Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park in Israel

20 December 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  11 minutes

Crusaider Fortress © שבתשתיות - תיעוד פרויקטים בתחבורה/cc-by-sa-3.0

Crusaider Fortress © שבתשתיות – תיעוד פרויקטים בתחבורה/cc-by-sa-3.0

Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park is a national park in central Israel, containing a large network of caves recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The national park includes the remains of the historical towns of Maresha, one of the important towns of Judah during the First Temple Period, and Bayt Jibrin, a depopulated Palestinian town known as Eleutheropolis in the Roman era. However, Maresha and Bayt Jibrin are not part of the UNESCO site, which covers only the cave network. It is located 13 kilometers from Kiryat Gat.   read more…

Gaza Envelope in Israel

3 April 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  7 minutes

Mefalsim © Rikmal/cc-by-sa-3.0

Mefalsim © Rikmal/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Gaza Envelope encompasses the populated areas in the Southern District of Israel that are within 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) of the Gaza Strip border and are therefore within range of mortar shells and Qassam rockets launched from the Gaza Strip.   read more…

Sderot in Israel

9 March 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  9 minutes

Yanchik Hill near Kibbutz Nir Am, view on Sderot and railway Beersheba-Sderot © Dr. Avishai Teicher/cc-by-2.5

Yanchik Hill near Kibbutz Nir Am, view on Sderot and railway Beersheba-Sderot © Dr. Avishai Teicher/cc-by-2.5

Sderot is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 27,635. Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the closest point is 840 m), and is notable for having been a major target of Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Between 2001 and 2008, rocket attacks on the city killed 13 people, wounded dozens, caused millions of dollars in damage and profoundly disrupted daily life. Although rocket fire subsided after the Gaza War, the city has come under rocket attack on occasion since that time.   read more…

Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea

20 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  10 minutes

Ein Gedi Beach © Mboesch/cc-by-sa-4.0

Ein Gedi Beach © Mboesch/cc-by-sa-4.0

Ein Gedi (Arabic: Ain Jidy), also spelt En Gedi, meaning “spring of the kid“, is an oasis and a nature reserve in Israel, located west of the Dead Sea, near Masada and the Qumran Caves. Ein Gedi was listed in 2016 as one of the most popular nature sites in the country. The site attracts about one million visitors a year.   read more…

Dimona in the Negev

10 March 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  6 minutes

© מצילומי-יהודית-גרעין-כל/cc-by-2.5

© מצילומי-יהודית-גרעין-כל/cc-by-2.5

Dimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the south-east of Beersheba and 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. In 2019 its population was 34,500. The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, colloquially known as the Dimona Reactor, is located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) southeast of the city.   read more…

Negev in Israel

25 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  7 minutes

Arad © Neukoln/cc-by-sa-3.0

Arad © Neukoln/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region’s largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba, in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort city of Eilat. It contains several development towns, including the nuclear reactor, built by France and paid for by Germany, in Dimona (Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center), Arad and Mitzpe Ramon, as well as a number of small Bedouin cities, including Rahat and Tel as-Sabi and Lakyah. There are also several kibbutzim, including Revivim and Sde Boker; the latter became the home of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, after his retirement from politics.   read more…

The Azrieli Center in Tel Aviv

1 April 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, Shopping, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Rastaman3000/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Rastaman3000/cc-by-sa-3.0

Azrieli Center is a complex of skyscrapers in Tel Aviv. At the base of the center lies a large shopping mall. The center was originally designed by Israeli-American architect Eli Attia, and after he fell out with the developer of the center, completion of the design was passed on to the Tel Aviv firm of Moore Yaski Sivan Architects. The center was not named after Israeli-Canadian real estate developer David Azrieli. The Azrieli Center is located on a 34,500 m² (371,000 sq ft) site, which was previously used as Tel Aviv’s dumpster-truck parking garage. The $420 million project revitalized the area. The Azrieli Center Mall is one of the largest in Israel. There are about 30 restaurants, fast-food counters, cafes and food stands in the mall. The top floor of the mall is a popular hangout spot for teens, and many online message boards arrange get-togethers there during national holidays.   read more…

Theme Week Tel Aviv – Maccabiah Games

23 January 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Sport, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  8 minutes

Baloons representing the participant countries at the 2013 Maccabiah Games © Maor X/cc-by-sa-3.0

Baloons representing the participant countries at the 2013 Maccabiah Games © Maor X/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Maccabiah Games first held in 1932, are an international Jewish multi-sport event now held quadrennially in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Maccabiah, which is organized by the Maccabi World Union, was declared a “Regional Sport Event” by, and under the auspices of and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee and international sports federations in 1960. The Maccabiah is often referred to as the “Jewish Olympics”. Originally, the Maccabiah was held every three years; since the 4th Maccabiah, the event is held the year following the Olympic Games. In contrast with other large multi-sport events such as the Olympics, competitions at the Maccabiah are organized into four distinct divisions – Juniors, Open, Masters, and Disabled.   read more…

Theme Week Tel Aviv – The Rothschild Boulevard

18 January 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Degser/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Degser/cc-by-sa-3.0

Rothschild Boulevard is one of the principal streets in the center of Tel Aviv, beginning in Neve Tzedek at its southwestern edge and running north to Habima Theatre. It is one of the most expensive streets in the city, being one of the city’s main tourist attractions. It features a wide, tree-lined central strip with pedestrian and bike lanes. Rothschild Boulevard was the epicenter of the 2011 Israeli social justice protests.   read more…

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