
has "guest editors," "wranglers" and an "actual news guy" who keep an
eye on things,

giving advice to contributing reporters and shepherding
the best, most timely stuff through, but nobody on staff makes actual
editing changes to the content.)

A participatory news network which focuses on citizen journalism. Each userhas their own individual profile blog/pageand can upload videos, images and news stories

Indianpad

www.indianpad.com

IndianPad is a social bookmarking and blogging site, the place where
user edited bookmark of news stories related to South Asia.

users submit stories to the site and other users decide
by their voting power what gets to the front page.

Options to promote a
story, demote a story and even vote on comments.

there are latest news, music or user profiles witch are search engine friendly

Topics covered include entertainment, sports, videos and tamil news.

a social bookmarking and news site

, to bookmark your
website.

There are a lot of choices out there for this and a few rise
above the crowd. One of those is Ka-Boom-It.

Ka-Boom-It is a Social Bookmarking site for news and information.

They are VERY Internet Marketer Friendly.

You can post your News
stories, Blog Stories, New Websites, and more. Make Friends
(Ka-Boomers) and have fun. Just about the only thing they ask is that
you limit your sales page posts but do not discriminate.

They don’t
allow porn or hardcore adult sites. (They will be deleted, and this is
a good thing).

Technorati

www.technorati.com

technorati is a real-time search engine dedicated to the blogosphere.
It only searches through blogs to find exactly what you're looking for. .
to Search for blogs .

Navigate to the Technorati home page, and type in what you're looking for into the main search query bar. and browse through Technorati tags,
that are organized in alphabetical order.
The bigger the tag text is in the Technorati tag cloud, the more popular or active that particular tag is. the Technorati Blog Finder
is the Technorati's directory of blogs, organized by topic.
browsing through the categories, or scrolling down to the bottom of the page to view the most recently added blogs.

Technorati offers a feature called Claim Your Blog;

Technorati gets information and then

Technorati "claims" your blog.

and adds the blog to the Technorati's searchable blog database. geting The more users and more people looking at your blog.

kirtsy

www.kirtsy.com

the new name for Sk*rt, who skirted into waters that weren’t as comfy for a moment there. It’s a pretty cool site. Mix the wisdom of the crowds with 22 engaged and passionate editors and you get a fabulous hybrid of social news meets curated content.

Kirtsy is a site where women point out the cool stuff. Is that simple enough? There’s obviously a lot more at play here, but after looking around the site, I think you’ll figure it out pretty quickly, as well, and so I won’t dig in too deeply.

What I will say, however, is that Kirtsy has some neat features (the mix of editing and voting, for one), a nice design, and has a lot to offer women looking for information on a whole host of subjects, including family, design, travel, mind and body, and more.

StumbleUpon

www.stumbleupon.com

Searching vs. Stumbling:

Using search engines to locate relevant content typically means hunting through pages of results. Rather than searching for quality web sites, StumbleUpon members are taken directly to web sites matching their personal interests and preferences.

People-Driven Technology:

Using a combination of human opinions and machine learning to immediately deliver relevant content, StumbleUpon presents only web sites which have been suggested by other like-minded Stumblers. Each time the 'Stumble' button is clicked, the user is presented with a high quality web site based on the collective opinions of other like-minded web surfers.

The StumbleUpon Toolbar is integrated with the user's browser to allow for one-click access to quality web sites. A simple 2-level rating system gives users the opportunity to pass on or give their opinion on any webpage with a single click. These ratings also connect people sharing unique combinations of interests. Stumblers share their favorite web sites and interact with other users to further improve their web surfing experience.

A Personalized Browsing Tool:

StumbleUpon offers nearly 500 topics which users may choose to indicate their interests and preferences so each Stumble produces only the most relevant content. StumbleUpon delivers increasingly relevant content as the Toolbar learns what the user has liked in the past and continues to present quality web sites in the future.

Combats Information Overload:

Information on the Internet changes rapidly. StumbleUpon is a dynamic approach to keep on top of this ever-evolving pool of knowledge. StumbleUpon filters through the vast amount of information on the web to direct Stumblers to high quality web sites which are relevant to their personal interests. An obscure but interesting site can be immediately shared with other like-minded users. Old or low-quality sites can be removed if their ratings become too low. The participation of community members helps maintain a database of the most up-to-date and highest quality sites possible.

Dropjack

The key to using Dropjack, like all socianetworking
site is to make friends, comment on
other articles and vote a lot.

This always leads
to reciprocal voting
DropJack.com is a social content website powered by users

.Anyone familiar with the popular Digg.com site will understand how
DropJack works.

Register as a member - submit content - vote on
content.
It's that simple.
The more votes (jacks) a story receives, the
better placement it receives on the site.

www.dropjack.com

About Ma.gnolia

http://ma.gnolia.com

What is Ma.gnolia? To understand Ma.gnolia completely, let us tell
you a story. It’s a story we like to call “And on the First Day, There
was Search.”

Really, on the first day there was just one
web page. Then there were two, and a link was made between them. Before
long, there were lots of web pages, with many many links between them,
and suddenly we needed specialized web sites to help us find other web
sites. And the term ‘search engine’ became part of our new web
vocabulary. What a change those search engines made.

Things
are different now. Even the best search engines can’t always be sure of
what you want to find in the thousands of pages it finds on every
search. And with so many pages, searching has been getting tough.
Websites can be misleading about how good they are or what content they
really hold. But we can’t blame the poor search engine for this. It’s
just software. But what if a person could look at every page on the
internet and make sure it showed up only in the right searches? Sounds
nice, but wouldn’t we all have to pay hundreds of dollars a month just
to search?

But that’s exactly what Ma.gnolia does. At
Ma.gnolia, members save websites as bookmarks, just like in their
browser. Except with a twist: they also “tag” them, assigning labels
that make them easy to find again. So when you search for something,
you use words that people choose and look only at websites that people
think are worth saving. Suddenly you have access to a human-organized
bookmark collection that numbers in the millions, but is as easy to use
as a search engine.

With Ma.gnolia, that’s really all the
work you have to do. Finding by tags makes organizing bookmarks a thing
of the past. Since it’s a website, your Ma.gnolia bookmark collection
can be reached by you and your friends from anywhere, any time. And
don’t worry about web pages disappearing from your searches or even the
web, as we make a saved copy of each page you bookmark where websites
allow us to.

If searching was the first day of the web,
people helping each other find what they want must be the second. Give
Ma.gnolia a try to see what we mean when we say Found is the New Search.

