DESCRIPTION:

Delve into the Mediterranean Sea, rich in its imposing deep blue color, dramatic history, bewitching scenery, breadth of culture, and irresistible cuisine. At the source of this abundance: for millennia the Sea was a thoroughfare for transport, trade, and cultural exchange, creating interactions between diverse peoples ranging from Western Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe. The history of the Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies.

 

Travel to Israel and Cyprus to explore the myriad historical layers and influences. Learn about thousands of years of great battles and successive rulers, intrusions by external empires, and ongoing cultural exchanges that shaped the history and societies of the Mediterranean to the present. The great civilizations are many: Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Iberian, Greek, Macedonian, Illyrian, Thracian, Levantine, Gallic, Roman, Albanian, Armenian, Arabic, Berber, Jewish, Slavic and Turkish.

 

Perhaps the most notable Mediterranean civilization in classical antiquity in this region were the Phoenicians. Phoenicia was the ancient civilization known as Canaan, the land referenced in the Hebrew Scriptures to which Moses lead the Israelites from Egypt and which Joshua then conquered. Phoenicia was comprised of independent city-states, which lay along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, stretching through what is now Syria, Lebanon, northern Israel, and Cyprus. The Phoenicians were a great maritime people, known for their mighty ships adorned with horses’ heads in honor of their god of the sea, who spread across the Mediterranean from 1550 BC to 300 BC. From their time to today Israel and Cyprus have passed through the hands of many leaders and cultures, so many of which remain visible at sites today.

 

In Israel, visit famous archaeological sites, such as Ashkelon, Caesarea, Megiddo and Tiberias – sites that were once Phoenician city-states and then became built over by subsequent civilizations. Stand at the picturesque caves of Rosh HaNikra on the Lebanese border and learn about history from the political flow of Phoenicia from the north to the south to today’s boundaries. Tour the ancient walled city of Akko, one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the world, importantly located on the coast of the Mediterranean, linking the waterways and commercial activity with the Levant. Visit Jerusalem’s superb museums, walk its old city, and visit the Dead Sea region and Jericho.

 

Then fly to Cyprus, floating in the waters of European Mediterranean but with a great deal of history pointing toward Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon. The island is a fascinating mix of Europe and the East: geographically Asian and politically European. Cyprus has always had strategic importance; it was a must-have strategic point for all major powers at different times. The island was occupied by the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Persians, the Rashidun and Umayyad Arab Caliphates, the Lusignans, the Venetians, the Crusaders, the English, and finally the Ottomans. By legend the birthplace of the ancient Greek goddess of love Aphrodite, Cyprus's modern history has, in contrast, been dominated by enmity between its Greek and Turkish inhabitants. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 between the two countries; it is possible to visit both sides.

 

Throughout the journey visit archaeological sites, museums, and ancient cities cities such as Jerusalem and Paphos, and modern conurbations such as Tel Aviv—places that today are as complex and varied as the history that created them. See great walled cities that have sheltered populations for centuries, visit ancient ports still in use, learn about maritime trading, catch the mingled scents of spice markets, and inhale the freshness of the sea.

 

CONSIDER:

It is possible to drive into Nablus in the West Bank, site of two ancient archaeological sites.

 

OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS & ADD-ONS:

Please inquire.