Nazareth

Nazareth (Arabic ??????? an-N??irah, Hebrew ???? Nasarat, => =>) is a city in northern Israel. With a population of 60,000, it is the largest Arab city in Israel proper with a mixed but quite harmonious Christian and Muslim population.

Understand

Nazareth is best known as the home of Joseph and Mary and hence also Jesus, although he was born in Bethlehem.

As the place where Jesus grew up, studied and lived most of his life, Nazareth has for two thousand years been closely identified with Christianity and has attracted hundreds of millions of pilgrims from around the world. Nazareth is also Israel’s largest Arab city and as such serves as a major cultural center. Over the past decade the historical Old City has been extensively renovated, preserving and restoring the architectural beauty and unique character of its narrow lanes and alleys. The combination of these three elements – history, culture and architecture – assures the Old City of Nazareth a place among the most beautiful historical destinations in the world.

Get in

2 hours by bus or car from Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) =>, Jerusalem (131 km) and Tel Aviv (102 km), 1 hour by bus from Haifa, regular bus service from all parts of Israel, self – drive cars.

Get around

Central Nazareth can be easily covered on foot.

See

• The Basilica of the Annunciation is built above the sunken grotto which according to the Roman Catholic faith was the home of the Virgin Mary and the place where she received the Annunciation (the announcement of the imminent birth of Jesus). The large and impressive modern-day church is built above the remains of churches dating back to Crusader and Byzantine times, still visible on the lower level. The church boasts dozens of pictures donated by Christian communities around the world. The Largest Church in the Middle East and one of Christianity’s Holiest shrines, its imposing dome dominates the Nazareth skyline and is an ideal landmark and starting piont for visiting Other churches. It marks the spot where the Archangel Gabriel Informed the Virgin Mary that God had chosen her to bear his son; there is also a tradition that Mary lived in a house on this site. The complex of the modern Basilica is built on two levels. The lower one,Making the traditional Roman Catholic site of the Annunciation, contains ancient remains of churches from the Byzantiane and Crusader eras. During archaeological excavations , relics were found dating back to the Canaanite settlement of Nazareth, Though the most interesting find was of a typical Nazarene house, hewn out of the rock, from the Roman Period. The upper level, built between 1959 and 1969 on the site of an 18th-century church, is in strikingly modern architectural style. With its stained- glass windows highlighted against bare stone.A garden and courtyard connect the Basilica to St. Joseph’s Church and Workshop. Admission to the Basilica is free. Hours: Mon.- Sat. 8:30am- 11:45am & 2pm-5:50 pm; Sun. and feasts 2 pm-5:30pm. Winter, Mon.-Sat. 9am-11:45am & 2pm-4:30pm ; Sun. and feasts 2pn-4:30 pm.

• St. Joseph’s Church. net to the Basilica of the Annunciation. Also known as Church of the Nutrition and Joseph’s Workshop, because it is believed that the cavern in the basement was Joshph’s carpentry shop, Built in 1914, on the foundations of a Crusader church, with Romanesque influences. Hours: Daily 9am-11:45am & 2pm- 5:30 pm.

• Mary’s Well and the Ancient Bath House. The structure surrounding Mary’s Well (known as el-Sabil in Arabic) was recently renovated and restored to its original form. Mary’s Well is the symbol of Nazareth Municipality. Next to Mary’s Well is a pleasant souvenir shop named Cactus, belonging to Elias and Martina Shama. After buying the shop in the 1990s, the Shamas discovered that beneath it was concealed one of the most exciting and important discoveries in Nazareth in recent history: a network of beautifully preserved ancient stones arches that once supported a giant bath house. It is believed the exposed remains beneath the shop may date back to the ancient Roman era – that is, to the time of Jesus – and have been fed by the same water that supplied Mary’s Well­. There is an entrance fee to the site, but no advance reservation is necessary and guided explanations and hot and cold drinks are available to visitors.

• St. Gabriel’s Church of the Annunciation is built above a spring believed to be the source of a well where Mary drew water each day. This is the site where the Greek Orthodox tradition maintains that the Angel Gabriel revealed to Mary knowledge of the impending birth of Jesus. The church houses many interesting icons and wall paintings, as well as the holy spring.

Buy

A souq (Arab market) extends up the hill from the Church of the Annunciation.

Eat

The city’s many restaurants provide a full gastronomic experience in all types of Arab cuisine. Any visit to Nazareth must allow time to enjoy to the full the renowned and delicious local tradition of welcoming diners.

Sleep

Galilee Hotel =>, Paul 6th St. Nazareth, Tel:06-6571311 Fax: 06-6556627, e-mail: merywell@netvision.net.il (just north of the post office) The hotel is situated near the town center,is a four minute walk from the main tourist center and can host 200 people, in 92 rooms, each having air-conditioning and private bathrooms. The dining-room can seat 400 people and the self service offers a large variety of oriental speciaties, as well as local wines.

Grand New Hotel, 407 Har Hamutran, Nazareth, Israel, Tel: +972-6-6573325, Fax + 6 576281, email- grandhtl@rannet.com

Nazareth Gardens Hotel =>, P.O.B 520, Nazareth 17105, Israel, Tel: 972-4-6026666, Fax: 972-4-6026676 Between heaven and earth, nestling in the green slopes of a dramatic mountaintop, you will find the new Nazareth Gardens Hotel. The hotel was designed to blend into the pastoral landscapes and to compliment the awe-inspiring beauty of its natural surroundings. The hotel is temporarily close.

Nazareth. Paulus VI St., Nazareth, Israel, telephone: +972 (0)6 577 777 (next to intersection with Haifa Rd.)

The Rimonim Nazareth Hotel (Ha’Maayan) =>, Paulus VI Road, P.O.Box 2767, Nazareth 16000, Phone: +972-4-6500000 (In Israel 1-800-22-1202), Fax: +972-4-67500055. The hotel is located in the center of the old city of Nazareth, close to the Church of the Annunciation, Suk, restaurants and other quaint tourist sites. The Hotel’s 226 comfortable rooms include air condition, cable TV, radio, in-room-safe and fax-modem connection. Business travelers are offered secretarial services, business lounge, meeting rooms and conference halls. The hotel has a covered parking garage.

Plaza Hotel, 2 Hermon Street Nazareth (elite) 17000 Israel, Phone: +972-4-6028200

Get out

This text of this article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0. It has been slightly modified to fit the general design of this website. The authors of this document are Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel, Evan Prodromou and the following WikiTravel users: Jpatokal, Maj. The original version of this article can be seen at http://wikitravel.org/en/Nazareth.