Wikia search

http://re.search.wikia.com

There
was an early project, called "3apes", which started in September
2002. This had been a directory-style search enginein
March 2004 the Search Wikia project replaced 3apes. Then, this site was founded
by Jimbo Wales in July 2004, and it served as a sounding board for ideas and
development of a free/open source search engine with user-editable search
results. ]

As
of October 2004, this site was called "Wikia". There were two parts
to the project: this wiki, and software which was at a beta stage and had not
been publicly launched (the software was named "Wikiasari" in
November 2005 but this name will not be used for the new search project).

The software was a front-end to a database of URLs with information such as
keywords, ratings, and whether the URL was adult-oriented. There were more than
300,000 URLs in the database at last count

In 2005, this site became rather inactive due to several reasons, and stayed like this up to the end of 20

In the meantime, as of March 2006, the name Wikia was given to the wiki hosting service previously known as "Wikicities" (see About Wikia), leaving this project no name other than the name previously given to its search engine software, Wikiasari. Most of the former content of this site were moved to Central Wikia.

As of November/December 2006 the idea to work again on the development of an open source search engine was revisited.

more to come soon

about Ceasarea & the city of haifa

2008-08-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

about ceasarea And the city of Haifa

Caesarea is a magical beachfront town, located on the shores of the Mediterranean. It is a modern, well-planned and meticulously maintained town, featuring spacious homes, luxury villas, public parks, open spaces, an international golf club designed by by famed golf architect Pete Dye , nature reserves, an ancient harbor and a magical beach.

Caesarea is known for its exclusive quality of life, diverse communal activities for children and families, entertainment venues and tourist attractions. The proximity of the Caesarea Business Park creates opportunities for growth and economic investment.

History

The Phoenicians discovered it, Herod fell in love with it and dedicated it to the Roman Caesar.
Augustus gazed upon it and said, "hasten slowly". He was followed by Tiberius and Marcus Aurelius, Caesars from the West and Caesars from the East, Arabs and Crusaders, the Seljuk and Turks, Genefal Allen by, Hanna Senesh and Yehuda Amihai... everyone wanted it, settled here and left behind their own mark of love. The antiquities, the sea, the serene bay -nature's very own offering of beauty.

Caesarea -desired by many -was purchased by Baron Edmond de Rothschild during the 19th century and donated to the Caesarea Edmond Bengamin de Rothschild Foundation upon the establishment of the State of Israel, with the aim of developing Caesarea into a unique and qualitative neighborhood, to become one of the finest residential, tourist and industrial areas in the world.

Present

Caesarea's perfect location in central Israel, near the sea, has drawn many of those in search of an unparalleled quality of life. Situated midway between Haifa and Tel-Aviv, near everywhere yet far enough from the crowded cities, Caesarea grants its residents the freedom to live as they wish and to enjoy an enchanted lifestyle, in keeping with the modern world -incorporating work and business in the city while residing in the beautiful countryside. This freedom is enjoyed by thousands of residents already residing in Caesarea who live a qualitative and tranquil life.

The Caesarea Foundation controls the management and development of Caesarea via the Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Development Corporation. The Corporation is the central operational arm of the Foundation and is in charge of developing the land, managing and granting services to the neighbohood and the adjacent industrial Park, and for maintaining the quality of life -making sure that the area remains immaculate and nurturing the natural and beautiful environment.

Caesarea has entered the third millennium while realizing the vision of Baron Edmond de Rothschild in full. Today, the number of residents in Caesarea is 3,500 including 1,000 children and youth who enjoy a unique life, an abundance of social activities in superb surroundings.

The extensive tourist infrastructure includes a magnificent beach, aqueduct, a bay and ancient port. The promenade along the seashore includes shops, restaurants, a diving club and Roman Theater. The new and prestigious Industrial & Business Park complements the framework of the vision, which is intensifying and increasing for the benefit of the coming generations.

Caesarea Golf

Neot Golf the correct choice for a magical vacation in Caesarea.
The Neot Golf recreational village, a luxury complex surrounded by lawns, walking distance from the magical beaches of Caesarea, which provide the place with a breathtaking spectacle of blue sea and green vegetation, together creating the unique serenity of a magical vacation.

Kristal Real Estate, known as the primary and prominent realtors of Caesarea, has been the expert for 30 years. Offering the largest selection of vacation homes in Caesarea for both secular and religious vacationers. Vacation apartments in Caesarea for year-round tourism, a selection of studio apartments at Neot Golf, pleasant and well-equipped guest houses, luxury, modern villas with all the amenities and swimming pools for family vacations, ground-floor apartments with gardens for rental at the Neot Golf complex in Caesarea.

Neot Golf Caesarea is a complex of recreation and holiday apartments for tourists, available year round. A combination of breathtaking panoramas, beaches and nature reserves.
On the Caesarea beachfront, midway between Haifa and Tel Aviv. Neot Golf is a short walk from the Caesarea beach and from the ancient Caesarea Harbor, which offers a wide variety of enjoyable activities for the entire family. Foreign residents from all over the world have chosen to spend their summer vacation at Neot Golf in Caesarea.
A vacation at Neot Golf in Caesarea has become an unforgettable experience for families from Israel and abroad.
The complex, built in cooperation with the firm of Senora Ltd., offers excellent services.
The holiday apartments have balconies overlooking a magnificent sea view. The apartments consist of 2 bedrooms and a living room, a dining room, fully equipped kitchen, television, refrigerator. Bedclothes and towels are provided and the site offers laundry services.

Tennis and basketball courts, heated and covered swimming pools, kiddie pool, state-of-the-art gym, squash court, sauna, Jacuzzi and spa, tennis and mini-golf courts, manicured gardens and playgrounds for children.
A restaurant, synagogue, grocery store, and barbeque facilities are at your service.

Caesarea offers many attractions. Caesar Spa, a luxurious spa with Turkish baths, is only a few minutes away. Attractive holiday deals, a restful experience! Order a day of relaxation today.

A golf club with international standards, designed by famed golf architect, Pete Dye. The Caesarea Golf Club is an exclusive and challenging club that hosts international competitions annually.

