An Amazing Tour of Jordan and Israel
Bro Anselm Suresh Rao,
Junior Deacon, Edward Holiday Lodge E.C. 7997
In May of 2023, WB James Valentine led an enthusiastic group of Masons from various lodges within the District, together with their good ladies for an enriching historical tour of Jordan and Israel,
The tour started off by arriving in Amman, Jordan via a Qatar Airways flight. The very next day, our first day of the tour, we made a land crossing into Israel. We visited Jericho, Qumran (the site of the Dead Sea scrolls), had a dip in the Dead Sea and finally spent the night in Bethlehem after visiting the famous Church of the Nativity, the site of the birth of Jesus Christ.
On the second day, which was the highlight of the trip, we managed to visit Jerusalem as we visited to the Temple Mount and Western Wall. Thus, we actually set foot on what was the remains of King Solomon’s Temple, the site on which the biblical story that forms the basis of our Masonic ritual. As an added bonus we were also taken on the “Via Dolorosa”, (Latin for “Sorrowful Way” or “Way of Suffering”) the path Jesus Christ took on his crucifixion day. The day ended at the Holy Sepulchre church where Jesus Christ was crucified.
The Western Wall Of King Solomons Temple
On day three we walked down the Mount of Olives retracing the steps Jesus Christ took on Palm Sunday when he entered Jerusalem on a donkey, and this included visiting the Garden of Gethsemane, the place Jesus prayed the night before he was crucified.
We also managed to appreciate the contrast between the old and the new Israel. The old Israel meaning the ancient city of Jaffa and the new Israel being the spanking ultra-modern city of Tel Aviv. After this we visited the Bahai Gardens in Haifa, took a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee and stayed in Nazareth where we visited the Basilica of the Annunciation, the place where Jesus Christ lived and grew up as a child.
On returning to Jordan, we visited Mount Nebo, retracing the steps that the prophet Moses took when he was shown the Promised Land by God. We then went to Madaba to visit the world’s oldest mosaic map of the Holy Land at the St George’s Greek Orthodox Church, Karak and the Karak Castle. Finally visited the baptism site of Jesus Christ at Bethany. Another highlight of the trip was the visit to Petra, Jordan, the lost city of the Nabataeans, which is one of the current seven wonders of the world.
I managed to capture the essential sights and sounds of this amazing trip in a series of 20 YouTube videos and thus for those of you who are interested, please visit the link given below:
Holy Land tour link:
Our sincere gratitude and appreciation goes out to W Bro James Valentine for organizing such a wonderful tour. A truly amazing tour!
At Petra Looking For The Holy Grail
Malaysian Indiana Jones
The Good Ladies At Mount Of Olives