Touring Israel with a tour guide

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The pomegranate (Punica granatum) one of the Seven Species of the Land of Israel (Devarim / Deuteronomy 8:8) Its fruits & flowering branches have inspired poets & artists for millennia. As it says in the Song of Songs: "I went down to the grove of nut trees… to see if the vines had budded, if the pomegranates were in bloom" (Song of Songs 6:11) Flowering: Spring (April–May). Showy, crimson, trumpet-shaped flowers Fruiting: Ripens late summer to autumn (August–October) Uses: Eaten fresh, juiced, used in cooking (e.g., fesenjan) & made into molasses for savoury dishes. The seeds (arils) can also be added to salads & desserts The pomegranate (rimon in Hebrew) can be found in the mosaic detail in the images from a 6th-century BCE Byzantine palace in Caesarea, showing a pomegranate tree, & also a dog resting beside a pomegranate tree. It decorated the grand atrium of a palace complex just outside the city walls. Th...

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael Mediterranean House Gecko ( midactylus turcicus) Mentioned in the Hebrew Bible - i n Proverbs 30:28 we read: "the gecko takes hold with her hands, yet she is in kings' palaces" 🏛️ Biblical significance: Listed among the unclean creatures in Leviticus 11:30 🍽️ Eating habits: Nocturnal insectivores, these geckos are voracious predators that cling to surfaces using specialised pads on their toes. The Hebrew name, semamit, refers to its ability to climb walls with ease. They are attracted to light sources to find their prey - making them excellent natural pest controllers! 🌿 Breeding: They are egg-layers, with an average clutch size of 2, breeding once yearly. They reach maturity at around 22 months & can live up to 9 years! 🌍 Habitat & behaviour: Native to the Mediterranean region, they inhabit shrubland, rocky areas, cliffs & human homes - often taking shelter in cracks & unseen areas of buildings. Males are...

  A Taste of Biblical Israel Did you know the fig is one of the Seven Species of Israel? 🍯 The fig tree is mentioned 16 times in the Hebrew Bible, often alongside the vine as a symbol of peace & prosperity . "Every man under his own vine and under his own fig tree" (I Kings 5:5) became the ultimate vision of security. 🕊️ 🌱 The fig was cultivated in Israel as early as 7000 years ago - making it one of the world's first domesticated fruit trees! Archaeologists found evidence at Tel Tsaf in the Jordan Valley 🍃 Adam & Eve used fig leaves to cover themselves (Genesis 3:7) - the very first biblical mention of this iconic tree 🍯 The "honey" in "a land flowing with milk & honey" (Deuteronomy 8:8) - according to some Jewish sages, it refers to fig honey! 🐝 💫 Some rabbinic traditions believe the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden was actually a fig tree The fruit was eaten fresh, dried into cakes (develah) & even used as a healing pou...

#ImagineIsraelTours 3,000 Years of Jewish History in One Day. Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter brings together some of the most significant sites in Jewish history, archaeology & worship, spanning the First Temple period to the present day. Highlights of this tour include: 🕍 The Western Wall (HaKotel) - The surviving western retaining wall of the Second Temple, & Judaism's holiest place of prayer. 🕍 The Western Wall Tunnels - A 485-metre underground route revealing the full length of the Wall, including the enormous Western Stone, one of the largest building stones ever used in antiquity. 🕍 The 1948 Independence War Memorial 🕍 The 'City of David' - still under excavation 🕍 The Hurva Synagogue - Originally established in the early 18th century, destroyed & rebuilt several times, most recently reopened in 2010 following meticulous reconstruction. 🕍 The Four Sephardic Synagogues - A remarkable complex dating largely from the 16th century, reflecting the traditi...

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael Sea Bream ( Diplodus levantinus) When you order sea bream (denise / gilt-head bream) in Israel, you're taking part in a story that goes back centuries - way before it became a modern Mediterranean favourite. Let me take you back to the year 300 CE... In 1996, a spectacular Roman mosaic was discovered in Lod, Israel, during highway construction. Dated to approximately 300 CE, the Lod Mosaic is the largest mosaic ever found in Israel - a stunning floor that once belonged to a luxurious Roman villa. And guess what's featured in the marine scene? 🐠 Bream 🐟 Tuna ⚔️ Swordfish 🐚 Scallops & sea snails Yes - sea bream & other fish from our very own waters were being celebrated in Roman-era art nearly 1,700 years ago! The mosaic's nautical scene shows ships, sea life & marine creatures, symbolising Greco-Roman culture entering the region. It's a snapshot of what the Mediterranean meant to ancient civilisations: life ...