A real vacation, a vacation at Caesarea. Beach, cafes, prestigious restaurants. A vacation at Caesarea, an Israeli dream. Holiday suites for 5 people with private Jacuzzis and gardens. Vacation in Israel, holiday apartments, guest houses, an intimate vacation on the Caesarea beachfront, luxurious honeymoon suites.
The most beautiful vacation site in Israel

Caesarea Industrial And Business Park

The Caesarea Business and Industrial Park is located on land belonging to the Caesarea Foundation, developed and managed by the Caesarea Development Corporation. It is one of the largest and most advanced industrial parks in Israel. The park, situated on an area extending over more than 3,000 dunams, provides attractive economic solutions to a wide variety of industries and initiatives and offers varied employment options for residents of the area: Or Akiva, Pardes Chana – Karkur, Binyamina, Hadera and others.

Currently over 4,500 employees are employed at the park in approximately 170 plants. The park is environment-friendly and it strictly adheres to environmental stipulations, as mandated by its location, as it is situated on top of and adjacent to the drinking water reserves of Nahalei Menashe.

Development of the park reserves over the next few years will be devoted to hi-tech industries and to enrichment of human resources, with obvious benefits for the development of Caesarea and the area.

General services at the Industrial Park
Park employees enjoy a variety of services: restaurants and cafes, bars, a post office, sports courts, a shuttle service and an Israel Railway station.

References & source:
Chana KristalCaesarea Real Estate

Haifa And The Carmel mountain By The Sea

From the Director of Tourism in Haifa

Haifa is a city of many facets. Woven within its human and cultural framework is the amazing fact that five different religions co-exist in harmony with each other in this city. This has turned the capital of the north – as Haifa is known – into a very unique pearl of co-existence within Israel. But the real icing on the cake is the breath-taking scenery which is visible from every corner of the city. If there is no limit to the view points on which to feast your eyes over the sea (from Hadera to Rosh ha Nikra), Haifa is also the exit point from where you can take a spontaneous short trip or excursion to the many attractive places dotted around on the outskirts of Haifa.

For your convenience, we have divided the tour guide manual into three basic areas, according to their topographical distribution.

a) On the upper reaches of Mount Carmel sprawls the Carmel region, with its stunning view posts and green areas, which are typical of the Carmel ridge.

b) Lower down you can find the Hadar on Carmel area, with its variegated and colourful architecture.

c) At the foot of the Carmel lies the wonderful stretch of the Haifa beach and the area known as ‘Down Town’, with its colorful, authentic markets and special features.

Please make good use of our centralized information service. This should cover all the places you might visit. And if this does not suffice, the Information Bureau can be found at the Tourist and Leisure Board and is ready to assist with all your queries.

We wish you a very successful and enjoyable visit

On behalf of the Haifa Tourist and Leisure Board

Haifa, the tourist center of the North.

As the capital of the North of Israel, Haifa provides holiday makers with an excellent base from which to set out on fascinating tours of the whole area.
For instance, from here you can easily visit the Druze villages, the Carmel nature reserves, make it as far as Acco (the Acre of Crusader times), and Rosh ha-Nikra, right up on the norther border, as well as to historic Caesarea in the south. We have wonderful trips and gorgeous experiences for you to just about anywhere, and all simply within a half an hour's drive from Haifa.

The Druze Villages

The Druze villages which are just next door to Haifa are Dalyat – el – Carmel and Ossefiya. They offer you a first-hand experience of Druze culture. The colorful market place of Dalyat – el – Carmel provides Druze hand work and craft work , and traditional foods, such as Druze pittas, as well as many others. You might like to wander about the old quarter of the village and visit Oliphant House.

Ossfiya is famous for its Traditional Heritage Center Culture, known as ‘Albadia’. Here you will be welcomed with Bedouin hospitality and traditional food, stories from traditional Bedouin religion and history and you will be able to visit the traditional workshops as well, if you wish.

There are also activities for children. And not very far away from the Druze villages, you will encounter ‘the Mukhraka’ – the Carmelite Monastery in which, as tradition has it, the prophet Elijah fought against the prophets of Baal.

The Carmel Nature Reserve

The Carmel Nature Reserve stretches out over an area of about 84,000 dunam. It is the largest National Park in the whole of Israel.

There are dozens of little beauty spots and corners of green, which simply entice you to sit in them and enjoy being pampered by nature.

The Carmel Nature Reserve offers you a host of unique paths and trails in which you can walk around and enjoy the special beauty of the place. Jeeps and tractors can drive you right up to beauty spots that are, quite simply, out of this world. There are also characteristic Meditarranean woods and groves, archeological remains, holy sites and a unique variety of wild flora and fauna.

Rosh ha Niqra

The cliff known as Rosh ha Niqra is the most northerly point of the whole of Israel and is especially well know for the crevices which have been formed in its rocks due to the incessant pounding of the waves of the sea against the limestone cliff. These crevices have been carved out naturally into grottoes and tunnels.

What is there to see there? A cable car which descends from the top of the cliff right down to the grottoes at the bottom. An audio visual spectacle, called ‘Ha-Rakevet le Shalom’ (or ‘The Train for Peace’), a restaurant, a souvenir shop, and the ‘Lily’ coffee house.

Opening hours: In July and August, from 08.00 to 23.00 hours.

In autumn and spring, from 08.30 to 18.00 hours.

In winter, from 08.30 to 16.00 hours.

On Fridays all the year round: from 08.30 to 16.00 hours.

Hof ha Bonim and Caesarea

The Hof ha Bonim beach reservation is one of the most interesting and beautiful in the entire Mediterranean. In the areas which are under preservation you will find that the beach nature reserve contains the largest number of inlets in the whole of Israel. These have been ‘carved out’ through the constant pounding of the waves and the wind. In addition you will encounter many kinds of sandy bays, caves on the shoreline and natural fountains created by the waves. If you go south from the beach reservation, you will come to Caesarea, an ancient city and port, which served as the capital city of Israel during the Roman and Byzantine eras.

The city boasts a Roman amphitheater which has undergone a large amount of renovation and reconstruction work. Today it puts on cultural event, fun events and entertainments. You will also be able to view the splendid Roman aqueduct, built by Herod the Great, to carry water into the city, and be generally overwhelmed by the wide variety of archeological findings that exist in Caesarea.

Acco

Acco (Acre of Crusader times) is one of the most ancient ports in the whole world. It is full of most attractive historical and archeological sites. These include the Al Jazzar Mosque (named after its very cruel founder); the ‘Knights’ Halls’ (named after the Hospitallers); The Pasha Turkish Bath House, the Khan El Umdan (the Inn of the Columns) and the Underground Museum which commemorates the underground prisoners from the British Mandate period.

The colourful Oriental souk wafting all sorts of exotic fragrances turns Acco into a true example of Middle Eastern spices.

Next to the harbour you will find Acco’s marina from where you can set out on a sailing trip around the ancient walls of the city. Along the beach you will find that a beautiful promenade has been built, which leads from the harbour to the lighthouse.

Follow the Wine Route through Zikhron Yaakov

The Wine Route is situated along the reconstructed and renovated Ha-Meyasadim St, which is the main thoroughfare through Zikhron Yaakov, the settlement which was first founded by Baron Edmond de Rothschild of the famous Rothschild family. The Wine Route starts in the old cemetery and Visitors Center and ends in the ‘Carmel Mizrachi’ Winery. Along the way we encounter the historic sites of the settlement as well as various wine cellars. Picturesque coffee houses are dotted about along the street, and these, together with the abundant choice of art galleries and restaurants, create a very special street atmosphere. Art fairs, bazaars and street theater take place on this street during the summer months, as well as displays of art. Apart from all this you can also be shown round the Beit Aharonson House, where the famous Aharonson family lived at the time of the Ottoman Turks, before the British Mandate period. You can also have a look around the Ramat Ha Nadiv Gardens.

The Down Town area and Bat Galim

A tour of the Down Town area of the city taking you to an area of Haifa as it used to be. A variety of style of buildings , churches, mosques, incredibly beautiful stone houses from the Templar period and Turkish ‘haans’ or guest-houses. Some of them are in use today as as colorful shops. A true harbor city atmosphere!

Bat Galim Promenade

A truly magical tour on foot along the beach front of the restful Bat Galim neighbourhood.

Restaurants, coffee houses, diving clubs, surfing clubs and the lower cable car station.

How to reach us: Buses 3, 40, 41 and 42a.

Haifa Cable Car

A really fun aerial tour in three transparent balls which move, attached to a cable car which runs from Bat Galim to the Ridge of the Carmel and then comes back. From the Carmel you have view points from where you can see the wonderful view of the sea front and the Ridge of the Carmel.

Address: The Bat Galim Promenade (The lower cable car)

Tel: 04 833 5970

Opening hours: Sundays through to Shabbat in summer 09.00 – 24.00 hours. In winter, 09.00 – 19.00 hours.

How to reach us: Bus numbers 41 and 42 from Bat Galim.

25, 26, 27, 30, 31 from Stella Maris.

The ‘Carmelit’

A pleasure cruise around the harbour and bay of Haifa. An excursion from the Kishon fishing marina.

Address: the Kishon fishing marina

Tel: 04 -841 8765/6.

Opening hours: open every day from 8.00 – 16.00 hours by advance booking.

How to reach us: bus number 58.

Internet site: carmelit.gnn.co.il

Kanfei Paz (On the wings of gold)

The professional airplane flying school offers fun flights day and night in the skies of Haifa.

In addition: an air taxi service to abroad – to every Mediterranean Sea basin and around Israel in executive planes of the very highest standards and at most attractive prices.

Address: The Haifa air field (next to the Kishon fishing marina)

Telefax: 04 – 847 6188

Mobiles: 050 – 555 – 5131 or 052 447 1888

e-mail: kanfey p@bezeqint.nrt

internet site: www.canfeipaz.co.il

opening hours: open from Sundays to Shabbat 04 – 08: 20.00 hours.

How to reach us: bus number 58.

Paths of One Thousand Steps

The Haifa Tourist and Leisure Board suggests four routes which will give you the best flavor of the very special experience offered by the special topography of the city of Haifa from the very top of the Carmel down to the sea.

Step tours lead from the new, modern Mercz ha Carmel (the Carmel Center) via the areas of Hadar on Carmel which were built at the beginning of the century and finishing with the history of the 18^th century which you will find in the Old City.

The descent by step tours are accompanied by magnificent sea views, and lead us through all sorts of unexpected nooks and crannies to great little spots and special sites with a view of the city which would probably not be available if other more well-known routes were taken. The slope down creates an interesting urban mosaic by taking a route through different styles of buildings in a riveting array of residential areas and all sorts of tourist sites.

1) a nostalgic route to the German Colony

2) an ethnic route to Wadi Nisnas

3) a historic route to Paris Square

4) a real experience of a route to El Pasha.

The routes are clearly marked by means of step markings and according to different colors.

These routes will enable you to visit the Bahai Gardens and Shrine, various Haifa museums, and shopping centers, old houses dating from the time of the German Colony

And the Sailors Market Stalls, offering their merchandise all along the sidewalks of the lower city. You can obtain a detailed map of Haifa in the offices of the Haifa Tourist and Leisure Board, 48, Ben Gurion Ave.

Haifa Beaches

The Haifa beaches and shore line are the most developed and enjoyable of the whole of the East Mediterranean basin for round the clock entertainment and leisure, throughout most of the seasons of the year.

The Promenade along Zamir and Dado Beaches offers a route of 2 unbroken kilometres of golden sands, as well as restaurants, pubs, clean beaches, blue seas with the pro-active supervision of life guards, children’s play apparatus and straw huts to shade you.

In the months of July and August summer festivals are organized every Tuesday on the beaches, as well as competitive sports activities for every family. These include football, long distance running, aerobics, backgammon contests and children’s activities.

Additional beaches: Bat Galim Beach; Hof ha-Sheket (the ‘quiet’ Beach), and the Kiryat Hayim Beach.

The Down Town area: Arts and Culture

The National Maritime Museum

The naval history of Israel by means of audio visual experiences.
The temporary exhibitions on the subject of the sea. The permanent exhibition on the subject of ‘Five Thousand Years of Shipping’.

Address: 198, Allenby Rd

Tel: 04 – 853 6622

Opening hours: Closed on Sundays. On Mondays, Wednesday and Thursday, open from 10.00 – 17.00 hours.

On Tuesdays, open from 10.00 to 14.00 hours and from 17.00 – 20.00 hours. Open Fridays, 10.00 to 13.00 hours. Open Shabbat: from 10.00 to 14.00 hours.

How to reach us: Bus numbers 3, 5, 44, and 45.

The Clandestine Immigration and the Israeli Navy Museum

On site we have the wonderful son and lumiere exhibition and a museum dealing with the history of the clandestine immigration to Palestine during the Mandate period, as well as the history of the Israeli navy. There is a guided tour on the site.

The Clandestine Immigration Boat ‘Af Al Pi Chen’ (‘In Spite of Everything’), which constitutes part of the museum will turn your visit into a veritable total experience.

Address: 204, Allenby St.

Tel: 04 853 6249

Opening Hours: On Sundays to Thursdays, from 08.30 to 16.00 hours.

On Fridays and Shabbat, closed.

How to reach us: Bus numbers 3, 5, 43, 44 and 45.

Beit ha Gefen

An Arab-Jewish center of culture and creativity, housing an art gallery, Arab theatre, tours in Wadi Nisnas and its surroundings on a route of Jewish and Arab artistic creations, as well as cultural encounters with Jews and Arabs. There is also the festive event: Hag ha Hagim (the Festival of Festivals) at the time of Chanukah, Christmas and Ramadan, as well as the ‘month of culture and Arabic literature’ event, which takes place in the month of May.

Address: 2 Ha Geffen St

Tel: 04 852 5252/1

Opening hours: on Sundays to Thursdays, from 16.00 to 20.00 hours and from 8.00 hours to 13.00 hours.

On Fridays from 08.00 to 13.00 hours

Shabbat from 10.00 to 13.00 hours.

How to reach us: Bus numbers 10, 12, 22, 41, 42

By the Carmelit, the Neviim bus stop/station.

The Museum of the History of the City of Haifa – Beit Ha Am

The Beit Ha Am was the first house to be built in the German Colony at the end of the 19^th century by German Templar families. At that time, it served as a assembly hall and a school. It was also a center concerned with the life of the colony. The building has since undergone renovation and been restored. And today, it serves as a museum of the history of the city of Haifa. In the museum there are temporary changing exhibitions whose subject matter is linked to the city of Haifa.

Address: 11, Ben Gurion Ave

Tel: 04 – 851 2030

Opening hours: Sundays closed. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays open from 10.00 to 17.00 hours.

Tuesday, open from 17.00 to 20.00 hours and 10.00 to 14.00 hours.

Fridays, open from 10.00 – 13.00 hours.

Shabbatot, open from 10.00 to 14.00 hours.

How to reach us: Bus numbers 10, 12, 22, 42.

The IOS Art Gallery

A Gallery of Contemporary Art

Paintings, sculpture, Judaica, ceramics, works by the Russian artist, Vitragi, objets d’art and memorabilia.

Address: 55 Ben Gurion St., the German Colony

Tel: 04 – 850 7504

Opening hours: Summers: Sundays to Fridays from 10.00 to 13.00 hours.

Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 17.00 hours to 20.oo hours.

Winters: Sundays to Fridays from 10.00 to 15.00 hours.

How to reach us: Bus numbers 10, 12, 22 and 42.

Internet site: www.ios-g.com

The Dagon Grain Silo and Archological Museum House

This museum depicts methods of cultivating, handling and storing grains of corn in the ancient times, as well as today.

Address: Palmer Square, Haifa.

Tel: 04 – 866 4221.

Opening hours: A guided individual tour on Sundays to Fridays starting at 10.30 am.

Tours for organized groups through advance booking only.

How to reach us: Bus numbers 10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 22.

The Railway Museum

This museum is located at the Haifa East ‘Old’ Train Station in a stone building, built in the days of the Turks. It contains an interesting collection of renovated and restored railway engines/locomotives and carriages, Turkish stamps (‘bulls’ ) and a variety of miscellaneous objects linked to the Israel railway line since it was first established in 1888.

Address: The Haifa East ‘Old’ Railway Station, Faisal Square (in Hativat Golani St.).

Tel: 04 - 856 4293.

Opening Hours: Only from Sundays to Thursdays from 09.00 to 14.00 hours.

How to reach us: Bus numbers; 17, 42, and 41.

The Museum of the Oil Industry in Israel

This museum contains exhibits from the two thousand years of history which are linked to both the ancient and more modern oil industry in Israel. They bring home the process of oil extraction and production in the olden days.

The museum is situated in the original old stone building of the ‘Shemen’ (Oil) factory.

Address: 2 Tuvia St. (In the outside entrance to the Shemen Factory), Mifratz Haifa

Tel: 04 865 4237

Opening hours: On Sundays to Thursdays from 08.30 to 15.30 hours. Fridays and Shabbatot, closed.

How to reach us: Bus number 2.

Electric Company – Visitors Center

The Visitors Center which runs on the site of the power station in Haifa concentrates all its activities on the site. A guided tour with film exhibitions on the company and a tour around the area of the site, a glimpse from close proximity into the machinery used at the power station, and a visit to the historic room once used by Pinchas Rotenberg.

On holidays which take place in the summer months, there are ‘Open Days’ for both families and individuals.

Address: Salman Hof Shemen Rd.

Opening hours: Sundays to Thursdays from 08.00 to 15.00 hours.

Advance bookings obligatory on phone number: 04 864 6176, entrance free.

How to reach us: Bus no. 2.

Where to eat in town and on the sea shore

The Down Town area

In the Down Town area we have preserved the special Oriental-Arabic atmosphere of ancient Haifa.

Turkish bakeries with lovely fragrant scents stand cheek by jowl with the colourful Turkish souk. Fish restaurants and a variety of authentic, quality Oriental restaurants are the fitting backdrop to mosques and stone Arab houses. Amongst all this great choice it is also possible to find superb Rumanian restaurants and the tastiest burekas stalls in the whole of Israel. At night time, the Down Town area changes its fac,ade and turns into a real feast of fun, exuding that very special harbour city atmosphere of a, with its night time entertainment of pubs, clubs and discos all vying to draw you in.

How to reach us: Buses nos: 12, 10, 41.

The Bat Galim Promenade

On the Promenade which is situated very close to the Haifa Bay and the Harbor area, you will find a great many fish restaurants in the entire area. Each one of these sells fresh, juicy fish, which are served on the back cloth of the lovely blue sea, which adds so much to the special atmosphere of this area. Highly recommended to all lovers of fish and sea food.

If you carry on down the promenade you can also find Oriental restaurants.

How to reach us: Bus no: 3, 40, 41 and 42a.

Hof Ha Yam

Coffee houses and colourful pubs are dotted all along the entire stretch of beach. Here you can eat cold water melon served with Bulgarian cheese, whilst drinking cold beers or trasty fruit juices . There is a great choice of Oriental family restaurants, or fish restaurants from which great sea smells waft towards you, turning the culinary panorama into something even more perfect, and enticing you to just sit down and enjoy the pleasant sea breeze and gorgeous view.

The German Colony

The German Colony is characterized by a truly magnificent gastronomic choice of dishes: a wonderful Chinese restaurant, an exclusive French restaurant, a nice cosy restaurant with eastern European dishes, an Oriental restaurant with meat cooked ‘on the spit’ and stalls selling fast food. What is more, the German Colony also offers you a superb view of the Bahai Gardens, as well as the very special atmosphere of the colony, which has been restored to its former glory.

Highly recommended to those who love eating well in a very pleasant atmosphere.

Address: Ben Gurion Ave

How to reach us: Buses nos 10, 12, 22, 42.

Wadi Nisnas

It is impossible not to be absolutely taken aback at the colourful variety of sights, sounds, tastes and smells which are produced in the ethnic souk of Wadi Nisnas. Whether it be the wonderful fragrances which waft from the variety of spices which are stocked in every corner of the Wadi, or the special timbre of the sounds emanating from the cries of the muezzin calling to faithful to prayer, blending in with the voices of the hawkers offering their wares in the souk. In Wadi Nisnas, you can find one of the most famous falefal stands in the whole of Haifa standing next to the superb bakeries, from which emanate the irresistible fragrance of sumptuous pitas filled with za’atar, a local herb, which is made from a mixture of oregano, toasted sesame seeds and salt, with savory, hyssop, thyme, cumin, fennel seed, or sunac sometimes thrown in for good measure. And these culinary delights will have only just been taken out of the oven. Then you have the Oriental sweetmeats, just oozing with sweetness, as well as the contrast of shwarmas better than you have ever tasted.

This experience is recommended for those of all ages.

Opening hours: open the whole week through except for Sundays.

How to reach us: Bus nos: 21, 28 and 37.

The Carmel

The Mercaz ha Carmel (The Carmel Center) which was an area of wilderness up to the end of the 19th century can be regarded today as a magnificent testimony to the exemplary work carried out by the Templars during their stay in Haifa.
To experience this, just take a tour among all the original houses of the neighbourhood, the villas, convalescent homes, all on the backdrop of a wonderful view which can be seen from every angle, transporting you in the blink of an eye to the beginning of the 20th century.

walking tour routes on Mount Carmel will take you right into the heart of nature and offer you trips to the green wadis of Haifa, which will impress you by their rich flora, the beautiful flowing brooks and streams, the orchard teaming with all manner of fruit and the plethora of historical sites which will expand your knowledge and mind, whilst opening up your heart. The routes you should take are clearly marked with the conventional markings recommended by the Israeli Society for the Protection of Nature and the walks are suitable for every age range.

Address: 18, Hillel St., Haifa

For Additional information: The Carmel Field School, Carmel, Tel: 04 866 4156/9

The Wadi Siah

You begin the walking tour at the trail in Lotus St, next to house number 12. The walking tour finishes at the opening of the Wadi Siach, or by climbing up to the village of Kababir. Essential sites to see are the The Wadi Siach Channel and the Meshotetim Spring. This walking tour takes in the whole gamut of the ancient Carmel, such as the Two Storeyed Cave, the Siah Spring and the Orchard. An amazing juxtaposition of different wonders of nature, special and very rare types of vegetation, historic sites and observation points.

Duration of the tour: about three hours.

The Ahuza Wadi

This is a tour that goes around a circular route which both starts and finishes at the junction between Freud and Vitkin Streets. At the final stage of the tour, when you get to Lakish St., there is a really steep ascent. This walking tour is rich in vegetation and flora which is typical of the Carmel. It also takes you to the Ahuza Spring, a look out point and the remains of a former orchard.

Duration of the tour: about two and a half hours.

The Haifa Cable Car

This trip by cable car offers you the magnificent view of the Carmel and the shore line. The cable car comprises three transparent balls, which take you right up the mountain and back again down its slopes.

Address: Stella Maris / Bat Galim

Tel: 04 833 5970

Opening hours: open every day of the week:

During the Summer: from 09.00 to 24.00 hours.

During the Winter: from 09.00 to 19.00 hours.

How to reach us: bus nos: 25, 26, 27, 30 and 31 (Stella Maris), or 41 and 42 (Bat Galim).

The Druze Villages situated on the Carmel ridge

Ossfiyat and Dalyiat – el Carmel are situated next door to Haifa and will welcome visitors with typical Druze Culture.

In Dalyiat – el Carmel you will find a number of delights, including the colorful souk, which offers the visitor a large variety of typical Druze craft and handi work, as well as some of their traditional dishes.

For a really warm welcome, folklore and guided tours, this is the place to be.

Opening hours: The souk is open every day from 9.00 – 18.00 hours in winter and from 9.00 - 20.00 hours in summer.

How to reach us: Bus number 022 departs from the Central Bus Station. Sherut taxis leave from Kikar Paris (Paris Square).

A Shabbat Walking Tour

Every Shabbat at 10.30 am, a guided tour leaves from Yafe Nof (Panorama) St., opposite the Mane Katz Museum. The route takes in the Louis Promenade, the original Templar houses in the Mercaz ha Carmel (Carmel Center), the Sculpture Garden and finishes at the gate to the Bahai Gardens.

The tour takes place in Hebrew and is free of charge.
The Paths of One Thousand Steps

The routes that will take you onto the Paths of One Thousand Steps go across Haifa from the dizzy heights of the Carmel right down to the sea.

Maps showing the routes of the steps and also paths for walking tours around the city of Haifa may be obtained at the offices of the Haifa Tourist and Leisure Board.

the Beauty and Stunning Views of the Carmel Ridge

Gan ha Em (The Mothers Park)

This is the park in the Center of Carmel. It is made up of lush green lawns, a spectacular Promenade, play areas for children and so on and so forth … a fest with the human touch right in the middle of nature and all of this twenty four hours a day. The garden also has disabled access.

Address: Ha Nassi (Presidents) Avenue, Mercaz ha Carmel (the Carmel Center).

Opening Hours: open all hours of the day.

How to reach us: bus numbers 21, 22, 23, 28, 37. By the Carmelit underground funicular railway: Gan ha Em (the Mothers Park).

References & source:Haifa Tourists Board

Here you will find a huge variety of different animals, including a collection of rare live snakes, cosy, lovely secluded corners, the Museum of Stuffed Animals, and the Museum of Pre History. There is an entry charge.

Address: Gan ha Em (The Mothers Park) Mercaz ha Carmel (The Carmel Center).

Tel: 04 837 2390.

Opening hours: From April to June: on Sundays to Thursdays, from 8.00 to 13.00 hours / 08:00 to 17.00 hours. And on Shabbatot from 09.00 to 16.00 hours.

In July and August: on Sundays to Thursdays from 8.00 to 18.00 hours.

In winter on Sundays to Thursday, until 16.00 hours.

How to reach us: by Carmelit underground railway: the Gan ha Em station.

The Panorama Promenade and the Louis Promenade

A beauty spot and viewing area along the Promenade, which extends right along the Yafe Nof (Promenade) St., from where you can look out onto a spectacular panoramic view of Haifa, the Bay area, Acco (Acre), Rosh ha Niqra and the mountains of Galilee

How to reach us: Bus numbers: 21, 22, 23, 28 and 37.

The Carmel ‘Park’ or Nature Reserve

This is the largest national park in the whole of Israel and is also home to the wild life which exists in the Carmel. It is a truly exceptional area for having picnics right in the heart of nature, in the midst of natural groves and woodland. We also offer additional special routes for tours by jeep, tractor and bike in the Carmel National Park.

Address: The Carmel National Park

Tel: 04 – 822 8983

Wild Animal Sanctuary: Tel: 04 – 984 1750 / 2.

Opening Hours: The Wild Animal Sanctuary is open to visitors at the following times:

In the months of March to May on Shabbat between the times of 08.00 and 16.00 hours.

Group visits are welcome all year round by reservations made in advance.

How to reach us: Bus numbers 137, 37a, 022, 37 and 24.

Hof ha Sheket (The Quiet Beach), Hof Dado (Dado Beach), Hof Dado Darom (Southern Dado Beach), Hof Zamir (The Nightingale Beach)

These are all beautifully kept bathing beaches, where you can enjoy peace and quiet, whilst relaxing surrounded by golden grains of sand, which stretch for miles and miles and include (inter alia) games and exercise apparatus, sun huts, coffee houses and a variety of restaurants. References & source Haifa tourists board

JERUSALEM-the city of gold

2008-07-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

The module video Jerusalem inthetube.tv brings to you a new and easy way to watch Jerusalem tube video clips,please go to the Main Site video directory for more world videos and clips * The ultimate video experience -tube jerusalem video clips.

"Everyone has a city, and its name is Jerusalem"
-Israeli poet, Nathan Jonathan

Jerusalem is considered a holy city by Jews, Christians, and Muslems from all over the world. It has some of the trappings of an ordinary modern city, but Jerusalem's heart and true uniqueness lies inside its Old City's walls. Within an approximately one square kilometer area lies the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, and centuries of historical treasures piled layer upon layer, only to be discovered occasionally during archeological excavations.

The Old City is set apart from the modern city by a wall with seven open gates. A great deal of the city's rich history comes to light by learning more about these gates. The wall that is standing today, as well as most of the gates, was built by the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, between 1535 and 1541. It is not completely clear to historians why Suleiman built the wall around the city. For hundreds of years prior to the Ottoman rule, Jerusalem did not have secure walls surrounding it. Some scholars claim that the Turks feared a second crusade from Europe; others argue that the main reason was to protect the city from attacks of violent Bedouins. Although the reason for the wall is not clear, the purpose of each gate is evident. The function of each gate throughout history usually comes across in the evolution of the gate's name. Overall, by reviewing each gate, one can better understand the history of the city as well as the demographic developments and changes that have taken place over the years.

Jaffa Gate

The Jaffa Gate is the largest, and is considered to be one of the main gates of Jerusalem's Old City, which today can be accessed on foot and by car. Situated above the Hinnom Valley, its topographical benefits are the reason why the Jaffa Gate was the primary gate during most of its history. The reason why it is called Jaffa Gate is because during the 19th century the traffic to and from the main port of Jaffa passed through this gate.

There are three inscriptions around the gate that explain its history. The main inscription, found above the gate, denotes the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled over Jerusalem during the wall's construction, between 1537 and 1540.

The Jaffa Gate was also known throughout the centuries as Hebron Gate, or Bab al-Khalil, which is a phrase in Arabic referring to Abraham the friend of God, because Abraham is connected to the city of Hebron, and this gate led to Hebron. The second inscription, found inside the gate, refers to this name. The inscription reads: "There is no God aside from Allah and Abraham is loved by God." In the past, the gate was also referred to as Bethlehem Gate (because it led to Bethlehem) and during the Crusader period, David's Gate (because of its close proximity to the Tower of David).

The final inscription is found outside the gate, to the right of the entrance, above a stone bench. It was added after the Six Day War when the wall underwent repairs. It reads: "On the 19th of December 1969 the repair of the city's walls was completed." This is accompanied by a quote from the book of Nehemiah referring to the completion of the city's walls.

Up until the 1870's the Jaffa Gate was closed each night at sunset and was reopened at sunrise. The Jaffa Gate was the first gate to open during evening hours because the first neighborhoods built outside of the Old City walls were adjacent to the Jaffa Gate.

New Gate

The origin of this gate's name is, quite unimaginatively, because it is the most recent gate added in the Old City's walls. Built in 1889, the New Gate was created due to pressure from the French Ambassador on the Sultan Abdul Hamid II to ease the passage between convents and churches in the Old City and hostels built for pilgrims outside of the Old City walls. In Arabic the gate is called Bab Abdul el-Hamid, after the Sultan who built the gate.

Damascus Gate

Built in 1538, by Suleiman the Magnificent, the Damascus Gate is the most visually striking of all the gates. Since the time of Herod's rule over Jerusalem, the location of the Damascus Gate has served as the main passageway from the Old City to the direction of Damascus and Nablus (in Hebrew the gate is called Shchem Gate - Hebrew for Nablus). The Arabic name for the gate is Bab al-Amud or the "Column Gate", originating from a column that stood opposite the gate during the Roman era, which held a statue of the Caesar. The Damascus Gate was the main gate to old city during the Roman era. The existence of this pillar is noted in the ancient Madaba map, which was found in a church in Jordan and contains a detailed map of the old city of Jerusalem during the Byzantine period (for more information on map see article - "The Madaba Map and Jerusalem").

Like most of the Old City's gates, the Damascus Gate also has a Christian name given to it during the Crusader period. It was called St. Stephen's Gate, after the first martyr, Saint Stephen, because the gate led to his burial site. Jewish pilgrims during the Middle Ages referred to the gate as "Abraham's Gate."

Herod's Gate

Herod's Gate, also known in Arabic as the Flower Gate, leads to the Muslem quarter. It is called Herod's Gate because in the late Middle Ages it was believed that a crusader church in the middle of the Moslem quarter was built on the remains of Herod's palace. This crusader church became a mosque called Dir Al Adas. Flower Gate, a second name for the gate, originates in a misunderstanding. The gate was named after a nearby Moslem cemetery, al-Sahairad, but the name of the cemetery is similar to the word for Flower, which led to a confusion in the pronunciation. And thus, over time the gate became known as the Flower Gate. The gate was closed until 1875, and after it was opened the first Arab buildings were built outside of the city walls, including large private houses surrounded by vast land. Over time an Arab neighborhood developed next to the gate called Bab-al-Sahairad- the flower gate neighborhood.

Lion's Gate

The Lion's Gate is the only open gate on the Eastern side of the wall. Like most of the gates it has had many names throughout history, given to it by Jews, Arabs, and Christians. Its present name, Lion's Gate, was given by Jews in the mid 19th century. On the outside of the gate there four images of Lions which is the reason for the gate's name. Some believe that the lions are the insignia of the Sultan Baybares who ruled over Israel and Jerusalem from 1260.

The gate is significant in modern Israeli history because IDF paratroopers entered the Old City through this gate during the Six Day War. The Lion's Gate is also significant because it is along the route of the Via Dolorosa.

Zion Gate

Zion Gate, located next to Mount Zion, is also called Bab Hrat el-Yahud - Gate to the Jewish Quarter, because of its close proximity to the Jewish Quarter. The gate was also referred to as the Gate of David the Prophet, because one would pass through this gate to get from the Old City to the grave of King David on Mount Zion.
In earlier times there was no gate at this location, because during the First and Second Temple periods, and during the Byzantine era, Mount Zion was considered part of Jerusalem. The mountain was first secluded from the city in the 11th century, before Jerusalem was conquered by the Crusaders. During the Crusader period there was a gate and a wicket at this site that eased the passage from the city to Mount Zion, where an illustrious Crusader church was located. Afterwards, the Moslem conquerors, who captured the city from the Crusaders, built a stronger and more elaborate gate a few meters away. When Mount Zion was not part of the Old City a gate was needed in order to allow a passageway for people of different faiths wars

Tel aviv tour info & video clips

2008-07-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Wellcome to travel inthetube-TV video clips & information about interesting locations around the world

The City That Never Sleeps
Entertainment and action galore for revelers and vacationers of every stripe - that's Tel Aviv, proud to live up to its distinction as "The City That Never Sleeps." Throughout Tel Aviv, many pubs and bars open early in the afternoon and don't close until an hour or two before dawn. Many feature live music at least once a week - everything from "dance" and "house" to Middle Eastern, reggae to rock, and jazz to blues.
Night clubs and dance clubs open their doors around 11 pm or midnight and rarely close before 3 or 4 - if then! Ethnic nightclubs draw patrons of all ages and feature performers and entertainers from just about every community making up the city's complex social fabric. Artists presenting repertoires that reflect the entertainment culture of Turkey, Iran, Greece, Israel, and Russia abound in Tel Aviv, especially in Jaffa and the "Little Tel Aviv district in the north of the city, but not only there.

After midnight the serious nightlife scene begins, as Tel Aviv's younger residents in particular flock to the dance clubs in south Tel Aviv and Allenby Street, or, in the summer, to the beaches and the Tel Aviv and Jaffa ports, where the partying often continues until after dawn. One significant focus of late-night action in south Tel Aviv is Lilienblum St. and the surrounding area, with their ever growing number of bars, bistros and restaurants. Neve Tzedek, not far away, is another focal point for night life.

One more area of the city that also has been developing as a hub for nightlife, dining and fun is farther north, located between the old Tel Aviv Port and the Hayarkon Estuary. Elsewhere in Tel Aviv too, newer nightspot areas are also developing - and the number of clubs and discos in the city, spotlighting just about every type of music to dance to, has transformed it into a center of entertainment and merriment that is second to none and has been earning a reputation abroad as well as at home..

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The Malls Experience

In recent years, Israelis have become addicted to malls; Tel Avivans are no exception. Some of the more popular are Dizengoff Center, the up-market Ramat Aviv shopping center north of the city, "Canion Ayalon" in Ramat Gan and "Canion Givataim." The Gan Ha'Ir Shopping Center by the Tel Aviv Municipality is also well favored. Adjacent to Tel Aviv's City Hall, its shops sell exclusive, expensive household goods, jewelry, watches, etc. and feature the latest designs from Israel and abroad. The Opera Tower is yet another part of the city's up-market shopping mall scene. This edifice, which also serves as a luxury apartment complex, contains a relatively small shopping mall but it is conveniently located opposite the beach, at Allenby Street. Here, shops stock exclusive furniture, artwork, Judaica, ceramics, jewelry clothing and accessories.

More than just a shopping mall, the Azrieli Center Mall exists as part of a skyscraper - by Tel Aviv standards - office complex. For those who prefer their shopping western-style in spacious air-conditioned malls, this is the place to go. In addition to a wide range of chain outlets, fast-food restaurants, movie theaters and department stores, it also features excellent views of the city and the Mediterranean Coast from atop one of the towers, on the 45th floor.

In Herzliya, just a very short ride from Tel Aviv, the Arena Mall is located on the Herzliya Marina. Along with a wide variety of shops and boutiques, it also features a range of good restaurants.

If shopping the old-fashioned way is your pleasure, Dizengoff Street, where the northern section has been transformed in recent years as a center for designer fashion, still has much to offer; so does Kikar Hamedina, in the northern part of the city, one of Tel Aviv's most exclusive shopping areas, with a cosmopolitan ambience. For those in search of a more expensive memento of Israel , the art and antique galleries situated in the alleyways of Old Jaffa, are a joy. This is also a wonderful strolling and window shopping area.

Other areas in Tel Aviv of potential interest to tourists and avid shoppers include Shenkin and Bogashrov streets - Tel Aviv's Soho districts - full of designer shops with current fashion for youth, as well as accessories, jewelry and other unusual items. On Ben Yehuda Street are shops offer top-quality merchandise, including leather goods, carpets from around the world, antiques and interesting souvenir, and there a number that specialize in Judaica. Another area where tefillin, mezzuzoth and bar mitzvah accessories are concentrated is near Tel Aviv's Great Synagogue, on Allenby Street.